Adjacent parishes

The outline map of Midlothian parishes published by the Scottish Association of Family History Societies is inaccurate for Liberton.

North of Liberton: St Cuthberts MLN, Duddingston MLN
West of Liberton: Colinton MLN
South of Liberton: Lasswade MLN, Newton MLN
East of Liberton: Newton MLN, Inveresk MLN

Note This parish lies south-east of Edinburgh. Do not confuse with Libberton in Lanarkshire, which is sometimes called `Libberton in Clydesdale'. In old documents, both parishes are arbitrarily spelt with one or two `b's. Note also that, in addition to the `Niddry' in Liberton, there is a `Niddry' in Kirkliston WLN.

Books & articles

• Ferenbach, Campbell Annals of Liberton (Edinburgh: 1975)
• Good, George Liberton in Ancient and Modern Times (Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot, 1893)
• Simpson, W. Douglas Craigmillar Castle [short pamphlet]
• Speedy, Tom Craigmillar and its Environs (Selkirk: Geo. Lewis, 1892)
• Whyte, Thomas Transactions of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Vol. 1, pp. 292-388, (1792). Pages 292-327 of Whyte's article, and some of his Appendices, are here. [Whyte was parish minister 1752-89.]

Statistical accounts

1. Old Statistical Account (1795): Vol. 6, pp. 506-9 [very concise abridgement of article (part of which is here) by late Rev. Mr Thomas Whyte of Stockbriggs]

2. New Statistical Account (Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1845): Vol. 1, pp. 1-28, written March & August 1839 by Rev. James Begg

Images of the original printing of the Old and New Statistical Accounts are available here.

Maps

Ordnance Survey 1:2500 scale map (Edinburghshire sheet 3.16), surveyed 1896 (reproduced as Liberton Dams at scale of ca. 1:4340 or 15 inches to the mile by Alan Godfrey.

Parish ministers 1560-1900

adm.: admitted, bapt.: baptised, ord.: ordained, pres.: presented, tr.: translated

Parish church

Located at National Grid ref. NT275695 in the Kirkgate, Liberton, Edinburgh. Present building is by Gillespie Graham, 1815.

Monumental inscriptions

All inscriptions in Liberton Kirkyard are in R. Torrance (ed.), North-East Midlothian Monumental Inscriptions, Scottish Genealogy Soc., Edinburgh, 2000, ISBN 0-901061-88-3. See also here. There is no index to inscriptions in the adjacent Liberton Cemetery.

Surviving Old Parish Registers

1. Births & baptisms
   • 1624 - Jul 1650
   • Jul 1650 - Oct 1651 - only 1 entry
   • Oct 1651 - Dec 1854

2. Banns & Marriages
   • Jul 1631 - Apr 1632 - one page of entries
   • Jul 1654 - Sep 1681
   • May 1683 - Jan 1684
   • Dec 1685 - Dec 1854
   • includes reg. for Meeting House at Craigmillar May 1688 - Sep 1710

   Mentions of people in the parish of Liberton found in the marriage register of the parish of Edinburgh:

   • For 1595-1700
   • For 1701-50
   • For 1751-1800

   Mentions of people in the parish of Liberton found in the marriage register of the parish of Canongate:

   • For 1564-1800

3. Deaths & Burials
   • 1647 - May 1689
   • Mar 1691 - 1819

Census records

Records of the official censuses of the parish in 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 are held in the New Register House, Edinburgh and are open to the public on payment of a fee.

However, microfilm copies are widely available in libraries, as are microfiche indexes (for all Midlothian) for the censuses of 1881 and 1891. The 1881 census is also now available on CD-ROM.

Indexes to the 1841 and 1851 censuses have been published by the Lothians Family History Soc.

No indexes are yet available for the censuses of 1861 or 1871. The censuses of 1801-31 do not name individuals.

Schoolmasters

• John Robertson (m. Helen Craik, 12 June 1656 Edinburgh & Liberton)
• Mr John McKenzie, schoolmaster at Liberton, buried 22 Dec 1688

Population statistics

Poll tax records for 1694

NAS ref. E.70/8/12 (relates to 6-12 November 1694)
NAS ref. E.70/15/1 (receipts for poll money, 9-12 November 1694 - just 4 items)
Manuscript transcript available in Scottish Genealogy Society Library. Also now published as part of R. Torrance (ed.), North-East Midlothian Monumental Inscriptions, Scottish Genealogy Soc., Edinburgh, 2000, ISBN 0-901061-88-3. Contains names of 1071 heads of household and some others; wives and children are mentioned but in most cases not named. Unfortunately, some of the sub-headings such as 'cottars' and 'servants' of this publication are misleading; they mark where lists of cottars or servants begin, but fail to indicate where the lists end.

Hearth tax records for 7 Mar 1694

NAS ref. E.69/16/1 [but for Brunstane, see entries therein for Duddingston parish]

Miscellaneous items in the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh

• MS1498 Delvine Papers: Liberton Poor's Funds 1759-1761

Baronies within the parish of Liberton

Details of some of the individual baronies are here.

• Brownhill
• Craigmillar & Nether Liberton
• Drum
• Gilmerton
• Goodtrees (now called Moredun)
• Mortonhall
• Niddrie Marischal
• Southhouse
• Stenhouse
• Upper (or Over) Liberton

Boys with Liberton connexions who were apprenticed to Edinburgh masters

See the list for the years 1583-1800 here

Men with Liberton connexions who were admitted burgesses and gildbrethren of Edinburgh, 1406-1841

B. = Burgess; G. = gildbrother; C. = Edinburgh Town Council
dr. = daughter; fr. = father; s. = son; w. = wife
mt. = merchant; p. = apprentice
dec. = deceased; umq. = umquhile, i.e. deceased

Testaments, recorded at Edinburgh, of people with Liberton connexions

Held in the National Archives of Scotland, ref. CC8/8/...

Note that hardly any of these testaments before 1800 include the will of the deceased, being largely accounts of the 'goods and gear' of the deceased and of debts owed and owing. Some of them mention relatives.

Lib = Liberton; Gil = Gilmerton; Nid = Niddry; Edr = Edinburgh
par. = parish; portr. = portioner; rel = relict;
serv = servant; sher. = sheriffdom; sp = spouse; s.t. = sometime

16th century testaments of people with Liberton connexions

Testaments of people with Liberton connexions, 1601-1800 - just a few so far