Wigtownshire, Scotland Genealogy



Wigtonshire (or Wigtownshire) is a maritime county in the southwest of Scotland, bounded on the north by Ayrshire, on the east by the stewartry or county of Kirkcudbright and by Wigton Bay, and on the south and west by the Irish Sea. It is about 32 miles in length and 29 miles in extreme breadth, comprising an area of nearly 480 square miles or 305,000 acres.

The county, which forms the western portion of the ancient district of Galloway, appears to have derived its name from the situation of its chief town on an eminence whose base was washed by the sea. After the departure of the Romans, the province became part of the territories of the Northumbrian kings until the ninth century, when it fell into the power of the Picts who continued to exercise a kind of sovereign authority, even after the union of the two kingdoms by Kenneth II. But the original Celtic inhabitants retained their ancient customs and heroic character which caused them to be known as the "wild Scots of Galloway."

The county consists of 17 parishes. There are three royal burghs of Wigtown (the county town), Stranraer, and Whithorn; the burghs-of-barony of Newton-Stewart, Garliestown, Glenluce and Portpatrick, and several small ports and thriving villages.

The surface, though generally level, is diversified with numerous hills. The coast is deeply indented with bays. The rivers abound with salmon. The ancient woods have almost entirely disappeared, but of late years the deficiency has been supplied by plantations. The soil is generally rich and considerable portions of the land are fine pasture. The richest land is near the coasts. The chief crops are oats, barley, turnips, and potatoes.

Considerable attention is paid to the rearing of cattle, sheep, horses, and swine, which are sent to southern markets. There is little coal and other rock and ore are not wrought. From the scarcity of fuel, the manufactures are very inconsiderable. The principal public works are distilleries. Flax-spinning for domestic use, weaving by hand-looms, and embroidering of muslin are carried on. The chief trade consists in the fisheries off the coast, and the export of grain and other produce and of live-stock and wool.

The population in 1851 was 39,195.

(Source: Samuel Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, 2nd ed., 1851.  Family History Library book 941 E5L.)

Parishes
Here is a list of historic parishes for the county of Wigtown with their parish numbers. Click on the parish name to see information about records.

Map


Click here to see an outline map of the parishes of Wigtonshire.

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