GENUKI Home page

Kingdom of Fife Kingdom of Fife Contents Contents Fife towns and parishes Fife Towns & Parishes NeighboursNearby places

Abdie

Map showing the location of the parish

"Abdie parish, which is of considerable extent, but greatly intersected by other parishes, lies on the south bank of the river Tay, amongst those highlands to the westward, which have acquired the apellation of the Ochil hills. The surface is remarkably uneven, but the soil is in general fertile. It possesses three quarries of granite, of which considrable quantities are shipped for paving the streets of London. The parish is well watered with lochs, the chief of which is the lake of Lindores, about a mile in length, and of irregular breadth. This piece of water is well stored with fish, and being surrounded by some romantic scenery, is a beautiful object in the view of the country." from Slater's Directory, published 1852.

Towns and Villages

Lindores
Mount Pleasant (part of Newburgh)


Please read the main Fife pages if you have not already done so.

Cemeteries

Abdie Churchyard, Grange of Lindores (grid ref. NO 259164):

Return to top of page

Census

A list of the population of the parish, 1821, is amongst the Abdie Kirk Session Records held by the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library. The Tay Valley Family History Society has a copy.

The original 1841 census returns were lost in transit to Edinburgh.

Parish / district reference number for 1851 - 1901 censuses: 400. Parts in 423 from 1861 until 1891.

The 1851 census has been indexed by the Tay Valley Family History Society.

Further information on the main Fife page.

Church Records

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):

Abdie OPR Births / baptisms Proclamations / marriages Deaths / burials / mortcloths
400/1 1620-1786 1691-1785 1784-1785
400/2 1786-1819 1786-1819  
400/3 1820-1854 1820-1854  
Data supplied by General Register Office for Scotland

The 1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish church, and the Free Church of Abdie & Newburgh.

Kirk Session and similar records for the parish church (CH2/828) are held at the Special Collections Dept. of St Andrews University Library. Some Kirk Session material is to be found in the OPR records (400/1).

Heritors' Records (HR649) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Return to top of page

Civil Registration

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
Abdie 400 1855 1931
Newburgh & Abdie 450 1932 1967
Newburgh 450 1968 1971
Newburgh 416 1972 2002
Fife 416 2003  

Registration districts did not necessarily coincide exactly with parishes. In the 20th century especially, there were frequent changes in registration districts. Parts of Abdie parish were included in Dunbog registration district until 1891.

Return to top of page

Description & Travel

Abdie church Ordnance Survey Grid Reference GPS Post code Lat. 56°20'1"N
NO 259164 56.334149
-3.200067
KY14 6JN Lon. 3°11'55"W

Directories

On the Records pages of the Fife Family History Society website there is a transcription of Westwood's 1861 Parochial Directory of Fife.

Historical Geography

Before May 1891, the parish of Abdie consisted of 3 separate parts. On 15th May 1891, the following subjects were transferred from the parish of Abdie to the parish of Dunbog: Aytonhill, Ayton, Carpullie (part), Denmuir and Denmuir Hill. The following subjects were transferred from Abdie parish to Newburgh parish: Lochmill and Wester Lumbenny.

The upper parts of the town of Newburgh (Mount Pleasant) are situated in Abdie parish.

A Vision of Britain provides historical descriptions, population & housing statistics, historic boundaries and maps.

Maps

Historic maps: Present-day maps:
Return to top of page

Names, Geographical

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).

Obituaries

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, 26.

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

The relief of paupers after 1845 was carried out by the Parochial Board and later by the Parish Council. Their records are at the Fife Council Archive Centre.

Population

Year Population
1755 822
1801 723
1851 1486
1901 664  * boundary changed
1951 629

See also A Vision of Britain for population statistics.

Probate Records

Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Abdie may be found in either the St Andrews Commissariot (CC20) or the Edinburgh Commissariot (CC8) records. From 1824, commissary business has been conducted by the Sheriff Court of Fife at Cupar (SC20).

Indexes and finding aids are given on the main Fife page.

Local sources worth searching for deeds include St Andrews Commissary Court and Cupar Sheriff Court.

Schools

School Board Records and / or school logbooks are held at the Fife Council Archive Centre.

Return to top of page

Are you lost in the GENUKI hierarchy or arrived here from a search engine? If so, use the up-arrow(s) at the top of the page to go up the hierarchy.


William McM. Owen    last updated 03 December 2006