Kirk session records are the minute books and accounts of the church court in each Scottish parish. They can name an ancestor when no other record does. They show who got into trouble, who needed help, and who moved away. For many families, this is where a name first turns into a real story.
This guide explains what a kirk session was, what its books hold, and how to find them. The steps are simple, so you can start your own search today.
What Was a Kirk Session?
A kirk session is the lowest court in the Church of Scotland. It is made up of the minister and the elders of one parish. ScotlandsPeople says the Church of Scotland has held kirk sessions since 1560.
The session did more than run the church. For centuries it also looked after the poor and helped to run local schools. In many parishes it was the nearest thing to a local council. That is why its books hold so much about ordinary families.
One elder acted as session clerk. He wrote the minutes and often kept the money too. Some clerks were also the local schoolteacher or lawyer. Each clerk kept records in his own way, so no two parishes look quite alike.
What Kirk Session Records Can Tell You
Session books vary a lot from parish to parish. Many hold several kinds of record in one volume. Look out for these:
- Minutes. These record the cases the session heard and the choices it made. Each entry starts by listing the minister and elders at the meeting.
- Accounts. These show money in and money out. They often name the people who got poor relief.
- Lists of members. Some parishes listed the people who could take communion. These lists can place a family in a parish between censuses.
- Certificates. When a family moved parish, the session could give them a certificate. The new session looked for it. It can show where your ancestors came from, or where they went.
- Baptisms and marriage proclamations. Some sessions kept their own lists. They are worth a look if other registers have gaps.
- Mortcloth fees. The session charged a fee to hire the mortcloth, a cloth laid over the coffin. The accounts may help you date a death.
Discipline and the Stool of Repentance
The session also acted as a court for church discipline. It heard cases of sex outside marriage, Sabbath breaking, drunkenness, fighting and slander. People were summoned. The elders questioned them and the clerk wrote down what was said.
Serious cases could end in a public rebuke. The person sat on a raised seat in church, called the stool of repentance. The whole parish watched.
That sounds harsh. For a family historian, it is a gift. A woman was often asked to name the father of her child, and the clerk wrote the name down. Civil registration of births began on 1 January 1855. Before that date, a session book may be the only record of an unmarried mother’s child. The session also called witnesses. Their names can link neighbours and kin.
Handle each entry with care. Your ancestor may have been a witness, not the person in trouble. Read the whole case before you decide.
Many Scots who sailed to Nova Scotia, Ontario or the Carolinas took this habit of church order with them. They set up Presbyterian congregations with elders of their own. If your family left Scotland, the home session book may hold the last mention of them there. Our guide to Scottish emigration records shows how to follow them across the sea.
Poor Relief Records
In most parishes the session ran poor relief for centuries. Money came from collections at the church door, fines and mortcloth fees. Most of it went on regular weekly or monthly payments to the poor.
The accounts usually name each person who got help. Travellers and other passing poor were often left unnamed. Entries may say why a person needed help. Old age, illness, widowhood and an orphaned child were all common reasons. Small extra payments for fuel, a coffin or a doctor can tell their own story.
After the Poor Law (Scotland) Act of 1845, parochial boards took over much of this work. Records from after that date may sit in local archives, so ask there too.
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Where to Find Kirk Session Records
Start with the ScotlandsPeople guide to kirk session records. It explains each type of record. It also points you to its Virtual Volumes search, which you can use to find a particular session. In June 2026, ScotlandsPeople released more records online. They come from United Presbyterian, Free, United Free and other Presbyterian congregations (checked November 2026).
The National Records of Scotland cares for many of the original books. Some may be held locally instead. If you cannot find your parish online, ask the local archive.
Follow this order:
- Find the parish. The census tells you where your ancestor lived.
- Gather dates and places first. Our step-by-step guide to tracing Scottish ancestry shows how.
- Check wills and testaments and valuation rolls for the same place.
- Open the session books for that parish and the years you need.
- If the family joined the Free Church after the split of 1843, look in that congregation’s records too.
Visiting Edinburgh? Our Edinburgh genealogy guide shows where to research in person. If your family came from a cleared glen, our Highland Clearances Trail tells the wider story. A DNA test can also point you to the right parish.
Tips for Reading Session Books
- Practise the handwriting. Early clerks used old script. Start with later pages to get your eye in. The ScotlandsPeople guide has a section on handwriting.
- Expect odd spellings. Clerks wrote names as they heard them. Try MacDonald, McDonald and M’Donald.
- Read on. A case could run over several meetings. The result may come weeks later.
- Expect gaps. Record keeping was not the same in every parish. Some books are lost and some years are thin.
- Copy word for word. Note the page, the date and the book.
Kirk session books are not polished history. They are the notes of a small parish talking about its own people. Somewhere in those pages, your ancestor may be named, helped, scolded or sent on their way. That is a real moment in their lives, in the place they called home.
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Kirk Session Records: Common Questions
What is a kirk session?
It is the lowest court in the Church of Scotland. It is made up of a parish minister and elders. It kept order in the church and gave help to the poor.
Are kirk session records online?
Many are. ScotlandsPeople has digital images, and its Virtual Volumes search helps you find a parish. Not every parish or year is covered, so check the site first.
Can a kirk session record name a child’s father?
Sometimes. Sessions often asked unmarried mothers to name the father, and the clerk wrote it down. Treat the entry as a strong lead, not as proof.
Does every parish have session records?
No. Record keeping differed from parish to parish and from clerk to clerk. Some books are missing or have gaps. Try nearby parishes if yours has little.
Who ran poor relief after the kirk session?
Parochial boards took over much of the work after the Poor Law (Scotland) Act of 1845. Their records may sit in local archives.