Farnell is a parish in the eastern division of Forfarshire. It is bounded by the parishes of Brechin, Maryton, Craig, and Kinnell. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Farnell
The parish of Farnell had a small detached part situated at Montreathmont Moor, and bounded on the south by the detached part of the parish of Kirkden, and elsewhere by the parish of Kinnell. The detached part of Farnell was transferred to Kinnell. 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)
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The parishes of Farnell and Kinnaird were united on 9 December 1772.
Farnell. The church of Farnell was dedicated to St Ninian. A new church was built in 1806.
Kinnaird, previously Cuikston. The church of Cuikston was dedicated to St Romuald. Cuikston Church was rebuilt by David Carnegie of Kinnaird, who in his will, dated 15 April 1598, the day before his death, ordained his eldest son and successor to "complete the work." In 1606 an Act of Parliament was passed changing the name of the parish to Kinnaird.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
Farnell (QO)
Kinnaird, or Cuikston (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 |
| 1699-1854 | Farnell | 286 | OPR |
| 1855-1968 | Farnell | 286 | RD |
| 2009 | Angus, Brechin | 366 | RD |
| 2026 | Angus Council; Aberlemno 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
Anderson, Duncan, Lawson, Milne, Mitchell, Norrie, Semple, Sharp, Stewart, Weir
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 David Fergusson.
"In May 1791, there were living in the parish 620 persons, of whom there were 126 under 10 years of age. Within these few years the number of inhabitants has decreased considerably by the enlarging of farms, and of course removing several families of farmers, cottagers, and subtenants. The number of the principal farmers is 11 or 12, most of whom are married and have families. There are several other small farmers. There are only three or four families of dissenters; of whom one or two are Episcopalians, and the rest Non-jurors. There are no Seceders, nor Roman Catholics.
There are no manufactures carried on here, all the people being employed in farming except a few who follow handy-craft employments, such as tailors, wrights, shoemakers, weavers, &c. They are a sober and industrious set of people, enjoying, in a reasonable degree, the conveniences and comforts of society, and seemingly contented with their situation and circumstances. There are no ale-houses, nor is the want of them considered by the people as a hardship."
(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 3, p. 224
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 11, Section I, p. 109
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
