Ellon is a parish in the centre of the seaboard region of Aberdeenshire. It is bounded by Deer, Cruden, Logie Buchan, Udny, Tarves, and New Deer. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Birness, Ellon
Dudwick, Esselmont
Inverebrie, Michaelmuir, Walkmill Hill
The parish of Methlick had a detached part which was bounded on the west by the parish of Tarves, and elsewhere by the parish of Ellon. This detached part was transferred to the parish of Ellon. See affected properties and landholders. (1892: Boundary of counties and parishes in Scotland as settled by the Boundary Commissioners under the Local Government Act, 1889, by Hay Shennan)
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The church of Ellon was dedicated to St Mary. It belonged to the Abbey of Kinloss. A fair of St John the Baptist was held at Ellon. A stream in this parish is called St Monan's Burn.
Disjoined Quoad Sacra Parishes :
Ardallie. The parish of Ardallie was disjoined from Deer, Longside, Ellon, and Cruden on 11 July 1862. The erection of Ardallie was largely the work of William Yeats of Auquharney, and John Morrison, minister of Old Deer.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
Ellon (QO)
Ardallie (QS)
(1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)
Parish registers turned over to the Registrar-General, as a result of the Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (Scotland) Act of 1854. The letters B. D. and M. indicate Births (or Baptisms), Deaths (or Burials), and Marriages (or Proclamations of Banns) respectively. Numbers indicate separate volumes or books. Note: These records are by no means complete or without damage; consult the Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland (1872) to learn more about the condition of the records.
| OPR and RD Numbers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Range | Name | Number | Type |
| 1638-1854 | Ellon | 192 | OPR |
| 1855-1971 | Ellon | 192 | RD |
| 1972-2006 | Ellon | 316 | RD |
| 2009 | Aberdeenshire, Ellon | 316 | RD |
| 2026 | Aberdeenshire Council; Ythan Community Council | ||
(2009: Parishes and Registration Districts of Scotland - Old and New, National Records of Scotland)
Local community councils (2026) are provided as a potential source of additional information for settlements within the original boundaries of the parish. (Source)
Statistics from informal and official censuses
Clark, Cruickshank, Davidson, Duncan, Milne, Robertson, Smith, Taylor, Thomson, Watson
Note: Names appearing in research materials, other than censuses. Simple names (First name, surname only) have been omitted unless they appear associated with large properties. All women's names, and men's names with occupations, military ranks, or peerage titles are included.
By the Reverend Mr James Milne.
"The present population amounts to about 1830, of which number there are 857 males, and 973 females. There are no towns in the parish. Ellon is the only village, in which there at present reside, young and old, 190 persons.
The number of farmers may be reckoned to be about 60; but many of their farms are very small. Upon the largest farms are commonly employed, four men servants, two women servants, and two and sometimes three boys. Upon the common and ordinary farms, one man servant, one woman servant, and one or two boys.
The number of handicraftsmen, such as smiths, wrights, weavers, tailors, shoemakers, masons, &c. may be between 60 and 70. The number of apprentices, about 20. The manufacture most generally carried on, is the knitting of stockings, in which all the females are commonly employed, with some old men and boys. Of late some are employed in spinning linen yarn, and easily earn more than by the stockings.
The number of the established church is about 1673. The number of Episcopalians about 130. Of Seceders about 27. There are no Roman Catholics in the parish. The number of inhabited houses may be about 40."
(This section contains excerpts, at times restructured or paraphrased, from an article appearing in Statistical Account of Scotland, Sir John Sinclair, 1791-1799)
Primary Sources:
Statistical Account of Scotland (1791-1799), Volume 3, p. 98
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 12, p. 899
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
