Kirkcudbright, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland Genealogy

Kirkcudbright #871

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

= History =

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 reports for Kirkcudbright. Also available at the Family History Library.

A nice list of historical sites, buildings and artifacts within the parish is available online as part of the locally produced Dumfries & Galloway Gazetteer. Scroll down the page to Kirkcudbright.

= Burgess Records =

Until 1832, anyone wishing to carry on a trade or exercise a craft within a royal burgh had to become a burgess. This involved the payment of fee, the swearing of an oath of loyalty and the sharing of responsibility for the protection and safe running of the burgh. There is a list of burgesses for Kircudbright for the period 1661-1975 at the Stewarty Museum in Kirkcudbright.

Source: Researching Local History: A Guide to Sources held by Dumfries and Galloway Council. 2009, Dumfries and Galloway Council.

= 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 Scotland Census Records.

Here is a list of the Family History Library microfilm numbers for the census records of Kirkcudbright 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 indexes through the library. A free index to the 1851 census for Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway is available through the Dumfries and Galloway library at www.dgcommunity.net/historicalindexes/default.aspx

= Church Records =

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

The existing Kirkcudbright Parish Church, formerly known as St. Cuthbert's Parish Church was designed by William Burn in 1835, the foundation stone was laid 22 April 1836, and opened for worship on 21 October 1838. The site of the church was called Castle Park, but generally known as Andrew Brown's Park and was donated to the church by the Earl of Selkirk, who also provided the £7,000 to build the church. The church is located at the corner of St. Cuthbert Street and St. Mary Street.

The original St. Cuthbert's Church was possibly built in the eigth or ninth century in what is now the churchyard at Angel Hill on the east side of the town. No traces of this church survive above ground. Source: Kirkcudbright: An Alphabetical Guide to its History by David R. Collin. 2003, by The Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright.

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

Condition of Original Registers—
Indexed: For an index to these records, see the Scottish Church Records Index on computer at the Family History Library and family history centers. Some records may be indexed in the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=igi/search_IGI.asp&clear_form=true International Genealogical Index. ]

A free transcript of the burial registers is provided online divided up into sections for:

1826-28 1829-30 1831-33 1834-38 1839-40 1841-42 1843-44 1845-53

The transcripts provide: date; year; surname; forename; information (wife of, son of, daughter of, etc);residence; sex; age; and cause of death. A Glossary of medical terms found in the register is provided along with the introduction to these transcripts.

Births: The record after October 1783 is tabulated. Marriages: There is a double record October 1783–April 1791. Information after the latter date is limited to names and dates. There are no entries March 1804–1820 and 1823–April 1826. Deaths: Burials; there are no entries November 1792–1826; 1834–1838 and 1846–1852, except one for 1850. Source: Key to the Parochial Registers of Scotland, by V. Ben Bloxham, pub. 1970.Family History Library 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 1692–1704 Baptisms 1706–1708 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH2/520.

A photocopy of the Kirk Session Minutes for 1757-1900 are at the Stewartry Museum in Kirkcudbright.

Source: Researching Local History: A Guide to Sources held by Dumfries and Galloway Council. 2009, Dumfries and Galloway Council.

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 Lists.

Kirkcudbright Free Church
History— Dr. John Macmillan, minister of the parish, and many of his congregation, "came out" in 1843. Largely through the liberality of friends in New York, church and manse were built in 1845–1846. A new church was built on the same site, with the foundation being laid in 1872, and opening for worship 26 March 1874. The church hall was added at the rear in 1886. A merger with the United Presbyterian Church occurred in 1900 and the two congregations worshipped in St. Mary's Church from 1914. In 1929 St. Mary's Church became known as St. Mary's Parish Church of Scotland. The church was later declared redundent and converted to housing, with the church hall later being demolished and replaced with new housing. St. Mary's Church, currently (2009) is used for housing and is on the corner of St. Mary Street and Gladstone Place. Membership: 1848, 430; 1900, 470. 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 lists of ministers.

Kirkcudbright: An Alphabetical Guide to its History by David R. Collin. 2003 by The Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright.

Records— Minutes 1844–1921 Deacons' Court Minutes 1845–1901 Baptismal Register 1843–1876 Communion Roll 1846–1847 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/588.

Kirkcudbright Associate, later United Presbyterian Church
History— This congregation originated in the dissatisfaction felt by a number of the parishioners with the doctrine taught in the parish church. They applied for and obtained supply of sermon from the Associate Presbytery of Annan in 1818. The congregation was formed 16 April 1820 and a church built at the corner of the High Street opposite the Tolbooth, in 2009 the building is an antique store. In 1865 the Associate Church became known as the United Presbyterian Church, purchasing a manse and garden at 42 High Street. The original site did not allow for expansion so a site was acquired in St. Cuthbert Street and opened for worship 14 July 1880. The United Presbyterian Church merged with the Free Church in 1900 and in 1914 the two congregations merged under the name of the United Free Church. The church later became Kirvudbright's cinema and was demolished in 1971 to build a supermarket. Source: Annals and Statistics of the United Presbyterian Church, by Rev. William MacKelvie, D.D., pub. 1873. Film #477618. More details may be given in the source including lists of ministers.

Kirkcudbright: An Alphabetical Guide to its History by David R. Collin. 2003 by The Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright.

Records— Minutes 1820–1865, 1869–1914 Young Communicants 1821–1843 Congregational and Managers Minutes 1847–1914 Note: Available at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, record CH3/589.

Kirkcudbright Roman Catholic Church
History— This church was founded in 1839. The Statistical Account of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright 1844, states that there were within the parish 200 Roman Catholics.There is conflicting information here for Collin states that the Catholic communitiy first gained their own place of worship in 1845 with the purchase of Nos. 43,45 and 47 St. Cuthbert Street where they converted the top floors into a small chapel, completing the work in 1846. The congregation eventually outgrew this facility building St. Andrew and St. Cuthbert Church and opening for worship on 26 December 1886. The church was extended in 1886 and modernized in 1971.

Location - The Church is access from High Streetby the narrow street next to the Police Station and library.

Source: Kirkcudbright: An Alphabetical Guide to its History by David R. Collin. 2003 by The Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright.

Records— Baptisms 1852–1868 Marriages 1852–1868

For information write to: St. Andrew and St. Cuthbert’s Catholic Church High Street Kirkcudbright DG6 4JW Scotland

For earlier records, see Dalbeattie.

Episcopal Church
History - In 1878 the Episcopal Church was refounded in Kirkcudbright. The congregation built The Iron Church, affectionately known as 'The Wee Tin Kirk', which occupied the site on the west side of St. Mary's Street now occupied by the Fire Station. Some time between 1919 and 1923 the Castle School was converted to meet the needs of the congregation. The small GreyFriars Episcopal Church is at the junction of Castle Street and Saint Cuthbert Street.

Source: Kirkcudbright: An Alphabetical Guide to its History by David R. Collin. 2003 by The Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright.

Records: 1886-1997, originals at the Stewartry Museum in Kirkcudbright.

Source: Researching Local History: A Guide to Sources held by Dumfries and Galloway Council. 2009, Dumfries and Galloway Council.

= 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.

= Maps =

1832 Great Reform Act Map and Report for Town of Kirkcudbright
This plan at 6 inches to the mile shows the new boundaries of the town. Note the layout of the streets and the absence of many buildings that will soon show up on the maps, such as the Established Church, Free Church.

The report associated with this map verbally describes the proposed and executed new boundaries to the town. It also supplies from the 1821 and 1831 census population numbers, house numbers, house valuations and tax assessment values.

1843 John Woods Plan of Town of Kirkcudbright
This plan published in 1843, though it is not clear when the survey was carried out, is very important for it clearly shows the individual houses and provides names or initials for each property. It needs to be determined if these are the owners or the occupiers.

1850 Town Plan of Kirkcudbright
This town plan was surveyed in 1850 at a scale of 1:1650. You can zoom in on the details of the houses in the town, showing how the gardens are laid out. It even shows the internal layout of the Established Church, the newly built Free Church of Scotland, the Free School, etc. Zoom in to see the details.

1855 Twenty-Five Inch 1st Series Ordnance Survey Map
This map does not exist for Kirkcudbright as this part of Scotland was not included in this series.

1857 One-Inch 1st Series Ordnance Survey Map
This map is sheet 5 of 131 sheets of the One-inch to one mile 1st Series Ordnance Survey Map, surveyed between 1847 and 1850, published in 1857. The parish boundary is a series of heavy black dots (contour lines are a lighter series of dots) - see 1895 map for clearer parish boundaries. You can zoom in on this map to see the details.

1893 4 Sheet Town Plan of Kirkcudbright
These four sheets surveyed at in 1893 at the detailed scale of 1:500 showing the outlines of houses, layouts of the gardens, passageways. Note the presence of a boys and girls school in what is now the Episcopal Church of Scotland. Key church and civil buildings are identified. Select the sheet you need for the part of the town researching and then zoom in for details.

1895 One-Inch 2nd Series Ordnance Survey Map
This map is sheet 5 of 131 sheets of the 1895 One-inch to one mile 2nd Series Ordnance Survey Map revised in 1895 and published in 1896. What is particularly useful about this map is that each parish is colored separately so that you can easily see where the parish boundaries are on the ground and how close your locality is to the parish boundary. You can zoom in on this map to see the details.

1912 Batholomew Atlas - Wigtown Map
Kirkcudbright appears to the bottom right of the Wigtown map. The map shows the roads and the railway coming into the parish and town of Kirkcudbright. Good for showing the parish in a regional context.

= Museum =

The primary museum for the town and for the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is the Stewartry Museum, which is part of the Dumfries and Galloway Museums Service.

Address: The Stewartry Museum St Mary Street Kirkcudbright DG6 4AQ Tel: 01557 331643 Email: stewartrymuseum@dumgal.gov.uk

The Stewartry Museum information page provides brief history of museum and opening hours. This is a free museum to visit.

The director of the museum David Devereux PhD MIFA FSA Scot and his staff are very knowledgable and helpful both via email and in person.

= Probate Records =

Kirkcudbright was under the probate jurisdiction of the Commissary Court of Kirkcudbright until 1823, and since then has been under the Sheriff's Court of Kirkcudbright. 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' of Kirkcudbright and the subject of 'Probate records.' Then click on the link to the records of the Commissariat of Kirkcudbright. The library also has some post-1823 probate records for Kirkcudbright. Look in the library catalog for the 'Place' of Kirkcudbright and the subjects of 'Probate Records' and 'Probate Records - Indexes.'

Read more about Scotland Probate Records.

= Tax Records =

Farm Horse Tax Rolls
These taxes located in the National Archives of Scotland (NAS E326/10) were collected on horses and mules used in husbandry or trade in 1797-1798. The list for the parish of Kirkcudbright identifies: the Masters and Mistresses with names and designations (could be title, place or both); actual number of horses; horses liable to duty; horses not liable; and duty. It appears that the tax collector visited the parish twice to collect the tax from people who had not paid. The duty is 2 shillings and 3 pence for nine months per horse.

In the first list the parish of Kirkcudbright starts half way down the page and it is necessary to turn the page twice to get the full listing.

In the second listing the parish occupies two pages.

Valuation Rolls
Give assessed annual rental value of all properties within a burgh or county. For Kirkcudbright Burgh the rolls are for 1925 to 1960, with gaps with the records at the Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright. Note - the Royal Burghs, which includes Kirkcudbright Burgh are specifically excluded from the valuation rolls. This means that property in the Burgh will not be included in the earlier rolls, but property outside the Burgh, but within the parish will be included in earlier rolls. These rolls for the Stewartry of Kircudbrightshire survive in different locations, and in some cases images of the rolls are available online:

Stewarty Museum: 1777, 1799, 1819, 1867-1910 [with gaps]

Ewart Library, Dumfries: There is a pre-1799 tax roll (published in 1819 to justify the current taxes), 1819, 1859 - first to name proprietors and occupiers, 1878, 1885-1975 [with gaps]

Dumfries Archive Centre, Dumfries: 1819, 1859-1860, 1888-1889, 1911-1912, 1949-1950

Source: Researching Local History: A Guide to Sources held by Dumfries and Galloway Council. 2009, Dumfries and Galloway Council.

= Trade Records =

Kirkcudbright Burgh Ale Certificates 1832-1864 at Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright Burgh Harbour Committee records, 1901-1979 at Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright

Source: Researching Local History: A Guide to Sources held by Dumfries and Galloway Council. 2009, Dumfries and Galloway Council.

= Voter Records =

Kirkcudbright Burgh Voter's Rolls - 1833, 1850, 1851, 1853 at Ewart Library, Dumfries

Kirkcudbright Burgh Register of Qualified Voters - 1832-1856 at Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright

Kirkcudbright Burgh Municipal Polling Book - 1833-1871 at Stewarty Museum, Kirkcudbright

Source: Researching Local History: A Guide to Sources held by Dumfries and Galloway Council. 2009, Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Return to the Kirkcudbrightshire parish list.