Features: Scottish Parishes » Historic Shires » Caithness » Halkirk

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Alternate Names and Spelling
• Location
• Boundary & Name Changes
• Parish Timeline
• Records
• Residents
• Notes

ALTERNATE NAMES AND SPELLING:

Halkirk, Skinnet, and Spittal

LOCATION

Location Description:

Halkirk is a parish in Caithness-shire. It is bounded by Thurso, Bower, Watten, Latheron, Kildonan, and Reay. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).

Shire, District, and Region Timeline:

• Shire: Caithness (Before 1707)
• County: Caithness (After 1707)
• District: Caithness (Before 1930)
• Landward District: Western (1930-1975)
• Region: Highland (1975-1996)
• District: Caithness (1975-1996)

Cities, Towns, Villages, and Hamlets:

Acharainey, Archardale, Banniskirk, Dale, Dirlot, Dorrery or Dorrerie, Gerston, Halkirk, Harpsdale, Olgrinbeg, Olgrinmore, Sibster, Strathmore, Westerdale, Westfield

BOUNDARY & NAME CHANGES

The parish of Thurso had one detached part which extended to 7,074 acres, and was bounded on the north-west by the parish of Reay, and on the east and south by the parish of Halkirk. It consisted of the Crown lands of Dorrery. This detached part was disjoined from the parish of Thurso and annexed to the parish of Halkirk. 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)

PARISH TIMELINE

PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:

• Diocese: Caithness

POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:

• Synod: Sutherland and Caithness
• Presbytery: Caithness

PAROCHIAL OVERVIEW:

The parishes of Halkirk, Skinnet, and Spittal were united in the sixteenth century.
Halkirk. Halkirk was a prebend of the the Cathedral of Dornoch. Its parish church was dedicated to St Fergus. There were chapels of St Peter at Olgrinbeg, St Columba at Dirlot, St Kiaran in Strathmore, St Drostan at Westfield, and another chapel of St Drostan at Westerdale, at Sibster, Gerston, Banniskirk, Dorrery (Gavin's Kirk), and Olgrinmore.
Skinnet or Sken. Skinnet was a commune kirk of the Cathedral of Dornoch. Its parish church was dedicated to St Thomas.
Spittal. There was here an ancient hospital, from which the parish got its name. Both the hospital and parish church were dedicated to St Magnus. There was also within the bounds, at Banniskirk, a chapel of St Magnus, and one of St David at Dorrerie. Other three chapels stood at Dale, Gerton, and Achardale.
(1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND CLERGY:

Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.

(1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)

RECORDS

Parochial Registers:

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.

• (1) B. and M. 1772-1819
• (2) B. and M. 1820-54

(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)

Population:

Statistics from informal and official censuses

• 1755: 3,075
• 1831: 2,847
• 1841: 2,963
• 1861: 2,864
• 1881: 2,706
• 1901: 2,355
• 1911: 2,160

RESIDENTS

Common Surnames:

Bain, Campbell, Gunn, Henderson, MacKay, Manson, Miller, Munro, Sinclair, Sutherland

Land-owners, teachers, and other professionals:

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.

• Adam DUFF, Esq., of Banniskirk
• George Sutherland DUNBAR, Lord Duffus
• Charles Seton GUTHRIE, Esq., of Scotscalder
• David HENDERSON, Esq., of Westerdale
• Donald HORNE, Esq., of Langwell
• Sir George SINCLAIR, Bart., of Ulbster
• James SINCLAIR, Esq., of Forss
• James SMITH, Esq., of Olrig
• Sir Patrick Peter Murray THRIEPLAND, Bart., of Fingask and Toftingal

Other residents:

By the Reverend Mr John Cameron, Minister.
"According to the best inquiry and calculation I could make, the present state of population is as follows – 503 families; 3180 souls; of these souls 1650 are males, 1530 females. Of this number, there are 380 bachelors; 400 maidens, 40 widowers, 89 widows, 308 menservants, 321 women-servants, 73 tradesmen, such as tailors, weavers, shoe or brogue makers, smiths, wrights, cooper, cowans*. There is only one dyer, and two gardeners and three merchants."
*Cowan: Masons who build dry stone dikes or walls.
(This section contains excerpts, at times restructured or paraphrased, from an article appearing in Statistical Account of Scotland, Sir John Sinclair, 1791-1799)

NOTES:

Primary Sources:
Statistical Account of Scotland (1791-1799), Volume 19, p. 1
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 15, Section II, p. 68

See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.