Kirkcudbrightshire
"Balmaclellan is one of four parishes in the northern district of the stewartry of Kirkcudbright commonly known by the name Glenkens...
There is no market town in the parish. The roads, however, to Castle Douglas and Dumfries are excellent, and both places are frequented by the farmers of Balmaclellan.
The parish contains 23,737 imperial acres. The land cultivated, or occasionally under tillage, amounts to about 4000 acres. After making a large allowance for land under water, roads, extensive plains of moss, and about 300 acres of plantation, the remainder is chiefly pasture.
....Here, Galloway cattle are much esteemed. The cows are almost of this sort, with the exception of a few of the Ayrshire breed. It is also worthy of notice, that whereas fifty years ago, scarce a dozen pigs were found in the parish, 350 on an average are now annually fattened for the Dumfries market....
The parish is an oblong figure, and bounded almost entirely by streams and rivers. From the Ken, on the west, it stretches to the river Urr, which, flowing from a lake of the same name, forms its eastern boundary for several miles. The Craig and Crogo rivulets, rising from the same range of hills, run in opposite directions, and separate it from the parish of Parton, on the south; while on the north, the Garple and another smaller stream separate it from Dalry and Glencairn...." (Rev. Gavin Cullen, Minister, Rev. George Murray)
New Statistical Account, Blackwood
History, Kirkcudbright. The New Statistical Account of Scotland, 2nd Series, W Blackwood, 1845.
The Church Yard of Balmaclellan has had pre 1855 monumental inscriptions transcribed and indexed. The index and transcribed inscriptions are included in a series of volumes that cover all of Kirkcudbrightshire. Balmaclellan is in volume 1. Refer to the county page for additional details.
"The parish church is conveniently situated for the
greater part of the population....
The attendance is excellent. Perhaps, however, about 200 of the
population might be advantageously thrown into a new parish,
comprehending destitute and remote parts of Balmaclellan, Parton,
and Kirkpatrick-Durham. A
neat church has already been erected with this view in the last
mentioned parish...
....Five or six families of Catholics are in the parish. The
number of Dissenting families of all denominations is
22."
(Rev. Gavin Cullen, Minister, Rev. George Murray)
New Statistical Account, Blackwood
Church of Scotland records are held at the General Register Office in Edinburgh. Copies of the pairsh register on microfilm may be consulted in LDS Family History Centres around the world. Refer to the county page for additional details.
| Records Available | Baptism | Marriage | Burial | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Church of Scotland | 1747-1854 | 1791-1854 | 1819-1826, 1851-1854 | OPR 856 |
Kirk Session Notes: There are parochial board poor accounts from 1845 to 1855. (CH2 981) Refer to the county page for additional details.
| Year | Persons |
|---|---|
| 1755 | 534 |
| 1801 | 554 |
| 1821 | 912 |
| 1841 | 1134 |
| 1851 | 1145 |
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Last updated: 2 Aug 2004 by David Hawgood
