Walston is a parish in the upper ward of Lanarkshire. It is bounded at a point on the south by Peeblesshire, and elsewhere by the parishes of Biggar, Libberton, Carnwath, Dunsyre, and Dolphinton. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Ellsrickle or Ellridgehill, Walston
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
From early times a lay rectory in the gift of the lord of the manor. A church has occupied the same site from the close of the thirteenth century.
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 |
| 1679-1854 | Walston | 658 | OPR |
| 1855-1968 | Walston | 658 | RD |
| 2009 | South Lanarkshire, Biggar | 584 | RD |
| 2026 | South Lanarkshire Council; Black Mount 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
Aitken, Barrie, Bell, Brown, Linton, Prentice, Semple, Somerville, Veitch, Watson
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 Patrick Molleson.
"By a list, accurately taken in the beginning of January 1791, it appears that there are in the parish 427 persons, of which number 206 are males, and 221 females, and 102 under 10 years of age. They reside chiefly in two scattered villages. There are 140 communicants to the Established Church; 54 to the Relief, 32 to the Antiburghers, and 28 to the Burgher meeting house, but no Episcopalians nor Roman Catholics.
There are 15 handicraftsmen, about 130 household servants, 11 labouring servants or days wage men, 12 farmers, and 16 tenants. There are 106 inhabited houses.
The people are, in general, active and industrious, especially in seed-time and harvest. They are sober and economical."
(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 7, p. 116
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 6, p. 846
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
