death registers for caithness

[suseh1]

Hi I was at Register House in Edinburgh a few days ago and found out that for the period 1790 to 1850 there are no death registers for caithness. I must admit was surprised as there are birth and marriage registers. I was wondering if anyone else had come across this and knew the reason why.

thanks Susan

[Rosemary Skea]

Hi I was at Register House in Edinburgh a few days ago and found out that for the period 1790 to 1850 there are no death registers for caithness. I must admit was surprised as there are birth and marriage registers. I was wondering if anyone else had come across this and knew the reason why.

thanks Susan

Registrations were not compulsory. If you go to the Caithness page on FREEREG, you will see the parishes where burials were recorded.

Rosemary

[suseh1]

Hi Rosemary thanks for your tip had a look at freereg and it pretty much backs up the info given from register house in that there appears to be only a few deaths registered for this period in caithness. I was aware that it was not compulsory to register deaths at this time, just intrigued as to why there is such a disparity in the volume of births and marriages registered in comparison. Was it compulsory to register births and marriages during this period is this why there is such a disparity?

thanks susan

[domino]

Prior to 1855 I do not think it was compulsary to registers Births and Marriages. Most people appear to have done so. To register births, and probably Marriages, cost money. There is evidence that some could not afford the fees. I think that in the early 1800's the fee was about 1/6d (seven and a half pence) but there were people who were so poor that they could not afford this. Some were therefore recorded for free whilst others were charged half price and yet others would appear to pay by instalments!! This was certainly true according to some of the entries in the Latheron records

[Durran]

Hi Susan,

I have a list of 597 death/burial entries for Dunnet Parish taken from the OPR (very few) but mainly from the accounts of the Kirk Session. If was from the latter list that I discovered that my 3xGreat Grandfather, Donald Durran(d), died in December 1828 and was buried in Dunnet Old Churchyard. The entry simply said "1 Jan 1829 - Donald Durrand, 6d to ring the bell". Other entries show that it cost 1/6d for a shroud and 3/- for a coffin.