Index to old Parish Registers (on microfiche)
Before embarking on a search of the Old Parish Registers, it is advisable to look at the Index to the Old Parish Registers, compiled by the Mormons. This is a microfiche listing of Christenings and Marriages (but not burials). Each listing is arranged by surname and gives details of parents' names (for christenings) or marriage partners, date of transaction and the parish in which it took place. We hold the Index for East Lothian, Berwickshire and Midlothian.

Information given in old Parish Registers

Baptisms
Name of father and mother, and usually the mother's maiden name; date of birth as well as baptism; and in earlier years names of witnesses, usually one for each side of the family. Sometimes the father's occupation is given, and his location, such as the name of a farm or village. Sometimes you might find an entry for 3 or 4 children in a family spanning several years, but all recorded on the same day. For this reason, if you do not find a birth recorded in the year in which you would expect to find it, it will be worth searching a few years later, in case it crops up in a later year.

Marriage Proclamations
Often only the names of the two partners are given, though sometimes the father of the bride is named, and if a partner is from a different parish, the name of the parish is sometimes given.

Burials
These entries vary greatly, some taking the form of lists of people paying for the mort-cloth used in the ceremony Others give name, age, occupation and address of the deceased, and even cause of death and location of the grave, in some cases.