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Kingdom of Fife |  |
Contents |  |
Fife Towns & Parishes |  Nearby places |
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| Much of the present-day town of Kirkcaldy |
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| Please read the main Fife pages if you have not already done so. | |
Old Kirkcaldy - Central, North & West (Stenlake Publishing) contains many photographs and full descriptions.
Abbotshall Churchyard, Abbotshall Road, Kirkcaldy (grid ref. NT 273913):
Kirkcaldy Central Library has a large collection of transcripts, indexes and manuscript volumes of Kirkcaldy burials.
A selection of interesting inscriptions and photographs are included in the booklet Guide to Kirkcaldy Graveyards, published by Kirkcaldy Civic Society, 1996 (ISBN 1946294038).
Parish / district reference number for 1841 - 1871 censuses: 399.
Some parts in 442 in 1861 & 1871 (see Civil
Registration).
District reference number for 1881 - 1901 censuses: 442 (included with Kirkcaldy).
The 1851 census has been indexed by the Tay Valley Family History Society.
Further information on the main Fife page.
Only the Abbotshall Parish Church is considered here. All other churches are listed on the Kirkcaldy page.
The original Old Parish Records (of baptisms / births, proclamations / marriages, and burials) of the Church of Scotland, which cover the years up to 1854, are held in the General Register Office for Scotland in Edinburgh, and copies on microfilm may be consulted in local libraries and at LDS Family History Centres around the world. The baptisms / births and proclamations / marriages (but not deaths) can also be searched at Scotland's People - the online database of Scottish Birth, Marriage, Death & Census records at the General Register Office. The index can also be searched on the LDS FamilySearch website.
Deaths are listed on Fife Family History Society's Pre-1855 Fife Deaths CD.
The old parish records span the following dates (although there may be gaps within these ranges):
| Abbotshall OPR | Births / baptisms | Proclamations / marriages | Deaths / burials / mortcloths |
| 399/1 | 1650-1711 | 1650-1712 | |
| 399/2 | 1710-1785 | 1710-1744 | |
| 399/3 | 1785-1819 | 1741-1819 | |
| 399/4 | 1820-1854 (+ index) | 1820-1855 (+ index) | |
| 399/5 | 1750-1806 | ||
| 399/6 | 1806-1843 | ||
| 399/7 | 1818-1850 | ||
| 399/8 | 1851-1860 |
| Data supplied by General Register Office for Scotland |
The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish church and the Free Church.
Kirk Session and similar records for the parish church (CH2/225) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh.
An index of names and a partial transcription of the Kirk Session Minutes for 1793 - 1812 has been published by the Fife Family History Society in their Publication 21.
Heritors' Records (HR237) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh.
Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths began in Scotland on 1st January 1855. Full information on the main Fife page.
| Registration district | number | start date | end date |
| Abbotshall (landward) | 399 | 1855 | 1874 |
| Kirkcaldy and Abbotshall | 442 | 1875 | 1919 |
| Kirkcaldy | 442 | 1920 | 1971 |
| Kirkcaldy | 421 | 1972 | 2002 |
| Fife | 421 | 2003 |
Registration districts did not necessarily coincide exactly with parishes. In the 20th century especially, there were frequent changes in registration districts. Some parts of Abbotshall parish were in Kirkcaldy registration district until 1874, thereafter the whole of Abbotshall is included in Kirkcaldy registration district.
| Abbotshall church | Ordnance Survey Grid Reference | GPS | Post code | Lat. 56°6'34"N |
| NT 274913 | 56.108921 -3.168927 |
KY2 5PE | Lon. 3°10'10"W |
Kirkcaldy Civic Society provide lots of information about the town.
On the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society website there is a transcription of Westwood's 1861 Parochial Directory of Fife.
On 15th May 1891, two detached parts of Abbotshall (both surrounded by Kirkcaldy parish) were transferred to Kirkcaldy parish. They comprised the following subjects: Smeaton, Smeaton Row and part of East Smeaton Farm.
In 1901, the parishes of Kirkcaldy, Dysart and Abbotshall, and part of the parish of Kinghorn, were united to form the parish of Kirkcaldy and Dysart.
A Vision of Britain provides historical descriptions, population & housing statistics, historic boundaries and maps.
The Register of the Fife Fallen in the Great War, vol 1:Kirkcaldy & Dysart Fallen, 1914-1919 has been published and is available from the Fife Family History Society and the Tay Valley Family History Society.
The Ordnance Survey [Place] Name Books 1850-1854 are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre. There is an index to the entries for this parish on the Fife Council website (select A in the A-Z list, then Archives).
Fife Deaths Abroad 1855-1900 - a compilation of overseas deaths recorded in Fife newspapers - has been produced by Andrew Campbell of Fife Family History Society. The Society have recently re-published it in their Publications Series, 29.
Peter Higginbotham's website has a lot of information about Kirkcaldy combination poorhouse.
| Year | Population | |
| 1755 | 1348 | |
| 1801 | 2501 | |
| 1851 | 5030 | |
| 1901 | 7733 | * boundary changed |
| 1951 | no separate figures |
See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.
Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Abbotshall may be found in either the St Andrews Commissariot (CC20) or the Edinburgh Commissariot (CC8) records. From 1824 to 1960, commissary business was conducted by the Sheriff Court of Fife at Cupar (SC20). From 1960, it has been conducted at Kirkcaldy (SC23) Sheriff Court.
Indexes and finding aids are given on the main Fife page.
Local sources worth searching for deeds include St Andrews Commissary Court, Cupar Sheriff Court and Kirkcaldy Burgh Register of Deeds.
School Board Records and / or school logbooks are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre.
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