Parish Number - 91
Births: (Film # 990663) 1719 to 1854
Marriages: (Film # 990663) 1740 to 1854Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, 1868
ARDERSIER, or Ardrosser, a parish on the east coast and north-east corner of Inverness-shire. It contains a post office of its own name, the fortifications and lands of Fort George, and the larger part of the village of Campbellton. The parish is bounded by the Moray firth, Nairnshire, and the parish of Petty. It's greatest length from north-west to south-east is about 4 miles; and its breadth is upwards of 2 miles. The shore is sandy and flat, which is the character of the whole of this side of the Moray firth from Inverness to Nairn....Where this parish is divided from Nairnshire, there is a stone about 6 feet high and 3 broad, called the Cabbac stone, which tradition says was erected over a chieftain who fell in an affray about a cheese in the town of Inverness. The whole parish is the property of the Earl of Cawdor, and was a part of the lands of the Bishop of Ross, which some temple-lands formerly belonging to the knights of St. John of Jerusalem. The territory which constitutes the precinct of the Fort, was purchased by government about the year 1746. The following is extracted from Pigot & Co's National Commercial Directory of Scotland, 1837
"CAMPBELTOWN is a village in the parish of Ardersier, 31 miles w. of Elgin, 19 w. of Forres, 12 n. of Inverness, 8 w. of Nairn, and about a mile from Fort George; situate on the coast of a picturesque bay, and at the foot of an eminence called Cromwell's mount, on the summit of which are the remains of a fortification, and, behind, the view is very extensive, embracing parts of eight or nine counties. This place, which originated only from the residence of those connected with the garrison, is now a village of some pretensions, contains a population of eight hundred inhabitants, and possesses many facilities of improvement ... The inhabitants support a public library, and there are two friendly societies, one of which is called "His Majestry's Friendly Pension Society." A court sits here on the first Monday in every month, for the recovery of small debts; and a fair is held annually, on the 12th of August. The parish church stands at the bottom of the bay. There are several respectable public houses, of which the Principal is the Commercial Inn, situate in the main street. "FORT GEORGE, about a mile from Campbeltown, was erected immediately after the year 1746, at an expense of 160,000 pounds, in order to keep the highlands in check. It covers fifteen acres of a level point, projecting into the Moray Frith, the ramparts, on three sides, rising almost out of the sea; it is said to be one of the most regular fortifications in Britain, is mounted by eighty cannons, on four bastions, and completely commands the entrance into the harbour of Inverness. The present garrison, which as work of offence or defence, is happily useless, consists of a few artillery men, and a depot of about two hundred men. A small pier projects from the fort into the sea, for the use of the ferry boats, which here communicate with the opposite coast of Ross-shire.
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 of Kirk Session records was taken from the Miscellany of the New Spalding Club, vol. 1, Aberdeen, 1890
Minutes: 1729 - 1822
[Two old volumes bound into one. Blank 1730 to 1752, 1752 to 1764, 1766 to 1768, 1771 to 1773, 1778 to 1781, 1806 to 1821]
Minutes: 1829 to 1890.