Bourtie is a parish in the Garioch district of Aberdeenshire, bounded by the parishes of Daviot, Old Meldrum, Tarves, Udny, Keithhall, and Chapel of Garioch. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Airyhillock, Bructor, Hillhead, Kirktown, Mains of Thornton, Milltown, Muirtown, Old Bourtie, Pitgaveny
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The church of Bourtie belonged to the Priory of St Andrews. In 1618 the Commissioners of Teinds united the parish of Bourtie to that of Bethelnie, or Meldrum. It was disjoined again about 1650. The present church was built in 1806.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
(1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)
Parish registers turned over to the Registrar-General, as a result of the Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (Scotland) Act of 1854. The letters B. D. and M. indicate Births (or Baptisms), Deaths (or Burials), and Marriages (or Proclamations of Banns) respectively. Numbers indicate separate volumes or books. Note: These records are by no means complete or without damage; consult the Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland (1872) to learn more about the condition of the records.
| OPR and RD Numbers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Range | Name | Number | Type |
| 1709-1854 | Bourtie | 176 | OPR |
| 1855-1967 | Bourtie | 176 | RD |
| 2009 | Aberdeenshire, Oldmeldrum | 320 | RD |
| 2026 | Aberdeenshire Council; Meldrum, Bourtie and Daviot Community Council | ||
(2009: Parishes and Registration Districts of Scotland - Old and New, National Records of Scotland)
Local community councils (2026) are provided as a potential source of additional information for settlements within the original boundaries of the parish. (Source)
Statistics from informal and official censuses
Donald, Gray, Jackson, Moir, Shand, Simpson, Smith, Watt, Will, Wilson
Note: Names appearing in research materials, other than censuses. Simple names (First name, surname only) have been omitted unless they appear associated with large properties. All women's names, and men's names with occupations, military ranks, or peerage titles are included.
By the Reverend Mr Thomas Shepherd.
"The number of inhabitants, by an exact list in 1771, was 560. It is now only 450; the decrease is principally owing to the monopoly of farms, and the scarcity of moss. Of the present inhabitants, 2 are Seceders, 10 Episcopalians, and 6 Quakers, the rest attend the Established Church. The people are sober, industrious, and peaceable. Since 1744 none of them have been tried before a criminal court. The advantages are the sobriety of the inhabitants, (not an alehouse being in the parish), and the diligence of the women in knitting stockings."
(This section contains excerpts, at times restructured or paraphrased, from an article appearing in Statistical Account of Scotland, Sir John Sinclair, 1791-1799)
Primary Sources:
Statistical Account of Scotland (1791-1799), Volume 9, p. 434
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 12, 620
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
