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Subject: Kirkton and Parish
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 14:46:09 +0000

These are quite different animals. A parish is an ecclesiastical or
civil district, normally covering several square miles of land, and used
for many centuries as an administrative area. "Kirkton" is a name given
to a settlement near a church, but I can't offhand think of any kirktons
which one would ever dignify with the name of "town". The ending "-ton"
or "-toun" in NE Scotland refers to a much smaller settlement, often
only a few houses. Originally, each parish would have had just one
church, but there are numerous instances of "chapels of ease" where a
second consecrated building was built to cater for those some way from
the parish church. However, the erection of such an additional church
did not of itself create a new parish.

Gavin Bell

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