Digital image of SC54/17/2/35/10
Assize (or court) records are valuable historical resources for both traditional genealogical and socio-historical research. The foundational data for this database came from transcriptions of a series of assize records created in June and July 1710, which reference 730 unique individuals, 560 of whom could be positively identified by name. Further research using supplemental historical sources allowed for the identification and inclusion of hundreds of additional family members. If a person or family of interest isn't listed, please check back periodically, as additional historical sources will be added to the database over time.
Welcome to the Kintyre People Database!
This database can be used as a standalone resource or in conjunction with the Kintyre Roots DNA Geographic Project. The purpose of this database is to provide genealogical and historical information for folks who are interested in researching the people, places, and history of the Kintyre peninsula, which is located on the west coast of Scotland in the Argyll and Bute Council Area. The peninsula is roughly forty miles long and seven miles wide, and while it is attached to mainland Scotland via a mile-long isthmus, due to its remote location and distance from major metropolitan centers, it has historically been viewed, both politically and culturally, as being part of the western seaboard, and as such, "is all but an island."
As with much of Scotland, tracing ancestors before the registration of births, deaths, and marriages became compulsory can be extremely difficult. The earliest surviving parish records, dating from 1659, are from the Scots-speaking Lowland Church in Campbeltown. Surviving records from the Gaelic-speaking Highland Church in Campbeltown don't begin until 1728, and records for the remaining four historically Gaelic-speaking parishes are extant from 1756 at the earliest to 1783 at the latest. This results in a dearth of genealogical information concerning the larger, predominantly Gaelic-speaking population of Kintyre. This predicament often leads genealogists to either give up entirely or, worse, to reach erroneous conclusions by conflating individuals who lived outside Campbeltown parish with individuals of the same name who appear in the extant parish records.
Researchers can partially overcome this issue by examining alternative sources for genealogical information. Examples include court records, Kirk session minutes, property records, and tax lists. The information contained in these sources can help fill the void caused by record loss by enabling the creation of a comprehensive database that can serve as a substitute for a missing record set. In addition to the inherent genealogical value of these substitute records, social historians can analyze the data using advanced statistical methods to glean additional information about the social history of the residents of a particular geographic location.
The methodology behind the genealogical research is straightforward and prioritizes primary (and secondary) historical sources over published genealogies and online family trees. However, as with all historical and genealogical research, errors can and do occur. Please feel free to reach out if you have any additional information, suggestions, or corrections that you would like to share.
Kintyre Parish Records
Due to the vagaries of time, the surviving parish records of Kintyre are incomplete and, in some instances, do not begin until the late 1700s. Click on the links below to view the available records for each of the five modern parishes in Kintyre:
Kilcalmonel Parish: B: 1777–1854; M: 1784–1854; D: N/A
Saddell and Skipness Parish: B: 1756–1854; M: 1798–1854; D: N/A
Killean and Kilchenzie Parish: B: 1762–1854; M: 1783–1854; D: N/A
Campbeltown Parish: B: 1659–1855; M: 1681–1854; D: 1773–1854 (partial) - Lowland Church only B: 1728–1731, 1749–1854; M: 1728–1731, 1749–1854; D: N/A - Highland Church only
Southend Parish: B: 1768–1854; M: 1769–1854; D: N/A