Orkney

Contents

Westray and Papa Westray

• Bibliography
  
• Census
  
• Church Records
  
• Civil Registration
  
• Description and Travel
  
• Gazetteers
  
• Genealogy
  

Bibliography

Papay: A Guide to Places of Interest: by Jocelyn Rendall. Published by Papay Publications 1992. 46pp.
Comprehensive guide which includes Traill family tree.

Memories of Westray and the Rapness Estate: by Robert Leslie. Published: Orcadian 25 July 1991.

Settlement Patterns in Tuquoy, Westray, Orkney: by William P. L. Thomson. Published 1990.

Papay's Heritage: by Edith Sinclair. Published 1988: Orkney Heritage Society Newsletter pp11-15. Orkney Archives.

Census

New! Mike Bostwick has indexed the Westray censuses for 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891.

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Church Records

Old Parish Registers - Westray

• Baptisms, 1733-1854. From 1808-28 inclusive, there are separate records for the East and North Parishes of Westray; in 1829 they are again united. Irregular record of the births of children of Baptists in Westray, 1807-44. Also a certified copy embracing the baptismal registers for the various divisions of the united parish, in which the entries, often irregular in the original, appear to be inserted in chronological order.
• Marriages, 1805-1854. A certified copy, 1805-19.
• Burials. No entries.

Old Parish Registers - Papa-Westray

• Baptisms, 1784-1854.
• Marriages, 1805-1854.
• Burials. No entries.

Other church records (held at Orkney Archives in Kirkwall).

• Ref: OCR/KC/30: Westray Kirk Session: Communion Roll 1909-1951, Proclamations of marriage banns 1890-1977, Records of contracts of marriage Westray and Papa Westray 1855-1874.

Civil Registration

The Registrar of births, deaths, and marriages for the island of Westray.
The Registrar of births, deaths, and marriages for the island of Papa Westray.
The Registrar's records extend back only as far as 1st January 1855 when registration became compulsory in Scotland.

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Description and Travel

• See Westray's attractive website.
• Some descriptive and pictorial material is provided here by courtesy of Orknet

Gazetteers

• The transcription of the section for Westray and Papa Westray from the National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson.

Genealogy

Orkney Family History Researchers are engaged in researching family histories in Westray & Papa Westray and all other parishes in Orkney. All of them are willing to share the results of their research with others.

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