Invergarvan
Girvan is a parish on the coast of Carrick, Ayrshire. It is bounded on the north by Kirkoswald, on the east by Dailly and Barr, on the south by Colmonell, and on the west by the Firth of Clyde. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Girvan
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The church of Invergarvan was dedicated to St Cuthbert. It belonged to the Abbey of Crossregal (Crossraguel). At Chapel Donan, on the lands of Craigoch in the parish, there was a Chapel of St Donan. Girvan Church was rebuilt in 1770, and again in 1883.
Disjoined Quoad Sacra Parishes:
Girvan South. The church, was was built in 1839, was taken possession of by the Free Church in 1843, but was recovered some year afterwards. The parish was disjoined from Girvan and erected by the Court of Teinds, 19 July 1875.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
Girvan (QO)
Girvan South (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 |
| 1733-1854 | Girvan | 594 | OPR |
| 1855-1971 | Girvan | 594 | RD |
| 1972-2005 | Girvan | 686 | RD |
| 2006-2008 | Girvan, South Ayrshire | 686 | RD |
| 2009 | South Ayrshire, Girvan | 686 | RD |
| 2026 | South Ayrshire Council; Girvan and District 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, Campbell, Clark, Gordon, Kelly, Murray, Ross, Smith, Thomson, 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 James Thomson.
"From an accurate list taken in the year 1791, it appears, that the total number of souls was then 1725: Of which there were 849 males, 876 females, 701 under 20 years of age, 1012 in the town of Girvan, 713 in the country, 63 born out of Scotland, chiefly in Ireland. The inhabitants of this parish belong almost wholly to the Established Church. There are not more than 20 Seceders, and only 2 Roman Catholics.
According to their different occupations, the inhabitants may be distributed as follows; 203 handicraftsmen including 33 apprentices, 153 servants, 22 seamen, 9 shopkeepers, 8 licensed inn and tavern keepers, 78 farmers, 49 day labourers, and 3 surgeons and apothecaries."
(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 12, p. 335
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 5, Section I, p. 394
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
