Kilnachtan, Kilnachten
Oa is a parish bounded by Kildalton parish, Islay island, Argyllshire. (1892-6: Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, by Francis H. Groome)
Keannoath
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
Islay was long a stronghold of the Norse dominion in the West, and many places there still bear Norse names. But the churches and chapels were almost all called by Gaelic names. The modern name of this parish is a notable exception. The headland which forms nearly the whole parish is always styled by Islay people in Gaelic An O, or in English the Oa. In this name we have a survival of the old Norse term ø meaning an island. The ancient eccelsiastical name of the parish is Kilnachtan, so called from its patron, St Neachtan, the Pictish King. On 30 May 1849 the parish of Oa was disjoined quoad sacra from Kildalton. There was formerly another chapel at Tocmal.
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 |
| 1833-1854 | Oa | 546 | OPR |
| 1855-1874 | Oa | 546 | RD |
| 1875-1969 | Kildalton and Oa | 541 | 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
Bell, Campbell, Carmichael, Jackson, Livingston, Morrison, Muir, Reid, Stein, Stewart
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
