Statutory Registers
The statutory registers comprise the official records of births,
marriages and deaths in Scotland from 1 January 1855 when civil
registration replaced the old system of registration by parishes of the
Established Church (Church of Scotland). From 1855, registration became
compulsory, regardless of religious denomination, and followed a
standard format for each record type. More information was required in
order to register an event, particularly at the start of the new
system.
The General Register Office for Scotland holds statutory births,
marriages and deaths for the whole of Scotland from 1855 to present.
Indexes of Scottish births and deaths (1855-2006) and marriages (1855-2006), and images
of births(1855-1909), marriages (1855-1934) and deaths (1855-1959) can
be viewed here on ScotlandsPeople.
To find out more about the different types of statutory records, select one from the right menu.