North Berwick and The Bass
North Berwick is a parish on the north coast of Haddingtonshire. It is bounded on the north by the Firth of Forth, and on other sides by the parishes of Dirleton, Prestonkirk, and Whitekirk. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Balgone Barns, Blackdykes, Bonnington, Canty, Carperstone, Castleton, Heugh, North Berwick, Rockville, Rhodes
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
North Berwick. The church was dedicated to St Andrew, and previous to the Reformation belonged to the Cisterian nunnery at North Berwick, which was dissolved 16 December 1597.
The Bass, or Bass Rock. The Bass was dedicated to St Baldred (who is said to have died there, 6 March 606), and was united to North Berwick in 1581.
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 |
| 1604-1854 | North Berwick | 713 | OPR |
| 1855-1855 | North Berwick Burgh | 713-1 | RD |
| 1855-1855 | North Berwick Landward | 713-2 | RD |
| 1856-1971 | North Berwick | 713 | RD |
| 1972-2003 | North Berwick | 721 | RD |
| 2004-2006 | North Berwick, East Lothian | 721 | RD |
| 2007-2009 | East Lothian, North Berwick | 721 | RD |
| 2026 | East Lothian Council; North Berwick 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, Arundel, Black, Goodall, Marr, Smith, Thomson, Walker, Wilson, Young
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 Henry D. Hill and the late Rev. Mr Matthew Murray.
"The number of the inhabitants of this parish amounts to about 1300 of all ages, of whom above 700 live in the town of North Berwick. The return to Dr Webster, in 1755, was 1412. No manufactures are at present carried on in it, to any extent. The only regular trade from the harbour consists in the exportation of grain. A small quantity of kelp is annually made, from the sea weed cut from the rocks at low water."
(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 5, p. 440
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 2, Section II, p. 317
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
