Kintail, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland

Parish # 72 

This is a guide to the history and major genealogical records of Scotland as they pertain to the parish of Kintail. To learn more about how to use these records to search for your ancestors, go to the Scotland: Research Strategies.

History
KINTAIL, a parish, in the county of Ross and Cromarty, 10 miles (E. S. E.) from Lochalsh; containing the village of Dornie and Bundalloch. This parish derives its name from a Gaelic term, signifying "the head of two seas," and descriptive of its situation on a point of land where two seas meet. The church, which is inconveniently situated at a great distance from the body of the parishioners, is capable of accommodating about 300 persons; it was repaired about 1820, when two small galleries were erected; but is at present in a dilapidated state, and too small for the population. The Roman Catholics have a place of worship.

The name is of Gaelic origin, Cean da shaill, and signifies head of two seas. The parish is located on the west coast of the county of Ross, and chiefly along the north shore of Lochduich.

Along the north-east shore of Lochlong, there are two fishing villages, Dornie and Bundalloch. They are densely peopled; but, with the exception of Dornie, there are a few good houses.

There is no market of any kind established in the parish, the nearest market-towns being Dingwall and Inverness.

The land-owners of the parish are; Mr. M’Kenzie, of Applecross and Inverinate, W. S.; and the Chisholm; and the estate of the late Sir Hugh Innes.

The population in 1801 was 1038, and increased to 1240 by 1831.

The parish church is as conveniently situated for the majority of the parishioners, as well as it could be. It is built at the eastern inhabited extremity of the parish, within the easy reach of a dozen families, while the great body of the congregation are from three to six miles away. Notwithstanding such inconvenience, the church is well attended. There are no Chapel of Ease in the parish, nor Government ministers, nor Missionaries. The parish registers are all of modern date, the earliest entry being 1787. They are by no means voluminous, and are now regularly kept.

This account was written September 1836.

Source: New Statistical Account of Scotland for Kintail, FS Library book 941B4sa, series 2, vol. 14.

The New Statistical Account of Scotland (pub. 1834-45) offers uniquely rich and detailed parish reports for the whole of Scotland, covering a vast range of topics including history, agriculture, education, trades, religion and social customs. The reports, written by the parish ministers, are available online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Click on ‘Browse scanned pages’ then search the parish you are interested in. Also available at the

Census Records
A census is a count and description of the population, taken by the government, arranged by locality and by household. Read more about census records.

Here is a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the as well as the library numbers for any surname indexes available:

The 1901 census of Scotland is indexed on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. To use it, you must register and pay a small access fee. All available censuses, 1841-1901, are indexed on this website. It may be easier for you to pay to use the website rather than access the separate indexes through the library.

Church Records
The Established Church of Scotland was Presbyterian. Read more about church records.

Here are the pre-1855 records that exist for this parish.

Condition of Original Registers—
Index: For an index to these records, see Scotland’s People website, a pay-for-view website. The Scottish Church Records Index is also still available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Some records may also be indexed in other FamilySearch collections for Scotland. Births: There is only one entry for 1774, one entry for October 1777–May 1781 and none for February 1785–February 1786. The records are very incomplete 1787–1802. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970. British Book 941 K23b.

Established Church—Kirk Session Records
The Kirk session was the court of the parish. The session was made up of the minister and the land owners and business men of the parish, chosen to serve on the session. The Kirk session dealt with moral issues, minor criminal cases, matters of the poor and education, matters of discipline, and the general concerns of the parish. Kirk session records may also mention births, marriages, and deaths.

Here is a list of the surviving Kirk session records for this parish:

Minutes with Communion Rolls 1828–1952 Baptisms 1855–1879 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/1204.

Nonconformist Church Records
A nonconformist church is any church that is not the Established church. Read more about nonconformity in Scotland in the article on the Scotland Church Records Union List.

Dornie Catholic Church
History— A congregation was formed here as early as 1703. However, there are no records. In 1782 the area was being served jointly with Glenmoriston and Abertarf. A church was built and consecrated to St. Duthac in 1866.

Records— Baptisms 1844–1970 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record RH21/24. This Church is cataloged as Fort Augustus. Marriages 1844–1896. Note: Available online for a fee, at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk, Edinburgh, record MP/18 This record includes Glenshiel, Glenelg, Bundaluch, Strome, Ardnarff, and Fadoch.

Civil Registration Records
Government or civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths (also called statutory records) began on January 1, 1855 in Scotland. Each parish has a registrar's office and large cities have several. The records are created by the registrars and copies are sent to the General Register Office in Edinburgh. Annual indexes are then created for the records for the whole country.

See the article on Scotland Civil Registration for more information and to access the records.

Probate Records
Kintail was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Ross until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Ross &amp; Cromarty. Probate records for 1513- 1901 are indexed online at www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. You must register on the website but use of the index to probate records, called 'Wills &amp; Testaments,' is free. You may then purchase a copy of the document or, if the document is before 1823, it will be on microfilm at the Family History Library. To find the microfilm numbers, search in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Ross &amp; Cromarty and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Ross

The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Ross &amp; Cromarty. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place-names' of Ross &amp; Cromarty and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.' Read more about Scotland Probate Records.