Douglas is a parish in the middle ward of Lanarkshire. It is bounded on the west by Ayrshire, and on other sides by the parishes of Lesmahagow, Carmichael, Wiston, and Crawfordjohn. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Addington or Uddington, Douglas, Rigside
Carmacoup
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The church of Douglas was dedicated to St Bride. It was a prebend of Glasgow. There were in the parish three chapels, one founded by James IV at Parochholm, another at Glentagart (Gleann an t-sagairt = the priest's glen), and the third at Anderston, with a holy well beside it. There was a yearly fair at Douglas on St Barnabas' Day the 11th of June.
Disjoined Quoad Sacra Parishes:
Douglas Water. The church here belonged to the Reformed Presbyterians. At the union of that body with the Free Church in 1876, a minority joined the Church of Scotland, and procured a title to Douglas Water Church from Lucy, Countess of Home. A mission station was opened 17 March 1885, and the parish of Douglas Water was disjoined from Carmichael, Douglas, and Lesmahagow on 28 November 1892.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
Douglas (QO)
Douglas Water (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 |
| 1691-1854 | Douglas | 641 | OPR |
| 1855-1971 | Douglas | 641 | RD |
| 1972-2004 | Douglas | 587 | RD |
| 2005-2008 | Douglas, South Lanarkshire | 587 | RD |
| 2009 | South Lanarkshire, Douglas | 587 | RD |
| 2026 | South Lanarkshire Council; Douglas 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
Brown, Crawford, Gold, Hamilton, Paterson, Ramage, Scott, Smith, Watson, 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 William M'Cubbin.
"Population in the year 1791 was 1717; inhabitants in the town of Douglas, 684; in the country, 1031. Of these 774 were males, 941 females; 419 families. There were 1672 members of the Established Church, 3 Antiburgher Seceders, 40 Cameronians. There were 7 schoolmasters, 72 male servants, and 90 female servants.
No manufactures were establish in the parish, till this year, that a company from Glasgow, consisting of natives of Douglas, and men of industry and intelligence, fitted up a small cotton spinning and weaving work, in the town of Douglas. Another respectable company, mostly belonging to this place, have erected a small carding and spinning mill on the lands of Carmacoup, 3 miles above the town, which already gives employment to a good number of hands.
They are a sober, decent, and industrious set of people; attend regularly on the ordinances of the gospel, and are remarkably charitable and humane; they even turn their innocent amusements to the advantage of the poor; for, during the severe frost last winter, when they went to curling on the ice, a favourite diversion here, they, more than once, played for a certain sum each, and applied the forfeited money to purchase coals for the poor."
(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 8, p. 76
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 6, p. 477
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
