Ardclach is a highland parish in Nairnshire. It is bounded by Auldearn, Nairn, Cawdor, Moy, Duthil, and Edinkillie parishes. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Ardclach, Dulsie, Dulsie Bridge, Ferness, Fornighty, Littlemill, Meikleburn
The parish of Ardclach had two detached parts which were at the same time detached parts of the county of Nairn. They were surrounded by the Elginshire parish of Edinkillie. These two detached parts were transferred to the county of Elgin and the parish of Edinkillie. 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:
Ardclach church was dedicated to St Luag, who is said to have died here.
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 |
| 1642-1854 | Ardclach | 120 | OPR |
| 1855-1967 | Ardclach | 120 | RD |
| 2009 | Highland, Nairn | 270 | RD |
| 2026 | Highland Council; Cawdor and West Nairnshire 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
Cameron, Davidson, Fraser, Grant, MacDonald, MacIntosh, Munro, Rose, Ross, Urquhart
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 Donald Mitchell.
"Many still alive are past 70, and some past 80 years of age; and it is said there have been instances of a few arriving at 100. At present the number of souls is 1186. The proportion of males to females is as 18 to 20. Many persons emigrated from the parish a short time before the American war. The small pox is frequently fatal here as in other places, and has been remarkably so this season, to children and some advanced in years."
(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 4, p. 151
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 13, Section III, p. 26
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
