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Kirkmaiden

Map showing the location of the parish
KIRKMAIDEN, a parish, in the county of Wigtown, 16 miles (S. by E.) from Stranraer; containing, with the villages of Drumore and Port-Logan, 2202 inhabitants, of whom 1700 are in the rural districts of the parish. ...
The parish is bounded on the east by the bay of Luce, and on the south and west by the Irish Sea. It is about ten miles in length, from north to south, and varies from a mile and a half to nearly four miles in breadth, comprising 13,000 acres, of which 4000 are arable, 6000 meadow and pasture, 300 woodland and plantations, and the remainder moor and waste. ..
The harbours are, Port-Logan in the bay of Portnessock, and Drumore. At both of these, commodious quays have been erected, where vessels of any burthen may land and take in their cargoes, and find safe anchorage in the bays; but the former cannot be entered at low water by vessels of great size. ..
No manufactures are carried on; but in the villages of Drumore and Port-Logan a few of the inhabitants are employed in the requisite handicraft trades. There is a post-office established under that of Stranraer, from which town the mail is conveyed daily to Port-Logan and Drumore, three days in the week by a gig merely, and on other days by a car carrying passengers. A fair is held near the church on the Tuesday after the 21st of November; it was formerly frequented by dealers from various parts of the country, but has recently degenerated into a mere pleasure-fair. Facility of communication is maintained by statute-labour roads, recently much improved, and kept in good repair. The ecclesiastical affairs are under the superintendence of the presbytery of Stranraer and synod of Galloway. The minister's stipend is £150. 16. 5., of which £5. 7. 8. are paid from the exchequer, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £8 per annum; patron, the Earl of Stair. The church, situated nearly in the centre of the parish, was erected in 1638; it is a very plain structure, with 275 sittings. The parochial school is attended by about ninety children; the master has a salary of £25. 15., with a house and garden, and the fees average £18. A parochial library, containing a collection of 600 volumes, is supported by subscription. – edited from A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, Samuel Lewis, 1846.

Towns and Villages

Drumore (or Drummore)
Port Logan

Places in Kirkmaiden 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 is a churchyard and 1 ancient burial ground in Kirkmaiden parish:

1. Kirkmaiden Old Churchyard and cemetery extension (grid reference NX 124369, GPS: 54.692300,-4.911500, Google map): 2. St Catherine's Croft, the ancient Kirkmaiden Church (grid reference NX 138324, GPS: 54.652596,-4.886931, Google map):

Census

Parish / district reference number for 1841 - 1901 censuses: 890

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
Kirkmaiden 1042846 1042555 103921 104112 224061 220460
Data provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Further information on the main GENUKI Wigtownshire page.

Church History

In addition to the parish church, there was also a Free 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 no information about Dissenters.

The New Statistical Account (written in 1839) gives this information:

The1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish church and the Free Church.

Details of church history here.

Church website: Stoneykirk and Kirkmaiden.

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: 890

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

Kirkmaiden OPR Births / baptisms Proclamations / marriages Deaths / burials / mortcloths
890/1 1716-1780 1699-1780 1716-1780
890/2 1779-1820 1779-1821 1779-1819
890/3 1820-1854 1820-1854 1818-1854
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.  and M.  intermixed 1716 - 1780. Duplicate of portion June 1738 - Oct. 1742. Defective for 1744.
M.  Record prior to 1716 prefixed to Register of B. Blank Jan. 1712 - Jun. 1716, after which date the entries [are] intermixed with the B. till 1780. Separate Record commences April 1779.
D.  Lower portion of leaf at March 1737 cut off. Duplicate of Record May 1738 - Oct. 1742.

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 7 - 8 Baptisms, 1716-1820; Marriages, 1699-1780; Burials, 1716-1780.
1068038 Items 1 - 2 Baptisms, 1820-1854; Marriages, 1779-1854; Burials, 1779-1854.
Data provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

A transcript of the burial registers 1779-1854 is on the Wigtownshire Pages.

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 (HR604) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of records here.

Other Churches:

Records of other churches are held at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of records here.

The Kirkmaiden 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
Kirkmaiden 890 1855 1971
Kirkmaiden 871 1972 1988
Stranraer Area 870 1989 2004
Dumfries & Galloway, Stranraer 870 2005  

Registration districts did not necessarily coincide exactly with parishes.

Description & Travel

Drummore village Ordnance Survey Grid Reference GPS Post code Lat. 54°41'23"N
NX 135365 54.689802
-4.895060		 DG9 9PT Lon. 4°53'42"W

Surrounding parishes: Stoneykirk.

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 Kirkmaiden parish, with links to online historical and modern maps.

The GENUKI gazetteer will give a calculation of the distance from Kirkmaiden 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 Kirkmaiden 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 Kirkmaiden.

Valuation Rolls, from 1855, and Valuation Office field books and plans are 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 Kirkmaiden 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:

Military History

The Roll of Honour website records the names on the Drummore 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 Kirkmaiden 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 Kirkmaiden records here.

Population

Year Population
1755 1051
1801 1613
1851 2681
1901 1943
1951 1257

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 Kirkmaiden 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 Kirkmaiden records here.

The Ordnance Gazetteer for Scotland lists the follow ols in the parish (1893):

School Accommodation for scholars Average attendance
Central 230 180
Northern 190 116
Southern 85 63

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, can be seen at ScotlandsPlaces.

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

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Last updated 30 January, 2012 : William McM. Owen