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Kirkinner

Map showing the location of the parish
"KIRKINNER, a parish, in the county of Wigtown; containing, with the hamlets of Marchfarm and Slohabert, 1769 inhabitants, of whom 229 are in the village of Kirkinner, 3 miles (S. by W.) from Wigtown. ..
The parish is bounded on the east by the bay of Wigtown, along which it extends for about three miles, and on the north by the river Bladnoch; and comprises 15,000 acres, of which 13,500 are arable, 300 woodland and plantations, and the remainder hill pasture, moor, and moss. ..
The village is on the road that leads to Wigtown; a few of the inhabitants are employed in weaving linen by hand-looms at their own dwellings. A post-office has been established here, and has a daily delivery; and facility of communication is maintained by good roads, which intersect the parish. At Baldoon is a small harbour, for the accommodation of vessels bringing supplies of coal and other articles required in the district, and for the shipment of grain, cattle, and other agricultural produce.
The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Wigtown and synod of Galloway. The minister's stipend is £230, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £20 per annum, patrons, the Agnew family. The church, erected in 1828, is a handsome and substantial structure containing 800 sittings, and is situated at a small distance to the east of the village. The parochial school is well conducted, and attended by about 100 children; the master has a salary of £34, with a house and garden, and the fees average £30 per annum. The school-house is a spacious building near the church, and contains a small library for the use of the scholars." - edited from A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, Samuel Lewis, 1846.

Villages

Kirkinner

Places in Kirkinner parish, with links to online historical and modern maps.

Please read the main GENUKI Wigtownshire pages if you have not already done so.

Archives, Libraries and Museums

A separate Records Page page gives details of the records for this parish held by Scottish archives.

The ScotlandsPlaces website lets users search across national databases by geographical location. It includes, amongst other material,

Cemeteries

There are 2 cemeteries in Kirkinner parish:

1. Kirkinner Churchyard - St Kennera (grid reference NX 423514, GPS: 54.833254, -4.456598, Google map): 2. Kirkinner Cemetery (grid reference NX 421512, GPS: 54.830867, -4.459409, Google map):

Census

Parish / district reference number for 1841 - 1901 censuses: 889

The 1841 and 1851 returns can be searched on the FreeCEN website.

There is an online index to the 1851 census created by the Friends of the Archives of Dumfries and Galloway.

Some census records on microfilm may be consulted in LDS Family Search Centres around the world.

LDS Library Film Numbers:

  1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891
Kirkinner 1042846 1042555 103921 104112 224060 220460
Data provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Further information on the main GENUKI Wigtownshire page.

Church History

The only church in the parish was the parish church.

A list of all persons over 12 years of age, collected under instructions to the Episcolalian Curates of Galloway and Dumfriesshire, was published as Parish lists of Wigtownshire and Minnigaff, 1684. It is available at the Open Library.

The Old Statistical Account (written in the 1790s) gives this information about Dissenters:

The New Statistical Account (written in 1838) gives this information:

The1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists only the parish church.

Details of church history here.

Church Records

The Parish Church (Established Church, Church of Scotland):

The original Old Parish Registers (of baptisms / births, proclamations / marriages, and deaths / burials) of the Church of Scotland, which cover the years up to 1854, are held in the General Register Office for Scotland in Edinburgh, and they can all be consulted there at the ScotlandsPeople Centre.

Parish reference number: 889

The Old Parish Registers (OPRs) span the following dates (although there are gaps within these ranges):

Kirkinner OPR Births / baptisms Proclamations / marriages Deaths / burials / mortcloths
889/1 1694-1819 1694-1819 -
889/2 1820-1854 1818-1854
At the end of the M. there is an 1831 census of population enquiry form.		 -
Data supplied by General Register Office for Scotland

The Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland, published 1872, provides this information about the content of the OPRs, including the gaps within them:

B.  Blank Feb. 1698 - Sept. 1702, April 1721 - Sept. 1726, Oct. 1728 - Feb. 1730, Dec. 1735 - Jan. 1737. Defective 1744 - 1754 inclusive, also 1766 - 1776 inclusive, and 1784 - 1793 inclusive. Entries out of the order of time occasionally occur.
M.  Blank June 1699 - Dec. 1702, and July 1742 - Nov. 1779. The fact of Marriage is not stated in the entries from 1779 till after 1820.

The baptisms / births, proclamations / marriages and deaths / burials indexes can be searched at the ScotlandsPeople website. Copies of the register entries may be purchased.

Copies of the registers on microfilm may be consulted in some local libraries and at LDS Family Search Centres around the world. The indexes to baptisms / births and proclamations / marriages can also be searched on the LDS Family Search website or on the IGI on microfiche in local libraries.

LDS Library Film Numbers:

1068037 Items 5 - 6 Baptisms, 1694-1854; Marriages, 1694-1854; Neglected Birth Entries, 1847-1850.
Data provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Further information on the main GENUKI Wigtownshire page.

Kirk Session records are held at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of church records here.

Heritors' Records (HR11) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of records here.

Other Churches:

The Kirkinner page of the LDS Family Search Research Wiki has more information about church history and records.

Civil Registration

Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths began in Scotland on 1st January 1855. Full information on the main GENUKI Wigtownshire page.

Registration districts covering this parish:

Registration district number start date end date
Kirkinner 889 1855 1966
Wigtown 874 1967 1971
Wigtown 874 1972 2004
Dumfries & Galloway, Wigtown 874 2005  

Registration districts did not necessarily coincide exactly with parishes.

Description & Travel

Kirkinner village Ordnance Survey Grid Reference GPS Post code Lat. 54°49'57"N
NX 422514 54.832496
-4.458321 		DG8 9AN Lon. 4°27'30"W

Surrounding parishes: Wigtown, Kirkcowan, Penninghame, Mochrum, Glasserton, Sorbie.

Directories

The parish entry in Pigot's National Commercial Directory for the whole of Scotland, 1837, is online at Google Books.

Gazetteers

There is a list of places in Kirkinner parish, with links to online historical and modern maps.

The GENUKI gazetteer will give a calculation of the distance from Kirkinner to another place.

Several old gazetteers are available. They all contain descriptions of the parish and many are also worth searching for entries of places within the parish.

Genealogy

The Kirkinner parish page on the Wigtownshire Pages contains a lot of excellent genealogical material and some beautiful photographs.

Historical Geography

A Vision of Britain provides historical descriptions, population & housing statistics, historic boundaries and maps.

Land & Property

Details of historic buildings and archaeological sites in this parish held by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Edinburgh, are catalogued at ScotlandsPlaces. In the results, click RCAHMS. Unfortunately, not all entries have digital images.

Listed buildings in Kirkinner.

Valuation Rolls, from 1855, are held in Edinburgh. Valuation Office field books and plans (for the Valuation Office survey of 1911-1915) are also held in Edinburgh. A few valuation rolls are held locally. Details here.

Manor and Estate Records

Some estate papers can be found at the National Archives of Scotland. Details of Kirkinner records here.

Maps

Historic maps:

This British Library webpage uses small examples of historical maps of London to show the differences between maps at various scales.

This Charles Close Society Sheetfinder will provide the sheet numbers for historic Ordnance Survey 1-inch and 6-inch maps for any location.

Present-day maps:

Migration

The Old Statistical Account (written in the 1790s) reports: "Between 40 and 50 persons emigrated from this parish to America in the year 1775 with a view to settle there as planters or artisans."

Military History

The Roll of Honour website records the names on the Kirkinner war memorial. There is another listing on the Wigtownshire pages. More information can be found at the Scottish War Memorials Project.

Names, Geographical

The Ordnance Survey Object Name Books are held by the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of Kirkinner records here.

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

The relief of paupers after 1845 was carried out by the Parochial Board and later by the Parish Council. Their records are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of Kirkinner records here.

Population

Year Population
1755 792
1801 1160
1851 1914
1901 1255
1951 1039

There is a page with census statistics from 1755 to 1951 here.

See also A Vision of Britain and Histpop for population statistics.

Probate Records

Prior to 1824, wills, testaments & inventories of residents of Kirkinner may be found in either the Wigtown Commissariot (CC22) or the Edinburgh Commissariot (CC8) records. From 1824, commissary business has been conducted by the Sheriff Court of Wigtown (SC19).

Sources worth searching for deeds include Wigtown Sheriff Court.

Schools

School Board records and / or school logbooks are held at the Ewart Library, Dumfries. Details of Kirkinner records here.

The Ordnance Gazetteer for Scotland lists the following public schools in the parish (1893):

School Accommodation for scholars Average attendance
Longcastle 109 65
Kirkinner 178 125
Malzie 57 34

Statistics

"Statistical accounts" giving fascinating insights into the local topography and history, social and economic conditions, and even the daily lives of people, were written by the parish ministers in the 1790s and the 1830s. For more information see the main GENUKI Wigtownshire page.

Taxation

The parish listing of the farm horse tax, 1797-98, the female servants tax, 1785-92, and the Male Servants Tax, 1777-98, can be seen at ScotlandsPlaces.

For details of other early taxation records see the Early Taxation Records page.

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Last updated 24 October, 2012 : William McM. Owen