Crighton
Crichton is a parish on the eastern border of Edinburghshire. It is bounded by Haddingtonshire, and by the parishes of Cranston, Fala, Heriot, and Borthwick. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Crichton, Fala Dam, Ford, Pathhead, Tynehead
The parish of Cranston had a detached part situated on the south-west border of the parish of Crichton. This detached part has been transferred to the parish of Crichton. 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 kirk is stated, 2 November 1648, to have been ruinous these fifty-six years, but divine service was held in the collegiate church, dedicated to St Mungo, founded by Lord Chancellor Crichton, 26 December 1449, which was declared by Parliament 17 November 1641, the parish kirk in all time coming.
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 |
| 1679-1854 | Crichton | 681 | RD |
| 1855-1956 | Crichton | 681 | RD |
| 1957-1968 | Cranston and Crichton | 680 | RD |
| 2009 | Midlothian | 762 | RD |
| 2026 | Midlothian Council; Tynewater 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
Baillie, Baxter, Brown, Dickson, Hunter, Johnston, Ormiston, Scott, Simpson, 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 a Friend to Statistical Inquiries.
"The inhabitants of this parish are about 900 at present. In the villages of Crichton and Pathhead are about 450, in the country, 360. There are 248 families, 425 males, 475 females, 211 persons under 10 years. There are 690 members of the Established Church, and 210 Seceders.
In the parish there are 14 farmers, 5 innkeepers, 8 smiths, 10 masons, 11 carpenters, 15 weavers, 10 tailors, 4 shoemakers, 1 cooper, 1 butcher, 4 bakers, and 1 lint manufacturer. There is a limestone quarry wrought in this parish to a considerable extent."
(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 14, p. 433
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 1, p. 56
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
