Kirknewton and East Calder is a united parish on the west side of Edinburghshire. It is bounded on the north-west by Linlithgowshire, and on other sides by the parishes of Kirkliston, Ratho, Currie, and Mid-Calder. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
East Calder, Kirknewton, Oakbank, Wilkieston or Wilkinston
Calderhall, Hillhouse, Meadowbank House, Ormiston
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
Kirknewton. Originally in the Presbytery of Edinburgh, and annexed by the General Assembly July 1591 to Linlithgow.
East Calder, or Calder-Clere. So named from Rudolph de Clere, an early owner, to distinguish it from the adjacent Calder-Comitis belonging to the Earl of Fife. The church was dedicated to St Cuthbert, and belonged to the Abbey of Kelso. The parishioners petitioned the Presbytery, 14 July 1641, to be disjoined from Mid Calder and erected into a parish; united to Kirknewton by the Commissioners of Teinds, 23 January 1751.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
Kirknewton (QO)
East Calder (QO)
(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 | Kirknewton and East Calder | 690 | OPR |
| 1855-1922 | Kirknewton and East Calder | 690 | RD |
| 1923-1930 | Kirknewton | 690 | RD |
| 1931-1971 | East Calder | 690 | RD |
| 1972-2002 | East Calder | 770 | RD |
| 2003-2008 | East Calder, West Lothian | 770 | RD |
| 2009 | West Lothian, East Calder | 770 | RD |
| 2026 | (East Calder) West Lothian Council; East Calder Community Council | ||
| 2026 | (Kirknewton) West Lothian Council; Kirknewton 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, Cunningham, Hamilton, Innes, Millar, Morrison, Reid, Smith, Stewart, Turnbull
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 Cameron.
"According to Dr Webster, the population in 1755 was 1157. In 1792 there were 812 souls, of whom 395 were males and 417 were females; 113 were under 6 years of age. There were 50 farmers, 4 masons, 4 house carpenter, 4 tailors, 4 smiths, 67 single male servants, and 42 single female servants.
The cause of depopulation here is chiefly owing to the near attraction of Edinburgh, to a monopoly of farms, and the use of two-horse ploughs, (by which means the farmer works with about half the number of servants her formerly employed), and the laying down so much ground in grass for hay, which, when the soil answers, is judged one of the most profitable crops."
(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 9, p. 407
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 1, p. 433
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
