Ruthven (Angus)

Records, sources & information about the Parish of Ruthven

Parish number 318


map of Maryton

More maps of Ruthven

Introduction
Births & baptisms
Books & articles
Census records
Clock & watch tax
Deaths & burials
Farm horse tax
Farmers
Land owners
Maps
Marriages
Ministers of the parish
Monumental inscriptions
Old parish registers
Parish Church
Photographs of places
Population statistics
Statistical Accounts
Tenants
Testaments & wills
War memorial
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Introduction

Please also visit the page of general information applicable to all of Angus & Kincardineshire.

Abbreviations

NLSNational Library of Scotland
NRSNational Records of Scotland, formerly called the National Archives of Scotland [NAS] and, before that, the Scottish Record Office [SRO]
HM General Register House, Edinburgh EH1 3YY (Tel: +44-131-535-1314)
OPROld Parish Registers of Births/baptisms, Banns/marriages & Deaths/burials (pre-1855)

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Books & articles

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Statistical accounts of Ruthven

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Maps of Ruthven

For the full range of maps of Ruthven, see National Library's Maps.

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Photographs of places

Geograph.org: Ruthven - recent photographs of Ruthven. National Grid ref. NO2848.

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Ruthven parish church

Located at National Grid ref. NO286488. Built 1859. The mediaeval kirk belonged to Arbroath Abbey. A fine photograph of the kirk on the Scottish War Memorials site.

There is an article, with photographs, on Ruthven Parish Church in A Corpus of Scottish Mediaeval Parish Churches.

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Parish ministers 1560-1941

adm.: admitted, ass.: assistant, bapt.: baptised, contr.: contract, dem.: demitted, dep.: deposed, ind.: inducted, lic.: licensed, mar.: married, min.: minister, ord.: ordained, pres.: presented, rel.: related, res.: resigned, suc.: successor, test.: testament, tr.: translated

George Hay1561parson
James Fleming1563reader
Walter Lindsay1569-1574reader bef. 1574; pres. to vicarage 22 Jul 1569 on death of Patrick Blair
David Cumyng1574-?reader 1574-8; pres. to vicarage 17 Mar 1574-5 on death of Patrick Blair [error for Walter Lindsay?]; master of Leith Song School 1583
Robert Carrington1576reader 1576; pres. to vicarage 30 Oct 1576 on death of David Cumyng [inconsistent]
Thomas Maxwell1579-1580reader
David Ramsay1582-1590pres. to vicarage 19 Apr 1582; still in office 1590
Robert Hamilton1595?-15966th son of John Hamilton of Orbiston; M.A. St Andrews 1592; min. 1595; d. 30 Nov 1596, aged ca. 24
John Barclay1597-1609M.A.; min. 1597; pres. to vicarage 17 Nov 1602; tr. to Meigle PER aft. 30 Nov 1609
Patrick Crichton1609-1644son of Alexander Crichton of Naughton, Fife; M.A. Edinburgh 1600; pres. (but not adm.) to vicarage of Forgan FIF 29 Apr 1606; pres. to vicarage here 1 Apr 1609; still min. 11 Aug 1644; mar. Isobel Rattray; issue: Margaret (mar. Alexr Ramsay of Dalrulzian)
John Rattray1651-1665M.A.; adm. bef. 20 Jan 1651; tr. to Rattray PER Jul 1665
John Fyfe1666-1691ord. bef. 5 May 1666; adm. 31 May 1666; d. bef. 7 Nov 1691; mar.; issue: Henry
Robert Pitcairn1705-1742M.A. St Andrews 1690; ord. 21 Mar 1705; d. Nov 1742, aged ca. 73; mar.; issue: Andrew, writer in Dundee
William Cruickshank1744-1756M.A. Marischal 1730; ord. 8 Feb 1744; d. 14 Jul 1756; mar. 1744 Barbara, dau. of Robert Lyon, min. of Kinfauns PER
Thomas Duncan1757-1784ord. 11 May 1757; d. 12 Jan 1784; mar. Eliz. Crooks; issue: Margaret, ELiz., Wm, Mary, Jean, Isobel, Christian, Charlotte, John
James Will1784-1798ord. 23 Sep 1784; tr. to Guthrie 16 Aug 1798
Patrick Maclaren1798-1822ord. 27 Sep 1798; d. 7 Nov 1822; mar. 1812 Cath. McLaren; issue: Wm; Ann Wedderburn; Allan; Jean
Patrick Barty1823-1870b. 5 Jan 1798, eldest son of Thomas Barty, min. of Bendochy PER; ord. 7 Aug 1823; d. 24 Jun 1870 unmar.
John Gordon McPherson1870-1909b. 28 Jun 1843 St Andrews, son of James McPh., dancing master; M.A. St Andrews 1865; Ph.D. Rostock; rector Hexham Academy 1868; rector Forfar Academy 1869; ord. 8 Dec 1870; maths examiner St Andrews Univ.; lecturer in meteorology; voluminous author; d. 10 Nov 1909; mar. 1868 Christina Wallace, eldest dau. of David Carstairs; issue: Christina Gordon; Joan Davina Carstairs
Alexander Kidd Watt1910-1926b. 13 Jun 1862 Auchterhouse, son of John W., farmer; ass. Sandsting, Aithsting, Lerwick and Wick; ord. to Carronshore Chapel 2 Mar 1899; tr. & adm. 6 Apr 1910; d. 10 Dec 1926 Dundee; mar. 1911 Kath., dau. of Alexr Banks; had issue
James Anderson1927-1941tr. from Robertson Memorial, Glasgow 20 Jul 1927; d. 3 Jan 1941; mar. 1922 Alice Lilian, dau. of Harry Smith
A. M. Macleod?-1948d. Jan 1948
John L. Terris1948-1954M.A.(St Andrews); lic. 1933; Mossgreen, Crossgates; ind. 27 Jan 1938 Rescobie; tr. & ind. here 15 Jul 1948

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Monumental inscriptions

Monuments in Ruthven Kirkyard bearing pre-1855 information (ca. 30 stones) are listed in Alison Mitchell (ed.), "Pre-1855 Monumental Inscriptions in Angus, Vol. 1: Strathmore" (Edinburgh: Scottish Genealogy Soc., 1993), which can be bought from the Scottish Genealogy Society. (It's listed as "Angus MI - Vol. 1. Pre-1855 Strathmore" in their online shop.)

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Ruthven WW1 war memorial

Inside the kirk: Photographs & names.

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Births, Marriages & Deaths, 1855 to present

Indexes and actual records for Statutory Registers of Births, Marriages & Deaths, beginning 1 Jan 1855, are available online, following registration and the purchase of credits, at the official web-site, ScotlandsPeople.

Births, Marriages & Deaths, before 1855

Indexes and actual records for all extant Old Parish Registers (OPRs) (pre-1855) of the Established Church of Scotland are available online, following registration and the purchase of credits, at the official web-site, ScotlandsPeople.

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Land owners

There was 1 proprietor of land in the parish in 1842:

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Farmers / Tenants

FarmNameDates
Balbirnie (village)James Cunningham (2 acres)-1841-1851-
doMary Cunningham (2 acres)-1861-
doMargaret Loban (2 acres)-1851-1861-
doThomas McKay-1881-
doGeorge Thomson-1891-1901-
BridgendDavid Steele-1841-1861-
doThomas Steele-1871-
doPeter Barty Leslie-1881-1891-
doDavid Annand-1901-
BrigtonAlexander Simpson-1841-
doJames Reid-1871-1901-
DrylochPeter Strathearn-1841-1851-
doJames Strathearn-1861-
doJohn Leslie-1871-1881-
doDavid Thomson-1891-1901-
Hole of RuthvenAndrew Bruce [d. 1842]-1842
doAndrew Bruce [d. 1887]1842-1881-
doJohn leslie-1891-1901-
MiltonThomas Simpson-1841-1851-
doJames Young-1861-
doGeorge Linn-1871-
doDavid A. Robertson-1901-
Ruthven HousePeter Wedderburn Ogilvy-1861-1871-
doJohn Andrew Wedderburn Ogilvy-1901-

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Census records

Records of the official censuses of the parish in 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911 and 1921 are held in Register House, Edinburgh and are open to the public on payment of a fee.

Indexes to all the original census records, and the records themselves, can be accessed online at modest charge at ScotlandsPeople.

Microfilm copies are also widely available in libraries. The 1881 census is available on CD-ROM.

The early censuses of 1801-31 do not name individuals.

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Population statistics

Yearmalefemaletotalref.
1755280Dr Alexander Webster
1792220Old Statistical Account
1801211
1811240
1821138175313
1831363
1841471*
1842179246425New Statistical Account
1851503
1871122125247
188110590195
18919692188
19019277169
19118884172
1921100100200

* Figure includes 40 people 'not of the parish' [See New Statistical Account]

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Testaments & wills

Ruthven was in the Commissariot of Dunkeld [NRS CC7].

Indexes to all extant pre-1926 testamentary records (wills & inventories of moveable property) can be searched free of charge at ScotlandsPeople. Digital (and paper) copies of the documents can be purchased at that site. See further the introduction to Angus & Kincardineshire at Testaments.

Testaments of Ruthven people from the Register of Testaments of the Commissariot of Dunkeld, 1682-1823
'T' before the date indicates that the copy in the register is lost, but the original testament is extant.

Alexander Crichtonsometime merchant in Baekie, and afterwards at Bridgetoun of Ruthven23 Dec 1726
George Crichtonmilner at the Mill of Ruthven22 Aug 1722
James Crichton of Ruthvens6 Aug 1719
Mr Patrick Crichton of RuthvenT. 8 Dec 1747, [46] 1 Jan 1748
William Dickbluedyer at Ruthven26 Nov & 1 Dec 1814
John Gardner or Gairdnerat the Milne of RuthvenT. 7 Sep 1712
Grissell Hendersonlate servant to Patrick Whytock, in Holl of Ruthven, par. of Tibbermuir [error?]5 Oct 1749
William Marshallat Bridge of Ruthven10 & 11 Oct 1809
John Morisonin Kirktoun of RuthvenT. -- 1684
Helen Ramsayrelict of Robert Man, merchant in Dundee, and spouse to Thomas Crichton, surgeon at Ruthven26 Aug 1755, 9 Aug 1757, and 7 Nov 1758
Andrew Smithin Bridgend of Ruthvens4 Apr 1690
George Turnbullin Holl of Ruthvens4 Apr 1690
Alexander Webstersometime in Hole of RuthvenT. 19 Mar 1703

Testaments of Ruthven people from the Register of Testaments of the Commissariot of St Andrews, 1549-1800, that have been lost, for which only entries in the minute books are extant

Mr William Crookshanksminister of the Gospel at Ruthven7 Jan 1765

Testaments of Ruthven people from the Register of Testaments of the Commissariot of Edinburgh, 1514-1600

Mr Robert Hamiltonminister at Ruthvene, sher. of Forfar6 Jun 1597

Testaments of Ruthven people from the Register of Testaments of the Commissariot of Edinburgh, 1701-1800

Thomas Ogilvie of Ruthvensometime merchant in Dundee27 Feb 1786

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Clock & watch tax, 1797-8

Images of the original records for Ruthven:

NRS ref. E326/12/2/45

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Farm horse tax, 1797-8

Images of the original records for Ruthven:

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This page updated 8 Feb 2024