Parish Number - 108
Births: (Film # 990718) 1836 to 1854
Marriages: (Film # 990718 ) 1847 to 1854.
Deaths : (Film # 990718) 1849 to 1854Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, 1868
BARRA, an island parish at the southern extremity of the Outer hebrides, Inverness-shire. It comprises a group of nine inhabited islands and upwards of a dozen uninhabited ones. The nearest land to it on the north is South Uist, distant 6 miles; on the east, Canna and Rum, distant 26 miles; on the south, Tiree, distant 30 miles; and on the west, America. Its length is 28 miles; and its greatest breadth is 8 miles. It is all one estate, and, from time immemorial till December 1840, was the property of the family of Macneil; but was then sold for 38,050 pounds to Colonel Gordon of Cluny....The inhabited islands are Barra, Watersa, Sanders, Pabba, Mingala, Bernera, Helesa, Fladda and Fuda. The island of Barra contains five-sixths of the whole population, and is also the main island in point of size. All these islands are difficult of access, on account of the strong currents running between them. The island of Barra has a barren rocky appearance, excepting the north end, which is fertile. In the middle and at the south end are some very high hills, presenting a mixture of green sward, rock and heath. There are great quantities of cod and ling caught upon the east coast of Barra. The fishing banks extend from the mouth of Loch Boisdale to Barra-head. At the close of the last century from 20 to 30 boats were generally employed in this business from the latter end of March, or the beginning of April, to the end of June. There is a Roman Catholic chapel in the parish...and the large majority of the parishioners are Roman Catholics. 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.
Kirk Session records for this parish are not available until 1887.