South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland Genealogy

Parish #118

History
There are no towns, villages, or hamlets in the parish. The nearest post-office is at Lochmaddy in North Uist, about sixty-six miles distant from the south extremity of the parish. The county town, Inverness, is a distant 192 miles from the parish; but the principal communication is with Glasgow and Greenock.

This parish consists of three principal islands: Benbecula, South Uist proper, and Erisca. South Uist is bounded on the north by a sound which separates it from North Uist; on the south, by the sound which separates it from the islands and parish of Barra; on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the east by the Minch which divides it from the island of Skye.

The only land-owners are Ranald G. Macdonald, Esq. of Clanranald; Hugh Macdonald, esq. of Boisdale; and Ranald Macdonald. Esq. of Bornish.

The range of hills north of Loch Skipport and south of Loch Eynort, which vary in heights between 1200 to 1300 feet, contain good pasture for black-cattle, horses and sheep.

There was not a parochial register kept of the births and marriages among the Protestant population, till within the last two years. Two-thirds of the population are Roman Catholics; and without an act of Parliament, it is impossible to keep a regular register of the whole population in a parish so circumstanced. There is no parish church.

There are two missionaries in the parish, one at Boisdale, in the southern part of it, and the other at Benbecula. There are no Catechists. The Catholics, who form more than two-thirds of the population, have three chapels. The Bishop resides at Glasgow.

The number of families attending the Established Church is about 354 out of 980 individuals. There are no church collections, the people being so poor that nothing can be collected in that way for religious and charitable objects.

This account was written in 1837.

Source: New Statistical Account of Scotland,  FHL book 941 B4sa, series 2, vol. 14.

Also available online at http://edina.ac.uk/stat-acc-scot/. Browse the scanned pages under ‘For non-subscribers,’ then search for the parish report.

Condition of Original Registers—
Index: For an index to these records, see the Scottish Church Records Index available on computers at the Family History Library and family history centers. The records may be indexed in the International Genealogical Index. Note: There are no birth or death records prior to 1855 and no marriage record prior to 1839.

Established Church—Kirk Session Records
None available

Bencecula Free Church
History— In the years following the Disruption there were many adherents of the Free Church in Benbecula, especially among the young people. Number of these had emigrated by 1851. In 1854 Benbecula was united with Carinish and Lochmaddy under one minister. It was sanctioned as a separate charge in 1885. Church and manse had already been built. In a population of 1500 to 2000, about half were Roman Catholics, the other half being nearly equally divided between the Established and Free Churches. Membership: 1887, 218; 1900, 63. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843-1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details may be given in the source, including list of ministers.

Records— Extent of records is unknown.

South Uist Free Church
History— In December 1843 a probationer was appointed to the charge of South Uist and Barra. In a population of 4338, the great majority of whom were Roman Catholics, the adherents of the Free Church in 1855 numbered 375. For twenty years after the Disruption no site could be obtained. The church was built in 1863. The charge was sanctioned in 1864. The manse was completed in 1880. The long unsettled period, the extended vacancy between the first and second ministers, and the primarily Romanist character of the population made progress difficult. Membership: 1868, 28, 1900, 55. Source: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland, 1843-1900, ed. Rev. William Ewing, D.D., 2 vols. pub. 1914. Film #918572. More details may be given in the source, including list of ministers.

Records— No known pre-1855 records.

South Uist Roman Catholic Church
History— After the Reformation, nearly the whole population of Uist, including the proprietor, remained Roman Catholic. In 1700 the number was estimated to be at 1500. But by 1770, the proprietor had become an apostate Catholic and began to greatly persecute his Catholic tenants. He demanded they sign a paper renouncing their religion and allowing their children to be raised as Protestants, or lose their lands. They refused to a man. Catholics throughout Scotland came to the aid of these destitute people by raising funds so that they could emigrate to St. John's Island in Canada. When MacDonald saw that the Catholics were receiving support, and that he was losing his tenants and the income from their rents, he relented, but many had emigrated. The persecutions stopped and by 1790 two Catholic chapels had been built in South Uist. Today there are seven churches and chapels and the Catholic population of South Uist is estimated at over 2200. Locations include Ardkenneth (1829), Benbecula (1835), Bornish (1820), Daliborg (1827), and Eriskay (1852). Source: Developments in the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, 1789–1829, by Christine Johnson, FHL British Book 941 K2jc; also The Catholic Directory for Scotland for 1987, FHL British Book Ref. 941 K24ca.

Records— Ardkenneth: Baptisms 1829–1904 Marriages 1829–1850 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record RH21/43. Bornish: Baptisms 1820–1868 Marriages 1831–1868 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record RH21/45.

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