Bonnie Prince Charlie was born on 31 December 1720. He was a grandson of King James VII who was driven out of Britain in 1688 because of his support of the Catholic faith. Statutory civil registration was introduced in Scotland on 1 January 1855. Before this date Church of Scotland parish ministers and session clerks kept registers of births and baptisms, proclamations of banns and marriages, and deaths and burials. Approximately 3500 of these Old Parish Register (OPR) volumes have survived.
