What is Civil Registration?
Before diving into the importance of mortcloths in Scottish genealogical research, let’s briefly discuss civil registration. Civil registration is the government’s official recording of vital events like births, marriages, and deaths. In Scotland, this system was introduced in 1855, providing a standardized way to record these crucial life events.
The Challenge of Pre-Civil Registration Research
The period before 1855 can be particularly challenging for researchers tracing their Scottish ancestry. With no official, centralized records, genealogists often have to rely on a patchwork of documents like Old Parish Records, wills, and land deeds. However, there’s another, often-overlooked source that can be incredibly revealing: mortcloth records.
What are Mortcloths?
A mortcloth was essentially a funeral pall, a decorative cloth laid over a coffin. The use of a mortcloth was typically recorded in parish or community records, serving almost as a de facto death record before civil registration was introduced. In these records, mortcloth entries are often abbreviated to “MC.”
Why Mortcloths are Crucial
For some individuals, particularly those who lived quiet lives in rural areas, a mortcloth record might be the only documented evidence of their existence. They might not have owned land, made a will, or done anything else that would require official paperwork. In such cases, a mortcloth record could be the missing piece in your genealogical jigsaw puzzle.
Bells and Whistles: Indications of Social Standing
Mortcloth records can provide more than just a name and date. If a family or individual was willing to pay extra for the church bells to be rung at the funeral, this was often recorded. While not direct evidence of wealth or social standing, it is a tantalizing clue that the deceased held some importance in their community.
Where to Find Mortcloth Records
Mortcloth records can often be found within Old Parish Registers or community records, frequently held at local archives or national repositories like the National Records of Scotland. Online resources, such as Scotland’s People, might also provide access to digitized versions of these valuable records.
Conclusion
When tracing your Scottish roots, particularly in the challenging pre-civil registration era, don’t overlook mortcloth records. They may offer the only glimpse into the lives of your elusive ancestors, filling gaps that other documents leave behind. With an abbreviation as simple as “MC,” you might unlock a whole new branch of your family tree.