Parish Number - 110
Births: (Film # 990719) 1817 to 1854.
Marriages: (Film # 990719 ) 1817 to 1854.Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, 1868
DUIRINISH,or Durinish, a parish, containing the post-office station of Dunvegan, and the village of Stein, in the south-west of Skye, Inverness-shire. It extends from the Grieshernish branch of Loch Snizort on the north to Loch Bracadale on the south, and is bounded on its landward or east side by the parishes of Snizort and Bracadale, its length is 19 miles; its
breadth is 16 miles; its extent of coastline, measured along the sinuosities, irresspective of islets, is about 80 miles… The coast of the northern district is a constant alteration of vertical cliffs and low shores, very striking when first seen, but becoming tiresome in its repetition… The coast from Dunvegan Head to Loch Bracadale consists principally of cliffs, very various in height and slope, but but many of them lofty and almost vertical, and nearly all of such composition as to present a remarkable striped appearance… The
northern district of the parish consists of the peninsular of Valernish, and constitutes the quoad sacra parish of Halen. The rest of the interior may be considered as divided into three districts- Glendale, extending westwards from Skinnieden, near the head of Dunvegan Loch; Kilmuir, being the district in which the parish-church is situate, including the country between Dunvegan Loch and Loch Bay. Extenting southward; and Arnizort,bextending to the eastward of Kilmuir, and to the boundaries of Snizort and Bracadale. The only considerable mountains are two in the west, called Hallivails, lesser
And greater… Macleod of Macleod possesses about half of the parish; and eight other landowners Share the rest. The mansions are Dunvegan Castle, Valernish, Orbost and Grieshernish…"-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 available from 1836.