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Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire occupied the extreme south west of Scotland. The county town
was Wigtown, other burghs being Newton Stewart, Whithorn (reportedly where
St Ninian landed in Scotland on his pilgrimage) and Stranraer. Agriculture,
especially dairy farming, was almost the only industry of the County. It is
now part of Dumfries and Galloway Region.
Clan and Family Heartlands
You can get a feel for the lives your ancestors lived by visiting the area
they came from. These are areas where, for centuries, families lived
together in a tightly-knit community. In the Highlands they are linked to
clan heartlands, whereas, in the rest of Scotland the names are often those
of the local landed families. Although it is unlikely that family
historians can link their ancestry to clan chiefs or family dynasties, it
can still be a moving experience to tour the clan and family heartlands.
Here is a selection of the most common names in this area.
Douglas
Hannay
Kennedy
Parishes
The Parish Church can unlock many secrets for ancestral researchers. Not
only was it the place where children were baptised, proclamations of
marriage announced and the dead buried, it was also the centre of most
social activity within the Parish. There is, however, no such thing as a
definitive list of parishes. Over the decades they have merged, divided,
been renamed and had changes made to their spelling. The following list is
based largely on the situation at the time of publication of the New
Statistical Account (1834-1845).
Glasserton,
Inch,
Kirkholm,
Kirkinner,
Kirkmaiden,
Kirkowan (Kirkcowan),
Leswalt,
Luce-New (New Luce),
Luce-Old (Old Luce),
Mochrum,
Penninghame,
Portpatrick,
Sorbie,
Stonykirk (Stoneykirk),
Stranraer,
Whithorn,
Wigtown
* subsequently divided into seperate parishes, ( ) denotes alternative
name or spelling
Detailed information on life and work within each of these parishes can be
found in the Old (1791-99) and the New (1834-45) Statistical Account of
Scotland. These are freely accessible on http://edina.ed.ac.uk/statacc. Part of their charm
is the individual views of the minister, which can include some
fascinating accounts of a parish's history, topography, employment,
landowners, communications, agriculture and even the morality of the
parishioners
Local Studies Libraries
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local
history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries
are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it
is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for
hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the libraries in your chosen area:
Ewart Library
Catherine Street
Dumfries
DG1 1JB
Tel: +44 1387 253820
Fax: +44 1387 260294
E-mail:
libs&i@dumgal.gov.uk
Open: Mon-Wed & Fri, 10:00 - 19:30, Thu & Sat 10:00 - 17:00.
Resources include the Wigtown Free Press (1843-1925), most of which has
been indexed. Over 20,000 local photographs.
Stranraer Museum
Old Town Hall
55 George Street
Stranraer
DG9 7JP
Tel: +44 1776 705088
Fax: +44 1776 707835
E-mail:
johnpic@dumgal.gov.uk
www.dumfriesmuseum.demon.co.uk/stranmuse.html
Open: Mon-Fri 10:00 - 17:00, Sat 10:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 17:00, by
prior appointment.
Includes newspaper and photographic collections as well as publications
relating to the County.
Local Archives Centres
Almost every municipal authority in Scotland has a collection of local
history publications, maps and archives. Although most of these libraries
are prepared to undertake a limited amount of searching on your behalf, it
is far more fulfilling to visit them yourself. You could lose yourself for
hours, pouring over old newspapers and photographs.
The following is a list of the archive offices in your chosen area:
Dumfries and Galloway Archives
Archive Centre
33 Burns Street
Dumfries
DG1 2PS
Tel: +44 1387 269254
Fax: +44 1387 264126
E-mail:
libsai@dumgal.gov.uk
www.dumgal.gov.uk/dumgal/Services.aspx?id=6
Open: Tue, Wed & Fri, 09:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 17:00 & Thu 18:00
- 21:00,
booking is advisable.
Additional material includes Kirk Session, Presbytery and Non-Conformist
Church records, Poor and Parochial Board records, Sasine Registers and
Court records.
Stranraer Museum
Old Town Hall
55 George Street
Stranraer
DG9 7JP
Tel: +44 1776 705088
Fax: +44 1776 707835
E-mail:
johnpic@dumgal.gov.uk
www.dumfriesmuseum.demon.co.uk/stranmuse.html
Open: Mon-Fri, 10:00 - 17:00, Sat 10:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 17:00.
Includes records of the former burghs of Wigtownshire.
Museums and Heritage Centres
Scotland is a country with a remarkable history. So it should come as no
surprise that Scotland is home to a remarkable collection of museums and
heritage centres. These range from the major, internationally renowned
collections in Edinburgh's Royal Museum of Scotland to hundreds of small
centres that specialise in the history of local communities. The
following museums are all in your chosen area. A visit to any one of
them may well shed new light on the lives led by your ancestors.
Stranraer Museum
Old Town Hall
55 George Street
Stranraer
DG9 7JP
Tel: +44 1776 705088
Fax: +44 1776 707835
E-mail:
johnpic@dumgal.gov.uk
www.dumfriesmuseum.demon.co.uk/stranmuse.html
Open: Mon-Fri, 10:00 - 17:00, Sat 10:00 - 13:00 & 14:00 - 17:00.
Displays on the history and archaeology of Wigtownshire.
Family History Society
Local societies are run by volunteers who meet together periodically. Most
maintain an index of members' interests - and this could well lead to the
discovery of a long lost cousin or two. If there are any such societies in
your chosen area, they will be listed below.
Dumfries and Galloway Family History Society
Family History Research Centre
9 Glasgow Street
Dumfries
DG2 9AF
Tel: +44 1387 248093
E-mail:
secretary@dgfhs.org.uk
www.dgfhs.org.uk
Open: Tue-Fri, 10:00 - 16:00 & Sat 10:00 - 13:00.
Burial Information
It may seem a little odd, but a visit to the burial ground of an ancestor can make you feel more closely connected to them. However, tracking down the specific plot, or lair as they were referred to in Scotland, depends on the period of time when the deaths occurred.
Up to the mid-19th century it was the normal practice for people to be interred in the Parish Kirk burial ground - although this was only rarely marked with anything as grand as a headstone. The Scottish Association of Family History Societies (SAFHS) is currently co-ordinating a major project to develop a National Burial Index, relating to pre-1855 records. This will eventually be available on CD ROM. Although this will help to confirm that burials took place in parish burial grounds, it will not, unfortunately, indicate the location of the lair.
If your ancestor was wealthy enough, their grave may have been marked by an inscribed headstone. Over the years, family history societies and other volunteer groups have painstakingly transcribed and indexed such inscriptions - and these are nearly always held in the relevant local history libraries or family history research centres.
By the mid-19th Century, many parish burial grounds had become seriously overcrowded, especially those in urban areas, and this led to the creation of both private and municipal cemeteries. If you know the place and date of death, you should be able to discover the location of a lair, although not all cemeteries and records have survived.
The concept of cremation started to gain popularity in the late 1940s and has increased ever since. Ashes may be taken away by the family, scattered in the garden of remembrance or buried either in the crematorium or in a family plot.
Operations Manager
Combined Services
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Woodlea Road
Off Commerce Road
Stranraer
DG9 7DE
Tel: +44 1776 706030
Fax: +44 1776 707044
Enquiries are normally dealt with free of charge provided reasonably specific details are known of the death/burial. Personal visits by appointment.
