Ancestry lists this database as Web: Scotland, Sheriff Court Paternity Processes or Case Papers, 1752-1921
It comprises 8,678 index records, most from the mid-19th century when churches became active in helping in court cases of a mother attempting to prove who was the father of the child.
The information indexed may include:
Name, occupation, and residence of the mother
Name, occupation, and residence of the father
Birth date of the child
Child’s sex assigned at birth
Year of the court case
County where the case was heard
Sheriff court name
National Records of Scotland reference
The original index data is from Scottish Indexes at https://www.scottishindexes.com/coveragepaternity.aspx
which provides a commercial service to collect and supply digital images of the original court records from the National Records of Scotland
Love this John. I have come across many such records in my FH research, and have to explain how legal issues became the authority of the churches. Most Canadians are unaware of the extent to which churches in the UK were really a branch of the government, collecting tithes, supporting the poor of the neighbourhood, etc. I find it all fascinating. Cheers, BT