History of Leith, Edinburgh

Warriston Cemetery dates from the mid 19th century. I believe it is an important aspect of Edinburgh’s history. The gravestones of many of Edinburgh’s early photographers can be found there. for more click here

View of Edinburgh from Warriston Hill c1880

Excerpt from Historic Scotland: Founded in 1842 by the Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and known as The Edinburgh Cemetery, Warriston was one of a number of commercial cemeteries laid out in the mid 19th century by David Cousin. The Prospectus explains that “the spread of education, and the dissemination of works of art and science… for more click here

also at click here

The cemetery and crematorium (opened 1939) at Seafield is managed by Edinburgh Crematorium Ltd. and is one of the few privately owned cemeteries in the city, most now come under the City of Edinburgh Council. for more click here

Discover the church yard or cemetery in which your Edinburgh ancestor is buried. for more click here

The Cemetery lies near the reservoir and has a commanding view over the whaling station and Stromness Bay. The Cemeteries of South Georgia contain the graves of whalers mainly, but also those of sealers of the 1800s. for more click here

for more click here

Certificates of Birth, Marriage and Death
The first rule for any genealogical search is to start with yourself and work backwards in time. Your own birth certificate gives your parents’ names and the date of their marriage. The marriage certificate gives stated ages which should lead to birth certificates and so on, back to the beginning of compulsory registration in 1855.

These certificates are available in statutory registers for the whole of Scotland in New Register House, Edinburgh , and for local areas in local registry offices. The local registrar also provides a Genealogy Centre at 22 Park Circus, Glasgow , with microfiche of the statutory registers for the area of the former Strathclyde Region, a national computer index covering the period since 1855, an index to the 1891 census and other source material.for more click here

All the congregations in the Leith Forum of churches are encouraging their members to invite a friend to their own church on Sunday 1st April. Invitations have been printed and the churches are looking forward to welcoming guests this Sunday. John Hodge of the Leith Churches Forum commented ‘many folk these days do not know what goes on inside a church and can be nervous about entering in case they are the only stranger. By having this special Sunday there is an opportunity for those who want to find out what church is like, to go along and see for themselves without feeling the odd one out’.

Each of the churches in Leith is preparing a warm welcome for all visitors and as Ian Gilmour, Minister of South Leith Church commented ‘Easter week is truly a great time to visit your local church and enjoy the fellowship it will surely bring. Easter is both a time of reflection and celebration in the life of the church and all the folk of Leith are most welcome to come and share this time with us’

The churches involved in this exiting initiative are Pilrig St Pauls on Leith Walk, Leith St Andrews at the foot of Easter Road, South Leith Parish Church in the Kirkgate, St Thomas’s Junction Road in Great Junction Street and North Leith Parish Church in Madeira Street. All the services are at 11am on Sunday 1st April.

Editor’s note

The Leith Churches forum is a grouping of the 5 Church of Scotland congregations in Leith. The churches are committed to working together for the benefit of the community.

Further details from John Hodge (day 0131 200 1260)

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