Liff and Benvie. Liff and Benvie is a united maritime parish, partly in Perthshire, but chiefly in Forfarshire. It is bounded by the Firth of Tay, and by the parishes of Longforgan, Fowlis-Easter, Auchterhouse, Strathmartine and Mains, and Dundee. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Invergowrie. Invergowrie is an ancient parish at the south-western extremity of Forfarshire. The parish was of small extent and is now incorporation with Liff and Benvie. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Backmuir, Benvie, Birkhill, Dargie, Denhead, Denmill, Five Mile House, Invergowrie, Kirkton, Liff, Lochee, Logie, Muirhead
Balruddery
Whereas each of the parishes of Alyth, Coupar-Angus, and Liff, Benvie and Invergowrie is situated partly in the county of Forfar and partly in the county of Perth:
I. So much of the parish of Alyth as is situated in the county of Forfar, shall cease to be part of that county and shall form part of the county of Perth.
II. So much of the parish of Coupar-Angus as is situated in the county of Forfar shall cease to be part of that county, and shall form part of the county of Perth.
III. So much of the parish of Liff, Benvie and Invergowrie as is situated in the county of Perth shall cease to be part of that county, and shall form part of the county of Forfar.
IV. The parish of Fowlis Easter shall cease to be part of the county of Perth and shall form part of the county of Forfar.
V. The parish of Fowlis Easter shall form part of the Dundee district of the county of Forfar for the purposes of the Acts regulating the licensing of public-houses in Scotland.
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 parishes of Liff, Invergowrie, and Logie were united on 3 September 1613. On 8 August 1753 Benvie was also joined with them. Logie was disjoined again in 1877, and Invergowrie also was severed from Liff and Benvie in 1916.
Liff. The church of Liff was dedicated to St Mary. It belonged to the Abbey of Scone. Our Lady's Well is near the church.
Benvie. The parish of Benvie, though in Gowrie, belonged to the diocese of St Andrews.
Invergowrie. The ancient church of Invergowrie was dedicated to St Peter. It is said to have been the earliest Christian church built north of the Tay. It belonged to the Abbey of Scone. On 3 September 1613 this parish was united to Liff, Benvie, and Logie. On 28 Jan 1916 Invergowrie was again disjoined, and with the addition of an adjoining district taken from Longforgan, the parish was erected of new.
Disjoined Quoad Sacra Parishes:
Balgay. A reformed Episcopal Chapel of St John was acquired by the Church of Scotland here in 1885 and was called St Thomas. A new church was built and opened in Dec 1902. On 7 Mary 1913 the parish of Balgay was disjoined from St Mary's, Dundee and Liff.
Lochee. A chapel-of-ease was opened here 6 Feb 1831. The parish of Lochee was disjoined from Liff and St Mary's, Dundee, 7 June 1880.
Logie. The church, prior to the Reformation belonged to the Abbey of St Andrews. The parish was united to Liff by the Commissioners of Parliament before 3 September 1613, but was serviced by the parson of Dundee. Logie was constituted a chapel-of-ease on 5 August 1874, and on 16 July 1877 this parish was disjoined again quoad sacra from Liff, Benvie, and Invergowrie.
St Luke's. The church, formerly United Presbyterian, was acquired in 1870 by Messrs Cox Brothers, made over to the Church of Scotland. It was opened as a chapel-of-ease on 14 March 1874. St Luke's parish was disjoined from Liff on 13 March 1876.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
Liff and Benvie (QO)
Benvie (QO)
Invergowrie (QO)
Balgay (QS)
Lochee (QS)
Logie (QS)
St Luke's (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 |
| 1633-1954 | Liff, Benvie, and Invergowrie | 301 | OPR |
| 1955-1968 | Liff, Benvie and Invergowrie | 301 | RD |
| 2009 | Dundee City | 353 | RD |
| 2026 | (Liff and Benvie) Angus Council; Muirhead, Birkhill and Liff Community Council | ||
| 2026 | (Invergowrie) Perth and Kinross Council; Invergowrie and Kingoodie 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, Brown, Clark, Duncan, Robertson, Scott, Smith, Stewart, Thomson, Young
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 Thomas Constable.
"The present number of the inhabitants amounts to 1790; of this number, there are 339 reckoned under the age of ten. The native inhabitants are few in comparison with strangers who have settled lately. The householders amount to 348. Of these, there are 172 weavers, 2 brewers, 7 retailers of ale and spirits, 13 tailors, 5 shoemakers, 4 smiths, 15 masons, 12 wrights, 5 flax-dressers, 35 day-labourers, and 10 carters. In every hamlet within its bounds, the weaving of linen cloth has become the principal employment."
(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 13, p. 101
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 11, Section I, p. 568
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
