Kildalton is a parish in the Islay district of Argyleshire. It comprises the south-eastern part of the island of Islay, together with the adjacent islets, the chief of which are Texa, Cavrach, Inersay, the Ardelister Islands, and those off the point of Ardmure. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Port Ellen
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The church of Kildalton was dedicated to St John the Evangelist, called in the early Gaelic Church "Ian Daltan" (John the Foster-brother.) The parishes of Kildalton and Kilnachtan, or Oa, were united before the sixteenth century. On 30 May 1849 their union was dissolved by the erection of Oa again as a parish quoad sacra. About the same time the church of this parish was removed from Kildalton to Lagamhuilin. At Kilchuban, in the north of this parish, is the ruined chapel of St Caomhan of Glendalough. At Port-Ellen there is a mission chapel.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
(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 |
| 1723-1854 | Kildalton | 541 | OPR |
| 1855-1874 | Kildalton | 541 | RD |
| 1875-1969 | Kildalton and Oa | 541 | RD |
| 2007-2008 | Islay, Argyll and Bute | 546 | RD |
| 2009 | Argyll and Bute, Islay | 546 | RD |
| 2026 | Argyll and Bute Council; Islay 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
Brown, Calder, Campbell, Carmichael, Currie, Darroch, Gilchrist, Morrison, Sinclair, Smith
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 Archibald Robertson, Minister.
"This parish contains above 1600 souls; and the females are more numerous than the males, a great number of young men having left the parish, and gone to the Low Country for employment. Some have gone to America and other places; so that the number of inhabitants has diminished within these 40 years."
(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 11, p. 286
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 7, Section II, p. 659
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
