The Kirk Session and Elders

Records from the Kirk Sessions, the lowest local court of the church. 

After the reformation of 1560 and the formal break with Rome and Roman Catholicism, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland formed congregations with each having a Kirk Session. 

The records detailed in the minute books dealt with many areas of everyday life including church non-attendance. They also record payments paid out to individuals and income from individuals. As the Kirk Session, together with the heritors (local landowners), ran the parish expect to find records relating to poor relief, the local school, hospital and alms houses.