Belhelvie is a parish on the coast of the Aberdeen district of Aberdeenshire. It is bounded by the German Ocean (North Sea) and by the parishes of Foveran, New Machar, and Old Machar. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Belhelvie, Craigie
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
In early times the church of Belhelvie was dedicated to St Neachtan, but at a later date St Columba was made the patron. The church belonged to the Abbey of Arbroath. Belhelvie was a prebend of Aberdeen.
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 |
| 1624-1854 | Belhelvie | 174 | OPR |
| 1866-1967 | Belhelvie | 174 | RD |
| 2009 | Aberdeen City | 300 | RD |
| 2026 | Aberdeenshire Council; Belhelvie 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
Davidson, Duncan, Forbes, Gray, Lamb, Milne, Mitchell, Robertson, Smith, 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 Alexander John Forsyth.
"In 1791, the numbers amounted to no more than 1318, being 586 males, and 732 females. There are of married people, widows, and widowers, 337; and these have had, in all, 1189 children, of whom 556 are sons, and 633 daughters."
(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 7, p. 218
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 12, p. 241
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
