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Leswalt

Map showing the location of the parish
"LESWALT, a parish, in the county of Wigtown, 4 miles (N. W.) from Stranraer; containing 2712 inhabitants. ..
The parish is about eight miles in length, and nearly of the same breadth. It has the Irish Channel on the west, Loch Ryan on the east, the parish of Kirkcolm on the north, and Portpatrick on the south; and forms a portion of the peninsula called the Rhyns of Galloway. ..
The oats produced are estimated at the value of about £6000 yearly: some attention is now paid to the cultivation of wheat, and considerable quantities of potatoes are raised. Much land formerly rough pasture, or waste, has been improved by lime and shell-sand manures and brought into good cultivation; and the care recently taken of the fences and the farm-houses has effected great changes in the appearance of the parish. Black-cattle of the Galloway breed are reared for the English markets; the sheep are chiefly the Cheviot and the black-faced. ..
There are two villages, Clayhole and Hillhead, forming a part of the suburbs of Stranraer. An excellent road runs through the middle of the parish, branching off in one direction round Loch Naw to Portpatrick, and in another by Kirkcolm to Stranraer. The ecclesiastical affairs are under the government of the presbytery of Stranraer and synod of Galloway, and the patronage is in the Crown. The stipend of the minister is £143, of which nearly a fourth is received from the exchequer; with a manse, built in 1811, and a glebe of nearly twenty acres, valued at about £30 per annum. The church, built in 1828, contains 550 sittings. The members of the Free Church have a place of worship; and there is a parochial school, the master of which has a salary of £25. 13. 3., with £20 fees, and a house and garden. There is also a parochial library of nearly 400 volumes." - edited from A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, Samuel Lewis, 1846.

Villages

Leswalt
The western part of Stranraer burgh (Sheuchan)

Places in Leswalt 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 4 cemeteries in Leswalt parish (2 for Leswalt parish, and 2 newer ones built in an extended Stranraer):

1. Leswalt Old Parish Churchyard, in Leswalt village (grid reference NX 015638, GPS: 54.929810,-5.098448, Google map): 2. Leswalt Cemetery (grid ref. NX 015639, GPS: 54.930119, -5.098853, Google map): 3. Sheuchan Cemetery and extension, Leswalt High Road, Stranraer (grid ref. NX 055609, GPS: 54.905071,-5.034195, Google map): 4. Stranraer Glebe Cemetery (grid ref. NX 052604, GPS: 54.900278,-5.040128, Google map):

Census

Parish / district reference number for 1841 - 1911 censuses: 891

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
Leswalt 1042847 1042556 103921 104112 224061 220461
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 at Leswalt, other churches include a Free Church at Leswalt, and a Church of Scotland and a Free Church at Sheuchan.

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, the Church of Scotland at Sheuchan,  and Free Churches at Leswalt and Sheuchan.

Details of church history here.

Church websites: Ervie-Kirkcolm

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: 891

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

Leswalt OPR Births / baptisms Proclamations / marriages Deaths / burials / mortcloths
891/1 1729-1820 1729-1820 1729-1819
891/2 1820-1854 1820-1854 1820-1843
Register of Neglected Entries 1847-1850    
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.  No entries for 1753, and only one entry for 1755, and for 1757. Six entries 1767 - 1782 recorded after March 1783. Only two entries Oct. 1783 - Jan. 1786. Entries 1784 - 1790 on page at March 1789. After May 1804 is a copy of the Record from Feb. 1756, which is continued after 1804 as the principal Register. After 1797, in the copy, two pages of irregular entries 1767 - 1822. The early portion has suffered from damp. Mothers' names are not recordedtill 1798.
M.  No entries Dec. 1739 - March 1741, and blank (except for 5 entries1751 - 1752) April 1748 - Jan. 1790. There are, however, occasional entries of Proclamation Fees between 1729 and 1740, and 1755 - 1777, among the Mortcloth Dues for the same period. Blank also April 1797 - April 1798.
D.  Mortcloth Dues till 1778, but blank 1738 - 1756. Blank also 1778 - 1816, after which deaths are recorded.

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:

1068038 Items 3 - 4 Baptisms, 1729-1854; Marriages, 1729-1854; Burials, 1729-1843; Neglected Birth Entries, 1847-1850.
Data provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

A transcript of the burial registers 1815-1854 is on the Wigtownshire Pages.

The Dumfries and Galloway Family History Society have published Irish Marriages in Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, 1759-1826, which includes information on Stranraer, Stoneykirk and Leswalt.

Further information on the main GENUKI Wigtownshire page.

Kirk Session records are held at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Some Kirk Session material is to be found in the OPR records (891/1 and 891/2). Details of church records here.

Heritors' Records (HR90) 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 Leswalt 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
Leswalt 891 1855 1966
Stranraer Area 899 1967 1971
Stranraer Area 870 1972 2004
Dumfries & Galloway, Stranraer 870 2005  

Registration districts did not necessarily coincide exactly with parishes. As Stranraer expanded, although its parish boundaries remained unchanged, its registration district and burgh boundaries changed. Part of Stranraer registration district and burgh is in Inch parish, and part in Leswalt parish.

Description & Travel

Leswalt village Ordnance Survey Grid Reference GPS Post code Lat. 54°55'49"N
NX 017639 54.930307
-5.094989 		DG9 0LJ Lon. 5°5'42"W

Surrounding parishes: Kirkcolm, Stranraer, Portpatrick, Inch .

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

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

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 Leswalt 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 Wigtownshire pages has information about the names on the war memorial. 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 Leswalt 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 Leswalt records here.

Population

Year Population
1755 652
1801 1329
1851 3021
1901 2270
1951 5197

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 Leswalt 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 Leswalt records here.

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

School Accommodation for scholars Average attendance
Larbrex 55 42
Leswalt public 200 89

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 1 April, 2012 : William McM. Owen