Troqueer Minutes

Full Name: Troqueer Minutes
Period: 1698-1771
Records: 1345 View

The Kirk Session was made up of the minister and elders of the Presbyterian Church - the established church of Scotland - and its task was to maintain Christian standards of behaviour within the parish. In fact, virtually all aspects of the life of the community fell within its remit so these records form a rich source for social, economic and local history as well as a goldmine for genealogists.

Charitable works and the promotion of a virtuous life were the main concerns of the kirk session. It oversaw the care of the poor, maintaining the parish mortifications (charitable benefactions) and licensing beggars. With regard to morality, it hunted out those suspected of fornication or adultery, those irregularly married (ie without the banns having been called in their own parish churches), swearers, blasphemers, slanderers, drunkards and those guilty of prophaning the Sabbath, punishing them with fines and public penitence .

The parish of Troqueer lies on what was formerly the Kirkcudbrightshire side of the river Nith, directly opposite the burgh of Dumfries which, of course, was on the Dumfriesshire side. In 1810, the community around Troqueer parish church was created into a separate burgh with its own council and court. The burgh of Maxwelltown survived until 1929 when it was formally joined to the burgh of Dumfries under a single administration.

NOTE:

The date given for an entry is that of its first mention. If the subject referred to was discussed by the kirk session on subsequent days, these additional dates are not given but the page numbers of all the relevant pages in the volume are listed instead.

These records belong to the Church of Scotland and we hold them under Charge and Superintence from the Keeper of the Records of Scotland (acting on behalf of the Church). The reference numbers of the volumes are those allocated by the National Archives of Scotland.

This project to create an index-cum-synopsis of the contents of the Kirk Session and Presbytery Minutes of Dumfries has been undertaken by the "Friends of the Archives of Dumfries and Galloway"

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