Garvald and Bara is a united parish in Haddingtonshire. It is bounded by Berwickshire, and by the parishes of Gifford, Morham, and Whittingham. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Garvald
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
Garvald. Previous to the Reformation the church belonged to the Cistercian nunnery at Haddington.
Bara, or Baro. Previous to the Reformation the church belonged to the Abbey of Holyrood. The parish was united to Garvald by the Commissioners of Teinds in 1702, but worship was conducted in the church till it fell into disrepair in 1744. It has long been completely demolished.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
Garvald (QO)
Bara (QO)
(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 |
| 1694-1854 | Garvald | 707 | OPR |
| 1855-1967 | Garvald | 707 | RD |
| 2009 | East Lothian, Haddington | 722 | RD |
| 2026 | East Lothian Council; Garvald and Morham 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, Broomfield, Brown, Dickson, Gray, Hogg, Leckie, Sinclair, Watt
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 Andrew Nisbet.
"At present (1793) the number of souls is 730, of whom, males 349, females 381. All the inhabitants are of the Established Religion, except 8 or 10 Seceders. Though no manufactures are carried on in these parishes, yet the number of tradesmen is considerable, including a few apprentices; there are 12 wrights, 9 masons, 7 smiths, 8 weavers, 5 tailors, 2 shoemakers, 2 millers, 1 cooper, and 1 dyer. In the village of Garvald there is also a baker and brewer.
There are 2 villages in the parish, Garvald and Baro. The village of Garvald contains 214 inhabitants. In the vicinity of the village there is a great number of freestone quarries. There are 4 public houses in the village; these however, have had no bad effect on the morals of the people. The village of Baro is small, thinly inhabited, and does not contain half the number of people which are in the village of Garvald.
The inhabitants are of a robust and healthy constitution, and generally enjoy the blessings of life to a remote old age. With a very few exceptions, the inhabitants are sober, virtuous, industrious, and remarkably attentive to their different employments."
(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. 353
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 2, Section II, p. 95
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
