East Kilbride and Torrens
East Kilbride is a parish on the west border of the middle ward of Lanarkshire. It is bounded by the counties of Ayr and Renfrew, and by the parishes of Carmunnock, Cambuslang, Blantyre, Glassford, and Avondale. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Aldhouse or Auldhouse, Bairdstown, Braehead, Busby, Crosshill, East Kilbride, Jackton, Kirkton, Kittockside, Long Calderwood, Maxwelltown, Nerston
Crossbasket East
(1) The parish of East Kilbride was situated partly in the county of Renfrew and partly in the county of Lanark, the part in the county of Renfrew being a small detached part of the parish. No change was made on the county boundary, but this detached part (being the Renfrewshire part of the parish) was transferred to the parish of Eaglesham. 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)
(2) The parish of Cathcart was situated partly in the county of Lanark and partly in the county of Renfrew. The Lanarkshire part of the parish was in two portions, one being a detached part of the parish, and the other being part of the main portion of the parish. The detached part of the parish remains in Lanarkshire, being transferred to the parish of East Kilbride. The parish of Cathcart, thus diminished in area, received a slight accession in area through the placing wholly in the parish of Cathcart of that part of the road between Symshill and Croftfoot, which was formerly divided between the parishes of Cathcart and Carmunnock. The parish as thus altered in area has been placed wholly in the county of Renfrew. 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 East Kilbride and Torrens were united in 1589.
East Kilbride. The church of Kilbride was a prebend belonging to the Precentor of Glasgow Cathedral. It was dedicated to St Bride. In March 1596 the parish of Kilbride was disjoined from the Presbytery of Glasgow and added to that of Hamilton. In 1725 the lands of Busby were detached from this parish and annexed to Carmunnock. The church of East Kilbride was rebuilt in 1774.
Torrens. A Hospital of St Leonard, with a chapel attached to it, was founded at Torrens in the thirteenth century.
Disjoined Quoad Sacra Parishes:
Chapelton. The parish of Chapelton was disjoined from Glassford, Hamilton, and East Kilbride, 17 January 1876.
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 |
| 1688-1854 | East Kilbride | 643 | OPR |
| 1855-1971 | East Kilbride | 643 | RD |
| 1972-2004 | East Kilbride | 575 | RD |
| 2005-2008 | East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire | 575 | RD |
| 2009 | South Lanarkshire, East Kilbride | 575 | RD |
| 2026 | South Lanarkshire Council; Calderwood Community Council East Mains Community Council Greenhills and Lindsayfield Community Council Hairmyres Community Council Murray Community Council St Leonards Community Council Stewartfield Community Council West Mains Community Council Whitehills 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
Barr, Brown, Campbell, Craig, Hamilton, Paterson, Pollock, Strang, Wilson, 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 David Ure, A. M..
"The parish is inhabited by 587 families, which contain 2359 persons, of whom 1065 are males, and 1294 females. Of these there are 488 under 6 years of age.
There were 2 bakers, 12 blacksmiths, 1 clockmaker, 2 coopers, 1 flax-dresser, 4 gardeners, 5 hosiers, 1 brewer, 21 masons, 39 shoemakers, 20 tailors, 63 weavers, and 14 wrights. Most of the shoemakers, weavers, and hosiers are employed by manufacturers in Glasgow. A cotton manufactory was, in 1783, established at the Kirktown or village of Kilbride, and employs about 60 hands. The yarn is mostly sold in Glasgow. The coarser kinds, however, are manufactured in Kilbride, into muslins, but chiefly into counterpane bed covers, which are made here in great perfection.
The people, in general, are industrious and frugal. They possess, from their forefathers, a courageous and independent spirit, which, as it enables them, on the one hand, to bear misfortunes with magnanimity, so it forbids them, on the other, to receive, with impunity, the affronts that may be offered them. Being easy in their circumstances, they know not what it is to cringe or to flatter. They have suffered but few encroachments on their liberty, either civil or religious."
(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 3, p. 421
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 6, p. 877
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
