Fife, Scotland Public Record Office
Address:
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Kirkcaldy Central Local Office
Town House, 2 Wemyssfield, Kirkcaldy, KY1 1XW
Phone Number:
08451 55 00 77
The Local Office is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 9 am – 5pm; and Wednesday 10am – 5pm
The Fife Council maintained its Genealogy Service until closure in 2012. Registry clerks will still assist the general public by compiling and professionally researching ancestry and local family tree information. If you desire assistance with an inquiry concerning family history based in the County of Fife, call the Central Local Office to set up an appointment with a registry clerk. Both general and specific searches of indexes and records are available. Access is permitted to genealogical information in statutory records dating back to 1855; parish records extend even further back. Copies and search fees vary depending on the number and age of records requested.
The historic county Fife is today deemed a council area on the Firth of Forth (estuary of the River Forth). The area has a long history extending back to ancient times. It was once, according to unsubstantiated legend, a province in the Kingdom of the Picts. Clatchard Craig, a fort high atop a craggy hill near the town of Newburgh, was once a Pictish stronghold back in the Dark Ages (6th to 8th Centuries A.D.) Beginning with King Malcolm, Fife became an important royal headquarters as the leaders of Scotland gravitated southwards. Malcolm and his wife Margaret donated funds to help build the Dunfermline Abbey. From thence forward, the Abbey became the burial site of Scottish royalty. The Earldom of Fife became very prestigious; Earls were responsible for crowing Scottish kings. In Falkland, the Scottish royals built themselves a sumptuous palace. The Stuart kings vacationed and hunted the varied wildlife wandering about nearby forests and glens.
The small ports strung along Fife’s coast have long served as rich connections for trade with the Netherlands, Flanders, and other Low Countries in such Scottish resources as linen, wool, salt, and coal. The ports also harbor a rich fishery in the North Sea. With all the comings and goings through Fife over the centuries, many folk from around the world now tracing family lineage to royalty, aristocracy and other illustrious Scottish forbears travel to Fife to research their Celtic genealogies.
Fife County Birth Records
If you are trying to find birth records for people born in Fife, the ScotlandsPeople is an invaluable resource.
The website holds over 100 million records that you can search for free. However, if you want to see a record, you have to pay a fee in return. Also, the website provides indexes of birth records between 1855 and 2016 while images provided are between 1855 and 1916. In the birth records, you can find information related to the name of a specific person, his/her gender, date of birth, and place of birth. Also, the name of the father and mother of the child is included with the mother’s full maiden name. The record also lists the father’s occupation and the marriage’s time and location in case it happened after 1860. There is also information related to the informant including the name, signature, residence, and relationship to the child. Exceptionally, on an 1855 birth record, you can know more about the parents of the child such as their age and place of birth, their marriage date, and location, in addition to the number of children that the mother has.
Fife County Death Records
The ScotlandsPeople Centre has death records of images dating between 1855 and 2016 while the website of ScotlandsPeople provides images between 1855 and 1966. It is an online platform that offers only basic information for free such as the deceased’s name, year, and registration district. On the death record, you can find the person’s full name, sex, marital status, and age in addition to the time, place, and cause of death. Exceptionally, for death records issued in 1855, you can obtain the deceased’s birthplace in addition to the names and ages of his or her kids. The FamilySearch Catalog is also a useful resource for death certificate records.
Fife County Marriage Records
In Scotland’s statutory registers, you can obtain plenty of information regarding a married couple. This is also found on the website for the ScotlandsPeople Centre or ScotlandsPeople. For example, you can find the name, age, residence, and occupation of the bride and groom. Moreover, the record states the place and date of marriage and its registration, the fathers’ names and jobs, in addition to the mothers’ maiden names. Thus, locating a person or tracing your family history can become much easier. Only on 1855 marriage certificate records, the name, age, date of birth, and place of birth of the bride and groom are included.
Fife County Divorce Records
Since 1560, divorce became an option in Scotland. Regarding the divorce certificate records, you need to resort to court records. Online websites include Scotland, The Register of the Great Seal of Scotland for records between 1306 and 1651 in addition to Scotland, Selected Prison Registers for records between 1828 and 1878. You can resort to the Scottish Office Record to view the records for free since 1912.
Fife County Genealogy Records
There are many websites to help you trace your genealogy. There you can find different kinds of records including birth certificate records, death certificate records, and marriage records. These can be extremely beneficial in case you are trying to trace your family tree or are searching for a specific family person. Divorce records found at courts can be of assistance in case your family member was divorced or had a divorced relative. Also, church records and parishes can hold vital information for genealogical searches such as wills, burials, baptisms, and tax lists.
Fife County People Search Records
The best place to start your search for a specific person in Fife is through genealogy records ranging from stator registrations like birth certificates, death certificates, or marriage records. Another helpful trail to follow is utilizing the court records of Scotland to obtain possible divorce certificates.
Fife County Court Records
On the Fife Family History Society’s website, you can search the Fife Sheriff’s court for records between 1715 and 1809. A lot of helpful information can be obtained such as records of marriage, transfer of property, and transfer of wealth with names indicated.
Fife County Criminal Records
The website of ancestry.com provides users with the criminal records of people in Fife, Scotland between the years 1910 and 1931. The records contain photographs and physical descriptions of the criminal who might have an alias to avoid detection. Also, they indicate the person’s name, location of birth, age at the time of the conviction, the sentence, conviction time, and conviction place. Checking the local newspapers for more information can be helpful as well to track the whereabouts of the person you are looking for.
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