Olrick
Olrig is a parish on the northern border of Caithness-shire. It is bounded on the north by Dunnet Bay, and on other sides by the parishes of Dunnet, Bower, and Thurso. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Castleton or Castletown, Coomskirk
Murkle, Olrig, Ratter
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The church was dedicated to St Trothan. In the Cathedral of Dornoch there was a prebend of Olrig. At Coomskirk in this parish stood a chapel of St Columba.
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 |
| 1699-1854 | Olrig | 39 | OPR |
| 1855-1967 | Olrig | 39 | RD |
| 1968-1971 | Mey | 39 | RD |
| 1972-2001 | Mey | 160 | RD |
| 2002-2006 | Thurso, Strathy and Mey | 161 | RD |
| 2009 | Highland; Thurso, Strathy and Mey | 161 | RD |
| 2026 | (Olrig) Highland Council; Casteltown Community Council | ||
| 2026 | (Mey) Highland Council; Dunnet and Canisbay 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
Angus, Cormack, Gunn, Manson, Miller, Murray, Ross, Sinclair, Sutherland, Swanson
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 George Mackenzie.
"The inhabitants are, in general, a sober, civilized, industrious, honest people, and regular attendants on divine worship. Theft may be said to be unknown among them; a few, and but a few, from particular modes of living, are somewhat addicted to excess in drinking."
(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. 156
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 15, Section II, p. 59
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
