Hello Kylie B
From SP - some info on what you can get on OPRs. You can get a very good detailed breakdown on what is on post 1855 certs by following the link:
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?r=554&404There's a wide variety of info on the site. Regards, Steve :O)
"Old Parish Registers
The Old Parish Registers (OPR's) comprise the records of births & baptisms, banns & marriages and deaths & burials kept by individual parishes of the Established Church (Church of Scotland) before the introduction of civil registration in 1855. The parish minister or the session clerk usually assumed responsibility for maintaining the registers, but since there was no standard format employed, record keeping varied enormously from parish to parish and also from year to year. As a result, the information may be sparse, unreliable and difficult to read.
The oldest register dates from 1553 (baptisms and banns from Errol, Perthshire), but although there was a requirement from 1552 that parishes record baptisms and marriages, many did not commence until much later, and some more remote areas only have registers from the early 19th century. Some registers have been lost or destroyed and the condition of the surviving 3500 is variable. The General Register Office for Scotland holds the surviving original registers.
Registration in Church of Scotland's registers was costly and unpopular, so many people did not bother to register events at all.
Although details of some non-conformists can be found in Established Church registers, many members of other religious denominations chose to have events registered in their own churches. In addition, rapid urbanisation during the 19th century contributed to the diminishing influence of the Church and a decrease in registration in these areas. It was estimated at the time that as few as 30% of events actually occurring were being recorded for some urban parishes.
