Eskdalemuir is a parish in the north-west of Eskdale, Dumfriesshire. It is bounded by the counties of Selkirk and Roxburgh, and by the parishes of Westerkirk, Hutton, and Moffat. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Castle O'er, Davington, Eskdalemuir, Nether Cassock, Old Johnstone
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
Disjoined from Westerkirk and erected in 1703. It is the largest parish in the county of Dumfries.
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 |
| 1724-1854 | Eskdalemuir | 824 | OPR |
| 1855-1968 | Eskdalemuir | 824 | RD |
| 2009 | Dumfries and Galloway, Lockerbie | 837 | RD |
| 2026 | Dumfries & Galloway Council; Eskdalemuir 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
Beattie, Bell, Davidson, Elliot, Graham, Jackson, Laidlaw, Little, Nichol, Scott
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 William Brown.
"From a list taken by the present minister last harvest, the population then amounted to 619, of whom 282 were males, 337 were females, and 141 were below age 10. There are 3 merchants, 1 miller, 3 wrights, 2 smiths, 4 tailors, 1 clogger, and 9 weavers, 2 of whom are apprentices."
(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. 607
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 4, Section I, p. 398
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
