Kinghorn Family History Links

If your surname is Kinghorn, or a derivative like Kingham, then you name probably has it's roots in the Royal Burgh of Kinghorn. However, someone with the Kinghorn surname probably left Kinghorn in the the 13th century. In the 13th century if 'James' left Kinghorn to work in Kirkcaldy he would have been called James from Kinghorn to distinguish him from James from Kirkcaldy. Over time these became James Kinghorn and James Kirkcaldy. By the 14th century surnames like this were well established.

Because of the early date that someone with the Kinghorn surname left Kinghorn it is unlikely for any evidence of them to be left in Kinghorn. There are no entries for the Kinghorn surname or its derivatives in the Kinghorn Parish Register or other documents in Kinghorn.

1. A searchable index to entries from the OPR for Kinghorn are available at: https://www.familysearch.org  
2. A searchable transcript of the 1851 Census for Kinghorn is available at: http://www.freecen.org.uk/cgi/search.pl
3. Fife Family History Society has published an index to names in the Kinghorn Deeds, 1682 - 1832(Now only available to FFHS members) at: http://fifefhs.org/
4. Kinghorn Kirk Session Minutes 1581 – 1963. These contain a wealth of information about the people of Kinghorn. They have been digitised and are available to view on computer at the National Archives of Scotland, Princes St, Edinburgh. Ref. CH2/472. There is no index. They are now available on the scotlandspeople website.
5. Sasines (Records of land transfer). The early sasines often contain genealogical data. Registers of Sasines for the Royal Burgh of Kinghorn:1620-1709 are available at Fife Archives Markinch;1781-1907 are available at the National Archives, Edinburgh.
6. Worrall’s Directory of the North-Eastern Counties of Scotland Comprising Forfar, Fife, Kinross, Aberdeen, Banff and Kincardine 1877. This has a list of many Kinghorn residents in 1877 with their address and occupation. Downloadable in pdf format from Internet Archive at: http://www.archive.org/details/worrallsdirector1877dire
7. The Farm Horse Tax and the Clock and Watch Tax of 1797-1798 for Fife including images for Kinghorn available at Scotlands Places (subscription site): http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/
8. Voters Lists for the Parish of Kinghorn. 1832. 1867-1892. Available in Kirkcaldy Central Library and also available on Ancestry.co.uk.
9. Genuki. The page for Kinghorn has a very comprehensive list of references and links. https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/sct/FIF/Kinghorn
10. The National Library of Scotland has Post Office Directories online that cover Kinghorn from 1832. https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/ 

1. The National Records of Scotland.

This is the main source for family history information in Scotland. The National Records of Scotland were formed by the amalgamation of the ScotlandsPeople (GROS) and The National Archives of Scotland.

2. Scotlands People

ScotlandsPeople (GROS) This can be accessed in person at the ScotlandsPeople Centre in Princes Street, Edinburgh or online at: http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ a pay per view site. The following can be accessed at ScotlandsPeople:

• Civil registers of births (1855 – 2009, plus images 1855 - 1910);
• Marriages (1855 – 2009, plus images 1855 – 2009, images 1855 – 1935);
• Deaths (1855 – 2009, plus images 1855 – 1960)
• Old Parish Register indexes to baptisms, marriages and burials (1538 – 1854) with images for the Church of Scotland.
• Catholic baptisms and marriages 1707 – 1840.
• Census Records (1841 – 1911) with indexes and images. There is no 1841 census for Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy or Kinglassie and several other Fife parishes.
• Wills and Testaments: 1513 -1901.
• Coats of Arms: 1672 – 1909
• Kirk Session Records

3. National Records of Scotland

The National Records of Scotland is located at the east end of Princes Street in Edinburgh above the ScotlandsPeople Centre. The National Records of Scotland holds and makes available historical records created by businesses, landed estates, families, churches and other corporate bodies. Although a number of records have been digitized and are available on computer at the National Archives of Scotland, there are no records available online at present. Useful documents available in digitized format in the Historical search room include:

• Abridgements of the General Registers of Sasines 1781 – 2005
• Kirk Session minutes
• Hearth Tax, Poll Tax and Window Tax records.

The catalogue of records held may be searched at: http://www.nas.gov.uk/onlineCatalogue/  and copies of documents may be ordered online. The catalogue lists individuals as well as places.       

4. Scottish Archive Network (SCAN)

Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) Site includes a directory of Scottish archives and associations, links to other Web sites, a very useful section on Scottish handwriting and other useful background information. The SCAN public catalogue provides a searchable database of the collections of 52 Scottish archives. http://www.scan.org.uk/catalogue.

5. LDS Family Search

LDS FamilySearch (Church of the Latterday Saints)

• Old parish records, mainly baptisms and marriages, for most Scottish Parishes (1558 – 1855), have been transcribed and are searchable here.
• A transcription of the 1881 census is also available for England and Wales. This is a free site available at: https://www.familysearch.org/

6. Fife Family History Society

Fife Family History Society has a number of records and maps about Fife Parishes available on their website at: http://fifefhs.org/

7. Fife Archive Service

Fife Archive Service, Bankhead Central, Bankhead Park, Glenrothes ,Fife, KY7 6GH

You need an appointment to visit. There are a number of publications about Fife people and parishes listed on the website. Of particular interest may be:

• Registers of Sasines for the Royal Burghs of Kirkcaldy, Kinghorn, Cupar and the Particular Registers of Sasines for Fife, various dates.
• Fife and Kinross District Asylum Register of lunatics (numbers 1 to 2370) 1866 – 1892. There are later records but these are closed for 100 years. The asylum covered all parishes in Fife. The register lists full information on most inmates. No index but inmates are listed on the 1871 - 1911 census. (RD: Cupar. ED: Fife and Kinross Asylum).

 The catalogue may also be searched at: https://www.onfife.com/libraries-archives/archives/collections-search/

8. Ancestry

Ancestry.co.uk is a subscription sites that has a variety of Scottish Records available including transcripts of the Scottish Census 1841-1901. http://www.ancestry.co.uk/

9. Records of the Parliaments of Scotland

Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707. University of St. Andrews. Searchable by name and place. http://www.rps.ac.uk/

10. The National Archives (Kew).

The National Archives (Kew). Although in England the National Archives holds records on Scotland and Scottish people. The catalogue is searchable by name or place for many records about Scotland, Fife or Kinghorn. Many references for military or seafaring ancestors. Some documents are readily downloadable for a small charge and others may be ordered online.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

11. Fastii Ecclesiasticae Scoticanae

Fastii Ecclesiasticae Scoticanae. Lists all the Church of Scotland ministers from the Reformation until the twentieth century. Vol 5 covers Fife. https://archive.org/details/fastiecclesiaesc05scot/page/n5/mode/2up

12. Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Lists all the casualties from WW1 and WW11 with their place of burial or commemoration. http://www.cwgc.org/