Monkton and Prestwick is a united parish on the coast of Kyle, Ayrshire. It is bounded by the Firth of Clyde, and by the parishes of Dundonald, Symington, Craigie, Tarbolton, St Quivox and Newton-upon-Ayr. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Monkton, Monktonhill, Mount William, Prestonholm, Prestwick, Prestwick-Toll or New Prestwick
Orangefield
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
These two parishes were united soon after 1567.
Monkton, previously Monks' Prestwick. The rectory of Monks' Prestwick belonged to the Abbey of Paisley. Its ancient church, dedicated to St Cuthbert, was used for worship till 1837. The chapel of Crosbie, with the lands in the parish of Dundonald lying near it, was included in Monkton from 1651 to 1688, but in the latter year all that district was given back to Dundonald. Near Adamton, on the lands of Ladykirk in this parish, are the ruins of the chapel of St Mary called our Lady Kirk of Kyle, a famous place of pilgrimage. Dependent on this chapel was Our Lady's Chapel on the Lady Isle, some three miles off the coast near Troon.
Prestwick. In old times this parish was commonly called Prestwick Burgh or Prestwickburgh, in contrast to Monks' Prestwick. Its church, which belonged to the Abbey of Paisley, was dedicated to St Nicholas and on St Nicholas' day a fair was held at Prestwick. Within the bounds stood St Ninian's Leper Hospital of Kilcass, or Kingcais, founded by King Robert I. A new church for the united parishes of Monkton and Prestwick was built at Prestwick in 1835.
Disjoined Quoad Sacra Parishes:
St Nicholas, Prestwick. Within the parish stands, roofless but well preserved, the ancient church of St Nicholas. It is a building of the twelfth century, but a good deal altered in later times. Till 1837 it was the parish church of Prestwick. A new church at Prestwick was built chiefly through the munificence of William Weir of Kildonan and opened in 1908. The parish was disjoined and erected by the Court of Teinds, 19 March 1909.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
Monkton and Prestwick (QO)
St Nicholas, Prestwick (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 |
| 1702-1854 | Monkton and Prestwick | 606 | OPR |
| 1855-1968 | Monkton and Prestwick | 606 | RD |
| 1969-1971 | Prestwick | 612 | RD |
| 1972-2005 | Prestwick | 675 | RD |
| 2006-2008 | Prestwick, South Ayrshire | 675 | RD |
| 2009 | South Ayrshire, Prestwick | 675 | RD |
| 2026 | (Monkton) South Ayrshire Council; Monkton Community Council | ||
| 2026 | (Prestwick) South Ayrshire Council; Prestwick 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
Andrew, Boyd, Craig, Dunlop, Guthrie, Hunter, Manson, Smith, Wallace, Wilson
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 Andrew Mitchell, D. D..
"The number of examinable persons is 567, below that age 150; total 717 souls. In Monktown there are 2 house-wrights, 2 cart and plough wrights, 1 weaver, 1 mason, 4 shoemakers, 1 blacksmith, 2 tailors, 1 cooper, 1 excise officer, 2 tobacco manufacturers, 5 public houses, and 16 feuars. In Prestwick are 16 weavers, 2 stocking-makers, 4 wrights, 1 mason, 1 blacksmith, and 2 public houses. There are 37 farm houses in the whole parish, including 4 gentlemen's seats, who all have farms in their own hands.
The burgh of Prestwick contains about 66 dwelling-houses, and 266 persons, 53 of whom are under 7 years of age."
(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 12, p. 394
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 5, Section I, p. 169
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
