Burial grounds for St. Mary's RC Church in Edinburgh

[Flowerdoll]

I have been planning our trip to Scotland and want to also do more searching on our genealogy.

I know that a lot of connections to my ancestors lead me to St. Mary's RC Church also listed as St. Mary's Chapel Broughton St. I have contacted the church in hopes that they might have any records but they do not.

Can anyone tell me which graveyards/burial grounds that would be associated with this church going back to the 1800? I have found a huge list of burial grounds that we could never have the time to search through. The families that we hope to find are McIver, Hillis and Finnigan

[dowdstree]

Hi Flowerdoll,

I think this is a follow on from your earlier post in May about your planned visit to Scotland.

As said by others in reply your best place to start would be at Scotlands People where you can have a whole day of researching for £15 better booked in advance. They hold records of Catholic birth, deaths etc. You could start now online if you wished just go to  www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk  that should take you to the registration. Its very easy to do just put in your email and a password. It is a pay site but very reasonable and you can then print permissible records. Also the staff are very helpful.

Good Luck

Dorrie

[Flowerdoll]

Yes, it is me again:-) I do plan to visit the Scotsland People building and book a day to research. I have found it very expensive to do the online searching because of so many wrong names coming up and using 5 credits every time to view each one. We only have 4 days booked in Edinburgh so I wanted to find as much info as I can before we arrive.  We plan to visit St Mary's in Edinburgh. There is also mention of a marriage at St. Patrick's RC Church.

My question was more directed to finding the burial grounds for St. Mary's RC Church. Are there more than one burial grounds for Roman Catholic Churches? Here in my home town most families tend to all be buried in the same graveyard in family plots. I was thinking that since the ties from the 3 families are at St. Mary's it would be a good chance they might be buried there.

The info I have is that they were baptized in Cannongate Midlothian Edinburgh

[MonicaL]

Some details here on RC archive holdings www.scottishcatholicarchives.org.uk/FamilyHistory/ParishRegisterholdings/tabid/82/Default.aspx

See also here www.scottishcatholicarchives.org.uk/Contact/tabid/61/Default.aspx - you can make further enquiries in advance of your visit.

Monica 

[Flowerdoll]

Thank you Monica, I have bookmarked these sites and will go through them tonight.

[dowdstree]

Just some more info on the Churches you mentioned.

St. Patricks Catholic Church, Cowgate, Edinburgh.
Canongate Kirk, Canongate, Edinburgh.

If you " google " these churches you will find various sites which give a history and details.

Both are within walking distance of each other in the Old Town part of Edinburgh.

As far as I am aware the Catholic only Cemetery - Mount Vernon - did not open until 1895.

The Catholic Archives say that their online records are available to view at Scotlands People. Back to them again for viewing Scottish records. Perhaps you would like to contact them to confirm this.

Hope this helps you.

Dorrie

[Templar75]

Hi Flowerdoll,

                  yes the only burial site for R.Cs. is Mount Vernon all my family are in there, however I am sure they could use any one they wanted.

I know that about six or seven years ago some drunken louts from the local Pub set fire to the Mount Vernon Offices and in doing so they destryed all the burial records, but I am sure there were back up's.

What are the names you are looking at.

Regards.

Archie.

[Flowerdoll]

Hi Archie, the families I am looking for are McIver, Hillis and Finnigan.

Brothers James and Patrick McIver show their children baptized at St Mary's Church. Patrick's wife Margaret was a Hillis, her father Hugh Hillis and mother Elizabeth Finnigan. Patrick and Margaret were married at St. Mary's March 3, 1869 and Margaret's siblings were baptized there. Hugh Hillis and Margaret Finnigan were married at St. Patrick's Church Feb. 3 1850

So following that info I think they might have lived and died in the area and are buried  at Mount Vernon. I do not have any death dates for any of them so if Mount Vernon was built in 1895 then the parents must be buried somewhere else.

[Templar75]

Hi Flowerdoll

As Mountvernon is out the three I can think off are Old or New Calton are behind the Cannongate that would be the nearest one another one is Newington but these are not R.C., however, being R.C. would not prevent them being buried elsewhere, do you know exactly where they lived and died like an address.

Archie.