Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland Genealogy Genealogy

Background
The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is a county in the south of Scotland, bounded on the north and north-east by the dounty of Dumfries, on the north and north-west by the county of Ayr, on the south and south-east by the Solvay Firth, and on the south-west by the county and bay of Wigtown. It is 48 miles in length, from east to west, and thirty miles in extreme breadth, comprising an acrea of about 882 square miles or 564,480 acres.

This district, which from its ancient tenure is called a stewartry, though for all purposes a county, occupies the eastern portion of the ancient province of Galloway. After the departure of the Romans, the area became the resort of numerous settlers from Ireland and the Isle of Man who, intermingling with the natives, formed a distinct people, subject to the government of a chieftain that excercised a kind of subordinate sovereignty under the kings of Northumbria or kings of Scotland. Later it was the property of the Baliols then the Douglas'. In the time of James II, it was divided among several proprietors.

The stewartry of Kirkcudbright was for some time included in the county of Dumfries and was under the jurisdiction of the same sheriff, but this ended prior to the time of Charles I, and since then it has formed a distinct and independent county, though still referred to as a stewartry. It contains 28 parishes. Kirkcudbright is the chief town and is a royal burgh, along with New Galloway. The county contains four other towns and some small hamlets.

About one-third of the land is arable and the remainder is principally mountain pasture, moorland, and waste. The surface if strikingly varied and towards the coast is diversified with numerous rocky hills. Other parts are mountainous, intersected with valleys of great fertility in a high state of cultivation. Oats, barley, wheat, potatoes, turnips, and other crops are raised. Cattle are pastured and sheep are fed on the moorlands. Great numbers of swine are also reared, and the horses are much esteemed.

The minerals are of no significance, and coal is scarce and brought from Cumberland. The munufacture of linen, cotton, and woolen goods is carried on to a considerable extent in the towns and villages. The principal trade is the export of cattle, sheep, and grain. Salmon-fisheries at the mouths of the various rivers are highly productive. Kirkcudbright harbour is easy of access and affords secure shelter from all winds.

The population in 1851 was 41,119.

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

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

Census
The Scottish government began taking censuses of its population in 1841, and every ten years thereafter. The records must be 100 years old before they are released to the public, so the most recent record available is for the 1901 census. Read more about Census Records.

Many census records have been indexed by surname. Some indexes cover one parish (and will be listed in the Wiki on the parish page) and some indexes are for the county as a whole. The Family History Library has county-wide census indexes for Kirkcudbright for 1841 and 1881.

Maps
Click on the map at the right to see a larger version, and click again on the larger map. Next, click on the ‘Expand’ button when it appears in the lower right-hand corner of the map.

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

[Return to county list.]

Military Records 1802 to 1808
A collection of ballot lists for 1802 and militia volunteer list for 1808 for most of the parishes in the County are at the National Archives of Scotland.