Whithorn Parish Records
At the National
Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh:
Numerous papers concerning businesses in Whithorn are to
be found in Court of Sesion records and the records of dissolved
companies. They can be found by searching the
National Archives of Scotland
catalogue for "Whithorn" and reference starts
"CS" or reference starts "BT2".
At the Ewart
Library, Dumfries:
- EGD/96
Papers of a Whithorn Grocer
Stock book of an unidentified grocer at [ ] Road, Whithorn, 1899.
At the Glasgow
City Archives:
- CWS
Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society
Records of the Bladenoch and Whithorn Creamery, 1899-1973, .
The church of Whithorn originally belonged to the Priory of Whitern,
which was founded in 1153. Within the priory church , which served as
cathedral for the See of Galloway, there existed a shrine to St Ninian,
which in medieval times drew in large numbers of pilgrims. After the
reformation the nave of the priory church was made the parish church
and it remained so until 1822 when a new parish church was erected
close by. After the 1929 union of the Church of Scotland and the United
Free Church, Whithorn parish church was united with the former United
Free Church congregation of Whithorn St Ninians under the name of
Whithorn St Ninians Priory. Following the union the old parish church
remained in use as the place of Worship. Whithorn St Ninians Priory was
later linked in 1990 with Glasserton and Isle of Whithorn. The kirk
session sat within the Presbytery of Wigtown until by Act of Assembly,
1963, the Presbytery of Wigton and the Presbytery of Stranraer were
united under the name of the Presbytery of Wigtown and Stranraer.
- Whithorn Associate Congregation (later United Presbyterian
and St John's United Free, united with Whithorn St Ninian's United
Free):
Whithorn Associate Congregation, which belonged to
the Antiburgher branch of the Secession church, first recieved mention
within the Secession records at the Synod in May 1793, when a call was
presented to Mr John Mitchell. The first church of Whithorn Associate
is believed to have been built in 1790 and the first minister of the
congregation, John Smith, was ordained in 1795. A new church was later
opened for worship on the 9th March 1892. In 1900, upon the union of
the Free Church and the United Presbyterians, Whithorn U.P. was renamed
Whithorn St John's United Free Church, and the charge was later reduced
in status in 1910. In 1913 however Whithorn St John's was united with
the congregation of Whithorn St Ninian's, under the name of Whithorn.
After this local union the former St John's church and manse continued
in use. Following the 1929 union between the Church of Scotland and the
United Free Church, Whithorn U.F. became Whithorn St Ninian's Church of
Scotland and a union was established in 1937 with the congregation of
Whithorn Priory, under the name of Whithorn St Ninian's Priory. As a
result of this union the former St Ninian's church and manse were sold.
Whithorn Associate congregation sat within the U.P. Presbytery of
Galloway and later the U.F. Presbytery of Wigtown and Stranraer.
- Whithorn Free Church (later St. Ninian's United Free, then
united with Whithorn, St. John's, United Free church):
Whithorn Free Church was formed in July 1843, with
Whithorn and Isle of Whithorn at first sanctioned as separate charges
under one minister. A church was erected in the following year. In 1876
a separate minister was settled in Isle of Whithorn. Whithorn FC passed
to the United Free Church as Whithorn St Ninian's, which united with
Whithorn St John's in 1913, using the St John's church and manse
thereafter. The UFC charge was in the presbytery of Wigtown and
Stranraer and the synod of Dumfries and Galloway.
- Whithorn Reformed Presbyterian Church:
-
At the National
Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh:
- CH2/402
Whithorn Kirk Session
Minutes, 1712-1722, and 1866-1915; Collections and distributions,
1712-1740; Collections, 1922-1937; Discipline, 1905-1920; Baptismal
register, 1879-1918; Communion Roll, 1868-1936; Poor's fund accounts,
1811-1843; Poor's fund minutes, 1801-1843, 1829-1843; Cash book,
1910-1937; Accounts, 1913-1939; Proclamation register, 1925-1977.
- CH3/308
Whithorn Associate Congregation (later United Presbyterian and St
John's United Free, united with Whithorn St Ninian's United Free)
Session minutes, 1795-1810 (contains 1 marriage, 1802), 1835-1840,
1848-1850 and 1895-1936;
Congregational Board minutes, 1913-1937; Trustee's minutes, 1937-1940;
Communion roll, 1835-1843 and 1881-1937; Baptisms, 1852-1912;
Signatures to formula, 1874-1926; Seat rent accounts, 1821-1830; Cash
book, 1832-1912; Mission fund accounts, 1881-1908; Sunday school
accounts, 1925-1936; Cash book, 1832-1912; Mission fund accounts,
1881-1908; Sunday school accounts, 1925-1936.
The LDS
have filmed the following records which may be consulted at LDS
Family History Centres.
LDS Library Film Numbers:
| 889475 Item 4 |
Whithorn
Associate Congregation |
Minutes, 1795-1802; with 1 marriage, 1802. |
Original documents: National Archives of Scotland
- CH3/308/1 |
| 1886484 |
Session
minutes (with marriage, 1802), 1793-1810, 1835-1840, 1848-1850,
1895-1911. Communion roll ante, 1835-1840, 1881-1912; baptisms
1852-1912. Seat rent accounts, 1812-1830. |
Original
documents: National Archives of Scotland
- CH3/308/1,5,8 |
| Data
provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints |
- CH3/801
Whithorn Free Church (later St. Ninian's United Free, then united with
Whithorn, St. John's, United Free church)
Minutes, 1843-1913; Communion
roll, 1843-1914; Baptismal register, 1843-1921.
At the Scottish
Catholic Archives, Edinburgh:
- HC/59
Parishes: magazines, bulletins, invitations to events, etc.
31. Galloway - Whithorn
At the Hornel
Library, Broughton House:
- Whithorn Reformed Presbyterian Church
Baptisms, 1826-1832; Marriages, 1827-1832; Baptisms in other
congregations, 1826-1832.
Access restricted. All enquiries should be
addressed to:
The Archivist, National Trust for Scotland, 28 Charlotte Square,
Edinburgh, EH2 4ET.
At the National
Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh:
- SC19/35/4
Wigtown Sherrif Court Records, Small Debt Court Books
Whithorn Circuit, Jan. 1838 - Nov. 1854.
At the National
Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh:
- HR332
Whithorn parish heritors' records
Minutes, 1862-1914, 1921-1933; Accounts, 1879-1928; Minute of agreement
relating to priory and old church, 1908; Plans of church, 1913-1915.
At the National
Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh:
- B/71
Whithorn Burgh Records
Register of sasines, 1684-1935; Register of sasines minutes, 1867-1944.
- VR83
Valuation Rolls: Whithorn Burgh
1855-1930; the Roll from 1930 is included in the Valuation Roll for the
County of Wigtown; the roll for 1915 is online at the ScotlandsPeople website
- IRS87/76-80
Valuation Office (Scotland): Field Book, 1910-1920: Whithorn
Burgh
Entries 1-384, plus various supplementary.
- IRS87/81-83
Valuation Office (Scotland): Field Book, 1910-1920: Whithorn
Parish
Entries 1-260.
- IRS133
Valuation Office (Scotland) maps to accompany the above field books,
scale 1/2500, Ordnance Survey sheets for Wigtownshire.
At the Dumfries
and Galloway Archives, Dumfries:
- EW4
Wigtownshire County Council: County Treasurer's Department
Valuation rolls, 1891-1975; Assessment rolls, 1890-1897, 1950-1960.
At the Stranraer
Museum:
- WH
Whithorn Burgh Records
Valuation roll, 1858-1859.
At the Ewart
Library, Dumfries:
- EGD/104
Rent book, Whithorn
Rent book for lands of Cavans and Appleby (in parish of Glasserton),
1756-1789, with manuscript transcription, undated.
At the National
Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh:
Some estate papers can be found by searching the National
Archives of Scotland
catalogue for "Whithorn" and reference starts
"GD". Collections
particularly worth searching are:
- GD10
Papers of the Murray Family of Broughton, Wigtownshire, and Cally,
Kirkcudbrightshire
- GD25
Papers of the Kennedy Family, Earls of Cassillis (Ailsa Muniments)
- GD30
Papers of the Shairp family of Houston, West Lothian
- GD135
Papersof the Dalrymple Family, Earls of Stair
- GD154
Papers of the Agnew
Family of Lochnaw, Wigtownshire
- GD455
Papers of the Hathorn family of Castlewigg,
Wigtownshire
At the National
Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh:
- RH4/23/236 and RH4/23/237
Ordnance Survey Original Object Name Books for Scotland: Wigtownshire
Parishes of Glasserton, Mochrum, Sorbie and
Whithorn (book 76); Glasserton, Kirkinner, Sorbie and Whithorn (book
77); Sorbie and Whithorn (book 78); Glasserton, Sorbie and Whithorn
(book 79); Sorbie, Stoneykirk and Whithorn (book 80); Glasserton,
Sorbie and Whithorn (book 84); Glasserton and
Whithorn (book 85).
At the National
Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh:
- CO4/46
Whithorn Parish Records
Parochial Board Minute Book, 1863-1885, 1885-1895; Parochial Board
General Register of the Poor, 1848-1930; Parish Council Minute Book,
1908-1930.
At the Ewart
Library, Dumfries:
- EW5/54
Isle of Whithorn School
Log books, 1881-1906, 1923-1978; Admissions and withdrawals registers,
1873-1977. (Access restricted)
This was originally a parish school and the buildings were
erected 1826. By 1858 the master doubled as the registrar and the
school roll was 24 boys and 28 girls. In 1939 it came under the control
of the master of Glenwhilly School which had closed.
- EW5/8/2
Glasserton (Whithorn and Sorbie) School Board
Register of mortgages (including receipts, 1918-1919), 1875-1894.
- EW5/61
Whithorn Junior Secondary School
Log books, 1873-1914, 1949-1974. (Access restricted)
- EW5/8/1
Whithorn, Glasserton and Sorbie School Management Committee
Minutes, 1947-1949. (Closed until 1/01/2025)
At the National
Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh:
- E60/5/12
Particular Taxt Rolls
Whithorn Priory, 1630.
- E66/13
Taxations 1630: Accounts and vouchers of rests in ordinary taxations of
1625 and 1630
1-9. Bishop of Galloway for Whithorn priory (1630), 16 Nov. 1631-13
Jan. 1634.
- E209/80
Whithorn (regality), bailie
1696-1712.
- E236/83/1
Whithorn (regality), Bailie Accounts
15 May 1697-15 May 1712.
At the Stranraer
Museum:
- WH
Whithorn Burgh Records
Minutes, 1901-1974; Municipal Corporation Commissioners report on the
burgh, 1833; Oaths of magistrates, councillors and officials,
1873-1967; Abstracts of accounts, 1967-1974; Valuation roll, 1858-1859;
Ledgers and cash books, 1949-1972; Miscellanea, 1931, 1969; 'Collected
documents' (mainly writs and law papers, including copy rentals of
income due to Whithorn priory before and after 1560, undated, and
signet letters, Lord Fleming v. the tenants of Whithorn, 1594), 16th -
20th cent.
At the National
Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh:
- B/71
Whithorn Burgh Records
Register of sasines, 1684-1935; Register of sasines minutes, 1867-1944.
Data provided by the Scottish
Archive Network (SCAN)
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Last
updated 30 March, 2012
: William McM. Owen
