Old Parish Records

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Old Parish Records (OPRs) give information on births and marriages and some deaths prior to 1855. They can go back as far as the 16th Century although Renfrewshire records are seldom available much earlier than the mid 18th Century.

The Church of Scotland administered these registers on behalf of the State and charged a fee of three old pence. The records are not complete as not everyone registered or could afford the fee charged.

OPRs for Renfrewshire are available to view, on microfilm, in the Local Studies Library. We have microfilm reader and printer services available.

The records are arranged by parish and then chronologically within each parish. There is no name index for our OPRs.

• the date which may be a record of christening. The date of birth may also be given
• the parents’ names, including the mother’s maiden name
• the child’s name and its sex
• the record will also say whether the birth is 'lawful' (legitimate)

• this is often a record of the proclamation of the couple’s intent to marry and should include the date and the couple’s names
• in addition it may also record the parish each belongs to
• the date of the wedding can be included along with the name of the officiating clergyman

• the deceased’s name
• the parish they belonged to
• their age at death and possibly an address and cause of death