Strachur/Strathlachlan churches

[Ann Baker]

Hi All

I have McKellar ancestors who had 3 of their children and indeed were married in Strathlachlan - they moved to Paisley in the late 1790s. However on doing some reading up on both churches it appears that Strathlachlan church wasn't built until 1792 and they married in 1782. I know most people back in the day rarely had the full on church do so get that the marriage may have been in someone's front room but would the baptisms have been the same?

I can't find anything online about the history before that - other than snippets on Wiki and Scottish touristy sites. Does anyone know of a good online source that might give me more information please?

Thanks

Ann

[MonicaL]

Hi Ann

From here www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/birth-death-and-marriage-records/old-parish-registers/births-and-baptisms

Old Parish Registers – Births and Baptisms

Old Parish Register birth and baptism entries contain much less information than the statutory register of births. The most that you can expect to find is:

    - the name of the child
    - whether the child was legitimate (lawful) or illegitimate (natural)
    - date of baptism (and sometimes the date of birth)
    - parents’ names (although mothers’ names are not always recorded)
    - place or parish of residence
    - father’s occupation
    - names of witnesses and occasionally occupations or their relationship to the child (if any)
    - the minister’s name and church where the baptism took place

Maybe the church you are looking at replaced an older church building?

Monica

[Ann Baker]

Hi Monica

Don't know why I didn't think of it earlier. I rang the Minister of the current churches (They share the Minister) as I also had a query about another ancestor from a different branch of the family who's supposed to be buried at Strachur (different branch of the family). She's another brick wall as I can't work out how when she died in Partick and appears (so far) not to have any family connection with Strachur she ended up there. He couldn't either and confirmed that neither her married or maiden name is local, so I've emailed the cems department at Argyll & Bute council to find out if she is actually in there or not.

He was really helpful and I now know that Kilmorie just down the road from the current Strathlachlan church was the original parish church. It's a ruin now but the graveyard is still used. I had wrongly assumed because the local chiefs (the McLachlans) are in there and it's close to their castle that it was their church rather than a parish church.

I have the OPRs that are available - had them years - but then hit the proverbial brick wall. Trying to find McKellars in Argyll that are yours is needle in haystack job so I think a visit to the Mitchell/NRH required to avoid spending a small fortune on SP. Archibald McKellar is a very popular name in those parts

So next time I'm up that way to see my mum, will take a pootle round there and see what I can find

Thanks

Ann

[MonicaL]

Just been reading that!

Kilmorie was abandoned when a new church was built circa 1792 on the roadside almost a mile to the north-east (NS021958). This is still the parish church of Strathlachlan. It is not normally open except for services on Sunday mornings.

www.faithincowal.org/places-for-pilgrims/kilmorie-strathlachlan/

Monica

[Ann Baker]

So mystery partially solved.

Now back to all those Archibald McKellars......