Skene is a parish in the Aberdeen district of Aberdeenshire. It lies 8 miles west by north of Aberdeen. It is bounded by Kintore, Kinellar, Newhills, Peterculter, Echt, Cluny, and Kemnay. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Blackhills, Carnie, Concraig, Fiddy, Garlogie, Kinmunday or Kinmundy, Kirktown, Leddach, Lochside, Lyne, Millbowie, Ord, Skene, Tirryvale,
Easterskene, Kinmundy
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The church of Skene was dedicated to St Bride.
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 |
| 1681-1854 | Skene | 238 | OPR |
| 1855-1967 | Skene | 238 | RD |
| 1968-1971 | Skene and Echt | 238 | RD |
| 1972-2005 | Skene and Echt | 323 | RD |
| 2009 | Aberdeenshire, Skene and Echt | 323 | RD |
| 2026 | Aberdeenshire Council; Echt & Skene 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
Abel, Davidson, Ewen, Milne, Mitchell, Reid, Smith, Watt, Taylor, Thomson
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 James Hogg.
"The population does not appear to be materially different from what it was 10 or 20 years ago. The amount at present, is 1233, of which 572 are males, and 661 females. There are no towns nor villages in the parish. A farmer's family, at an average, may consist of from 6 to 9 persons. There are 2 or 3 merchants, and 14 or 15 tradesman. A very considerable proportion of the present inhabitants of the parish are natives of other parishes."
(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 4, p. 57
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 12, p. 1096
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
