Kirkconnel is a parish at the northern extremity of Nithsdale, Dumfriesshire. It is bounded by Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and the parish of Sanquhar. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Cairn, Crawick Mill, Kirkconnel
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
Before the Reformation, Kirkconnel was a vicarage. The church was dedicated to St Conal. The parishes of Sanquhar and Kirkconnel were united after 1680, but were disjoined again in 1727. In 1729 Kirconnel church was rebuilt on a new site.
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 |
| 1742-1854 | Kirkconnel | 834 | OPR |
| 1855-1971 | Kirkconnel | 834 | RD |
| 1972-2004 | Kirkconnel | 830 | RD |
| 2005-2009 | Dumfries and Galloway, Kirkconnel | 830 | RD |
| 2026 | Dumfries & Galloway Council; Kirkconnel and Kelloholm 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
Anderson, Black, Brown, Gibson, Harkness, Hyslop, Monteith, Shankland, Stitt, 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 Mr John Robertson, Minister.
"The present population is near 800 examinable persons, and the number of souls in the parish about 1000. The people of this parish are mostly farmers; consequently they are generally employed in agriculture and the breeding and management of sheep and black cattle. Hence their servants are constantly occupied in work relating to these various particulars.
The other classes of the inhabitants are: 4 merchants, 8 licensed sellers of ale and spirits, 2 bakers, 1 miller, 28 weavers, 1 dyer and clothier, 7 tailors, 3 shoemakers, 1 joiner, 4 wrights and masons in cottage building, &c., 6 blacksmiths, 16 colliers, and 6 carters. There is no doctor, writer, nor excise officer in this parish. On the verge of the parish, near Sanquhar, there is an iron-plating forge.
The people are acute, deliberate, cool, steady, serious, and well acquainted with the principles of Christianity. To a good degree of industry they add contentment, cheerfulness, candour, good nature, and a quiet peaceable behaviour. They are open, honest, and obliging; kind, friendly, humane, and hospitable."
(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 10, p. 433
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 4, Section I, p. 314
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
