Fern
Fearn is a parish a little north of the centre of Forfarshire. It is bounded by Lethnot, Menmuir, Careston, and Tannadice. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Auchnacree, Fearn or Fern, Noranside
Auchnacree, Deuchar
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The church was originally founded by Bishop Colman about 666. There was in the parish a Well of St Aidan, who was possibly the patron of the Parish Church. The present church was built in 1883.
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 |
| 1762-1854 | Fearn | 287 | OPR |
| 1855-1900 | Fearn | 287 | RD |
| 1891-1968 | Fern | 287 | RD |
| 2009 | Angus, Forfar | 364 | RD |
| 2026 | Angus Council; Letham and District 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
Anderson, Gourlay, Mitchell, Scott, Smith, Stormont, Thomson, Tosh, Winter, Wishart
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 John Gillanders.
"For these 30 years past the population has been on the decrease. Many petty farms being converted into one, numbers of families have been driven into the towns; and farms that formerly supported 5 or 6 families, are possessed only by one. The whole number of souls, young and old included, is about 490."
(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 3, p. 438
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 11, Section I, p. 311
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
