Port Glasgow is a parish on the north coast of Renfrewshire. It is bounded by the Firth of Clyde, and by the parishes of Kilmacolm and Greenock. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Bardrainney, Bogelstone, Broadfield, Devol, Mid Auchinleck, Parkhill, Port Glasgow, Slaemuir, Woodhall
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
The Commissioners for the Plantation of Kirks disjoined this parish from Kilmacolm on 1 July 1696, but local difficulties delayed the erection of the parish till 13 Oct 1714. The church was rebuilt in 1823.
Disjoined Quoad Sacra Parishes:
Newark. There was in old times a chapel at Newark. The holding of regular services here was begun in 1767, and in 1774 a church was built. On 31 May 1834 a chapel constitution was granted for this building, and a district was assigned to it. On 27 March 1855 the parish of Newark was disjoined from Port Glasgow.
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
Port Glasgow (QO)
Newark (QS)
(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 |
| 1696-1854 | Port Glasgow | 574 | OPR |
| 1855-1855 | Port Glasgow Burgh | 574-1 | RD |
| 1855-1855 | Port Glasgow, Landward | 574-2 | RD |
| 1856-1971 | Port Glasgow | 574 | RD |
| 1972-2001 | Port Glasgow | 642 | RD |
| 2009 | Inverclyde Council; Inverclyde | 640 | RD |
| 2026 | Inverclyde Council; Port Glasgow East Community Council Port Glasgow West 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, Brown, Campbell, Clark, Docherty, Graham, Murray, Smith, Stewart, Wilson
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 John Forrest.
"From a list taken between the years 1786 and 1790, it appears, that the population of this parish, at present is, 1032 families, 4036 souls in all, of whom 120 are Seceders. There are seven farms in the parish, some of them very small, containing 7 families and 40 souls."
(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. 544
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 7, Section I, p. 62
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
