Parish Number - 111
Births: (Film # 990671) Harris - 1823 to 1854, St. Kilda - 1830 to 1851
Marriages: (Film # 990671 ) Harris - 1838 to 1851, St. Kilda - 1830 to 1849
Deaths: (Film # 990671 ) Harris - 1830 to 1846, St. Kilda - 1830 to 1846Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, 1868
HARRIS, a parish, containing a post-office station of its own name, in the Outer Hebrides of Inverness-shire it comprehends the southern part of Lewis, and the small adjacent islands. It is bounded, on the north, by the parishes of Lochs and Uig in Lewis; on the east, by the Minch and the Little Minch; on the south, by the of Harris, which divides it from
North Uist; and on the west, by the Atlantic Ocean. Ins length, from north to south, measured along the line of communication, is about 50 miles; its breadth varies from 8 to 24 miles… These measurements are however, exclusive of the island of St. Kilda, which lies a very long distance to the west… The other isles and islets belonging to it are very numerous and some of them very small; but the inhabited ones are only eight - Scalpay, Taransay,Scarp, Pabbey, Ensay, Killgray, Bernera and Anabich... Harris is naturally divided into two districts by two arms of the sea, called East and West Loch-Tarbert which approach so near each other as to leave an isthmus of not more than a quarter of a mile in breadth. The northern district, between Tarbert and Lewis, is termed the Forest, though without a tree or shrub… Its surface is exceedingly mountainous, rising… to nearly 3,000 feet above the sea. The mountains are in general bare and rocky; but the valleys contain tolerable pasturage… "-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 1823.