Parish Number - 103
Births: (Film # 990712) 1726 to 1854
Marriages: (Film # 990712 ) 1784 to 1801
Deaths: (Film #990712) 1783 to 1801
[A catalog of the LDS films notes that birth records prior to 1753 are fragmentary, that there are very few marriage entries prior to 1817, and that there are only two death entries.]Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, 1868
KIRKHILL, a parish on the north border of Inverness-shire. It is bounded on the east and south by Inverness parish; on the west, by Kiltarlity; and on the north, by the Beauly River, and the Beauly frith, which separate it from Kilmorack and from Ross-shire. Its post-town is Inverness. Its length is about 8 miles; and its breadth is from 1 mile to 3 miles. Its surface, for 4 miles is a narrow strip, declining to the Beauly frith; and thence inward, it consists of hills, pretty high and covered with heath … There are some natural woods of birch and alder and a great extent of plantations. The landed property is distributed among seven landowners, the most extentsive of whom is Lord Loval. The mansions are Reelick, Newton, Lentram, Fingask and Auchnagairn. On a moor are a number of tumuli, which are said to be memorials of a desperate engagement between two rival clans. There were recently remains of two Druidical temples… This Parish is in the presbytery of Inverness, and synod of Moray… The present parish comprehends the ancient parishes of Wardlaw and Farnua. On the summit of the hill, behind the manse, stood the old church of Wardlaw. The Chapel, as it is called, which occupies the locale of that building, has long been the
burying-place of the Lovat family, and of the cadets nearest them in blood. The walls are hung round with escutcheons and tablets of many generations; and the monuments of the Lords Thomas and Simon Fraser of Lovat are particularly worthy of notice. Around the chapel the poorer classes of the clan, and the other inhabitants of the parish, inter their dead."-Kirk Session Records
The Kirk Session of a parish consists of the the minister of the parish and the elders of the congregation. It looks after the general well-being of the congreation and, particularly in centuries past, church discipline within the parish. These records can sometimes provide invaluable information that is available nowhere else. An example would be the case of an illegitimate child. In many cases, the fornication resulting in the birth of the child would be a matter of church discipline and would thus be recorded in the minutes of the Session. It has been known ot occur that the parish register recorded the name of the mother of an illegitimate child in error, such error being brought to light by examing the Kirk Session records dealing with the birth of the child. There is also a possibility that other valuable information concerning the parents might be contained in the Kirk Session records. Kirk Session records are generally held at the Scottish Record Office in Edinburg. These records have not in most cases beeen microfilmed by the LDS Church.
The following information on availability of Kirk Session records for the Parish of Kirkhill was taken from the Miscellany of the New Spalding Club, vol. 1, Aberdeen: 1890
* Minutes: 3 July 1748 to 5 December 1790
* Minutes: 20 Aug. 1792 to 22 December 1751
* Minutes: 31 March 1885 to 1890
