Adoption around 1842 in Scotland

[Dhayedgar]

I am searching for information on a John Edgar born around 1835(Girvan, Ayr), birthplace info from a later census.
I cant find his birth? Looking in the 1841 census there is a John Edgar living with a family in Kilmarnock, head of the family is an Ambrose Cuthbertson age 40, with a John Edgar aged 6 years old.
I suspect that John Edgar was adopted by this family in about 1842(it shows a birth for this family for a John in 1842 on the IGI living in Edinburgh). The family all came from Ayrshire. Is there anywhere that any information on adoption is kept, I checked for a birth on Scotlands people for 1842 and it show nothing for that family. This is causing great confusion in my family search as the names Edgar/Cuthbertson surnames have been swapped around at different times.
Any help on adoption information would be greatly appreciated

[RJ_Paton]

Adoption as we understand it did not come into force until 1930 in Scotland (1927 in England).

Prior to that adoptions were generally "in family" where a relative took the child/children, although occasionally some third party agencies did become involved and some of their records did survive (eg Quarriers, Barnardo's)

from the National Archives Scotland

Adoptions before 1930
Before 1930 adoptions were arranged on a private basis, either by individuals or by one of a number of charitable adoption agencies. NAS currently holds no records for adoptions before 1930.

Adoptions after 1930
The Adoption of Children (Scotland) Act, 1930 introduced legal adoption into Scotland from that year. Adoptions since then have normally been arranged by charitable bodies or by local authority social work departments and then ratified by the civil courts. The majority of adoptions are ratified through the local sheriff courts, although a tiny number (perhaps two or three each year) are settled through the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

[Dhayedgar]

Thanks Falkyrn for the reply and information, look like
 its back to the jigsaw puzzle to try and sort it out.

Thanks Don

[tidybooks]

Hi,

There is a birth in Dalry, Ayrshire on 1st April 1836 for a John Edgar on the Scotland People website. unfortunately it does not appear to be on the IGI on the LDS site. It should give parents name although it is an OPR. Post it once you have the info, maybe able to forge a link with the Cutbertsons through marriage etc.

Tom