GENUKI Home page

Wigtownshire Wigtownshire Contents Wigtownshire Contents Neighbours Nearby Places

Old Luce also previously known as Glenluce

Map showing the location of the parish
"LUCE, OLD, or Glenluce, a parish, in the county of Wigton; containing 2448 inhabitants, of whom 890 are in the village, 10 miles (E. by S.) from Stranraer. This parish anciently included New Luce, the two places together forming the parish of Leuce or Glenluce, which was divided in 1646 into two parts, one called New, and the other Old. ... The parish is ten miles long and eight miles broad, and contains 40,350 acres. ...
The village [of Glenluce] is situated upon the road leading from Newton-Stewart to Stranraer. Corn and carding-mills are regularly at work; there are also a dye-mill and a flax-mill. Cattle-markets are held near the village, from April to December, on the first Friday in each month, and a fair in the month of May; there is a regular post in the village, and the mail from Dumfries to Portpatrick runs through it every day. Within two miles of it is a harbour in the bay, suited to receive small craft bringing coal and lime; but no larger vessels can approach this part of the shore. The ecclesiastical affairs are subject to the presbytery of Stranraer and synod of Galloway, and the patronage is in the Crown: the stipend of the minister is £158, of which nearly half is received from the exchequer, with a manse, and a glebe valued at £30 per annum. The church, erected in 1814, is a commodious edifice, and situated close to the village. The members of the United Secession have a place of worship. The master of the parochial school has a salary of £25. 13., with a house and garden; and his fees average between £30 and £40. There are several other schools, of which two are connected with dissenters, and one is supported by the Hay family." - edited from A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, Samuel Lewis, 1846.

Villages

Glenluce

Places in Old Luce 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

Some memorial inscrptions at Ladyburn Church have been transcribed at rootsweb.

There are 3 cemeteries on Old Luce parish:

1. Old Luce Churchyard, Church Street, Glenluce (grid reference NX 196574, GPS: 54.8790, -4.8120, Google map): 2. Glenluce Cemetery extension, to the north of the Old Churchyard, Church Street (grid ref. NX 196575, GPS:54.879369, -4.812634, Google map): 3. Glenjorrie Cemetery, North Street, Glenluce (grid ref. NX 199578, GPS: 54.882748,-4.808364, Google map):

Census

Parish / district reference number for 1841 - 1901 censuses: 894

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
Old Luce 1042847 1042556 103921 104112 224062 220462
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 Glenluce, other churches include a Free Church, and a United Associate (Burgher) Congregation Church (later United Presbyterian).

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) has no information about Dissenters.

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

The1865 Ecclesiastical Directory lists the parish church, the Free Church and the United Presbyterian 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: 894

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

Old Luce OPR Births / baptisms Proclamations / marriages Deaths / burials / mortcloths
894/1 1731-1820 - -
894/2 - 1731-1819 1732-1819
894/3 1820-1854 1820-1854 1812-1841
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.  This Record has been carefully kept. The pages throughout are subscribed by the Session-Clerk.
M.  Record carefully kept. The entries bear both Proclamation and Marriage, with the name of the officiating Minister, and, prior to 1780, the names of two witnesses to the Marriage are given. Pages certified by the Session-Clerk.
D.  Record titled 'Bills of Mortality'. The entries state the age of the deceased. There is a separate Record of Deaths of Children 1732 - Dec. 1829, and 1840 - 1841.

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:

1068039 Items 4 - 6 Baptisms, 1731-1854; Marriages, 1731-1854; Burials, 1732-1841.
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 (HR398) are at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh. Details of records here.

Other Churches:

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

The Old Luce 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
Old Luce (or Glenluce) 894 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.

Description & Travel

Glenluce village Ordnance Survey Grid Reference GPS Post code Lat. 54°52'40"N
NX 196574 54.877858
-4.811869		 DG8 0PL Lon. 4°48'43"W

Surrounding parishes: Inch, New Luce, Kirkcowan, Mochrum.

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 Old Luce parish, with links to online historical and modern maps.

The GENUKI gazetteer will give a calculation of the distance from Old Luce 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 Old Luce 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 OldLuce and Glenluce.

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 Old Luce 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 Glenluce war memorial. The Wigtownshire pages have listings of 2 memorials here and here. 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 Old Luce 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 Old Luce records here.

Population

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 Old Luce 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 Old Luce records here.

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

School Accommodation for scholars Average attendance
Drochduil 120 72
Glenluce Academy 313 271
Glen of Luce 128 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, 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.

Are you lost in the GENUKI hierarchy or arrived here from a search engine? If so, use the up-arrow(s) at the top of the page to go up the hierarchy.

ProblemsFind help, report problems, or contribute information

Last updated 24 October, 2012 : William McM. Owen