Somewhere, in all the records you have amassed, you find that one of your Scottish ancestors was a clergyman. Can you find more about him? This depends on what religious denomination he belonged to. Here are the main denominations, and against each, the main source book for clergymen of that denomination.

Church of Scotland - the main church; Presbyterian organisation: Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae. This is a multi-volumed work which is still in progress. The original set was published in the 1870s by Hew Scott, covering ministers back to the Reformation. A revised edition was published in 7 vols, 1915-1928, and newer volumes have appeared over the years since, bringing the coverage almost up to date. Its great asset is the family data included.The final volume of the multi set contains ministers serving overseas. There are a number of specialist works that have appeared under the aegis of the Scottish Record Society, for clergy at the time of the Reformation, and pre-reformation heads of monasteries, etc.

Episcopal Church of Scotland: Scottish Episcopal Clergy, 1689-2000, compiled by David M. Bertie; T & T Clark, Edinburgh, 2000. This is an almost complete coverage of all clergy who served in the Episcopal church, including some who moved north from the Church of England. It uses the same pattern for data inclusion as the Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae, but comes in one volume.

Congregational Church of Scotland: The Scottish Congregational Ministry:1794-1993;Congregational Union, Glasgow, 1993. This one-volume work is split into two parts: the first is an alphabetical list of ministers (split into 1794-1900 and 1900-1993) and the second is a list of churches saying who served there and when.

Free Church of Scotland: The Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, edited by Rev. William Ewing, Edinburgh 1914 (2 vols.). The first vol. contains the alphabetical listings of ministers. Begins 1843, when the ministers were originally Church of Scotland ministers before the great schism of 1843. There is also this descriptive volume: Annals of the Disruption, with extracts from the narratives of ministers who left the Scottish Establishment in 1843; MacNiven & Wallace, Edinburgh, 1890.

United Free Church of Scotland: The Fasti of the United Free Church of Scotland,1900-1929 ed. John Alexander Lamb; Oliver and Boyd,1956. Very similar in style to Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae, and like it includes ministers who served overseas.

Roman Catholic Church: After the Reformation, the Catholic Church almost entirely vanished, later building up from a small base. The first bishop was appointed 1694. There were two in 1731 and three in 1827; but it was the influx of Irish immigrants which provided the greatest impetus and a formal structure was imposed in 1878. Scottish Catholic Secular Clergy, 1879-1989, by Christine Johnson; John Donald, 1991, Edinburgh, is a detailed Fasti of the secular priests who served in these dioceses.

There are a number of specialist works listing priests in the pre-Reformation period, and more can be identified through the works published in recent years based on Vatican archives relating to Scotland, mainly 14th and 15th centuries.

There are sources for other churches, but without complete clergy listing, such as: History of the Baptists in Scotland from pre-Reformation times, ed.Rev. Geo. Yuille; Baptist Union, Glasgow [1926]. Includes an appendix of Baptist missionaries in the field, the church attached to and the overseas posting.