Kirkmabreck is a parish on the south-west border of Kirkcudbrightshire. It is bounded on the west and south-west by the estuary of the River Cree, expanding into Wigtown Bay, and dividing it from Wigtownshire, and it is bounded on other sides by the parishes of Minnigaff, Girthon, and Anwoth. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Creetown, Creth, Ferrytown of Cree
Barholm
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The parishes of Kirkmabreck and Kirkdale were united in 1618.
Kirkmabreck. The church was dedicated to St Brioch. It belonged to the Abbey of Dundrennan. On 20 June 1618 the Commissioners of Teinds united the three parishes of Anwoth, Kirkmabreck, and Kirkdale. In 1636 Kirkmabreck and Kirkdale were severed from Anwoth, and made to form a united charge by themselves. On 8 March 1637 the church of this united parish was removed by Act of Parliament from Kirkmabreck to Ferrietoun of Cree, now called Creetown. The united parish of Kirkmabreck and Kirkdale remained under the jurisdiction of the Presbytery of Kirkcubright until 24 January 1699, when the General Assembly transferred it to the Presbytery of Wigtown.
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 |
| 1703-1854 | Kirkmabreck | 873 | OPR |
| 1855-1971 | Kirkmabreck | 873 | RD |
| 1972-2004 | Kirkmabreck | 856 | RD |
| 2005-2009 | Dumfries and Galloway, Kirkmabreck | 856 | RD |
| 2026 | Dumfries and Galloway Council; Kirkmabreck 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, Carson, Gordon, Hannah, Kelly, Milroy, Monaghan, Murray, Rennie, Vernon
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 Alexander MacLean, Esq..
"In the year 1794, the whole population of the parish amounted to 1088, of whom there were 289 families, 249 under age 10. Of these, in Creetown, were 183 families, 551 souls. There are very few dissenters here, only 3 Seceders and 2 Cameronians in the whole parish. There is neither physician, surgeon, lawyers, nor attorney in the whole parish."
(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 15, p. 543
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 4, Section II, p. 311
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
