Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, Scotland Genealogy

Kilbirnie, Ayr, Scotland (#596)

History

This history was written in 1841.

The name is a compound of the common Celtic prefix Kil signifying a church or cell, and Birnie the name of the saint to whom the church was dedicated.

Kilbirnie is the nearest town.

Captain Thomas Crawfurd of Jordanhill was the sixth son of Laurence Crawfurd fo Kilbirnie, and Helen, daughter of Sir Hugh Canpbell of Loudon. His adventurous exploit of storming the almost impregnable castle of Dumbarton is 1571, is familiar to every one acquainted with the history of Scotland during the minority of James VI.

George, fourth Earl of Glasgow; Patrick Lindsay, husband of the heiress of Kilbirnie; and the descendants of William Cochran of Edge are the major land owners.

The land was primarily used for,dairy cows, cattle, sheep, wheat, barley, oats, beans, clover, rye-grass, meadow hay, flax, potatoes, and turnips.`

The population in 1792 was 700. The population in 1841 was 2631.

The registers begin in 1688 but are not regularly kept until 1738 but have been kept regularly since that time. There were gaps when there was not a regular schoolmaster to record the information.

The number of families belonging to the Establishment may be stated at 231, families belonging to the Reformed Presbytery at 60. There are a few families of Roman Catholics, and several others of no visible religious profession whatsoever.

New Statistical Account of Scotland (FHL book 941 B4sa, series 2 vol.5)