I understand that Tom Caldwell is descended from Allan (Alan?) Caldwell & Janet Guthrie through their son John, born Feb 2, 1780, one of seven children, all born in the parish of St. Quivox. See his posted message, 2/21/02.

Tom indicates the possibility that his known Caldwell ancestors are related to Caldwells who farmed land today encompassing the Annanhill Golf Course within the Irvine Valley, and Todriggs, on the other side of the Irvine River. The earlist "Ayrshire" Caldwell of which he has mention of is Richardus mentioned 1379. A Patrick or Peter Caldwell married Isobel in reign of Robt II ("Petrus (Patricus) Caldwell carta Petri Caldwell de tenus de Colgrieve 1412 carta from Sir Adam Fullarton of Crosbie in his favour of lands of Sottishaw (now called Gaylis) dated Irvine 1391"
http://caldwellgenealogy.com/forum/cgi-bin/config.cgi?read=121

I wanted to add my 2 cents.

A 1837 Census for Ayr and its neighboring villages, including Prestwick and St. Quivox (posted online), lists only one person by the surname Caldwell, an Andrew Caldwell of Prestwick. He is included among the gentry, but without an Esq. following his name. I do not know the significance of this omission. 1837 is the year that Queen Victoria assumed her long reign, and began the Victorian Age.

The 1837 Ayr census provides a detailed list of occupations and the names of the individuals who held them, but omits colliers or farmers. This may explain the dearth of Caldwells listed. Another possible explanation is that the list was compiled only from those attending the Sunday church services. Perhaps the dung-encrusted farm workers and black-faced miners were too poor to bathe and wear clothes suitable for church services, or illiteracy left them without knowledge of the Bible. But when an evangelical minister Thomas Charteris arrived a few years later at St. Quivox Parish, he established Sunday Schools and regular academy classes for the colliers, farm workers, and their families, and was delighted at the ready response.

The success of the Parish sponsored education by which promising young men were sent away to centers of learning would have meant a separation from home and family and possibly a decline of the Caldwell surname in the small towns.

The 1837 Ayr census lists the ministers of the established Church, and the seceders who operated their churches without any subsidy. Generally, the established church consisted of moderates, and the seceders, the evangelicals. It was the evangelical wing within the Established Church which had been most influential in the providing of ministers to the British colonies through the Glasgow Colonial Society. The lairds may have been fearful that the stirring up of rebellion by Scotch-Irish ministers in the American Revolution against the Bristish would lead to similar activism in Scotland. The evangelical group wanted to extend education to the farm workers and miners, but the landed class was fearful of political action that would threaten the laird’s economic well-being. The civil courts had ruled that the Established Church had to ordain men to the parish ministry irrespective of their acceptability to the parishioners. After years of dissension the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland drew up a Claim of Right which was presented to the government in 1842. According to this the Kirk had complete spiritual independence and the state had no right to interfere in spiritual matters. The government refused to accept this and so at the General Assembly of 1843 a walk-out took place and the Free Church of Scotland was born. The most divisive issue was whether lairds (through their representatives in Parliament) or local parish congregations would control the selection of the parish minister. The Parliament wanted a commitment from the Church that, in return for subsidies for its maintenance, the State should have the last word on the placement and discipline of Ministers in their churches, and other matters. The dissenting clergy would have nothing to do with this "bowing to Mammon." In all, four hundred and seventy ministers (forty per cent of the ministry of the Kirk) left the Kirk at this time accompanied by nearly sixty per cent of their entire population left to form the independent Free Church of Scotland.The Disruption was not intended to be a disruption or division of the Church. Rather it was to be a severing of the link that bound the Church to the State. However, since the Chuch was not of one mind regarding the proposed action, the Church itself was split. The Established Church remained and the Free Church, claiming to be the same chuch as that which it had left, a church adhering to the same Confession of Faith, loyal to the same principles and differing only inasmuch as in the discharge of its spiritual function it was to be subservient to no other authority than the will of God as understood by the collective mind of the Church, came into being. Today the Free Church of Scotland, although much reduced in size, maintains in continuity with the Church of 1843 the system of doctrine and the form of worship adopted by the Church of Scotland at the Reformation. The singing of the Scottish Metrical Psalms unaccompanied by instrumental music is, perhaps, the most distinctive feature of its liturgy, but the chief emphasis of its worship is still to be found in the centrality of the pulpit and the proclamation of a free and sovereign salvation.

A census of 1851 lists a coalminer Charles Caldwell at Dreghorn, whom Tom believes is among his kin.

BOBBIE M HALL has posted information about the St. Quivox church history (2 Sep 1998):

“In early days the parish was known as Sanquhar (Sanchar) - this referred to an area roughly 3 miles north of the River Ayr and 5 miles inland. There are still farms with this name in the district. The church of Sanquhar was a rectory and existed prior to 1208. Its pre-reformation history is summed up in Scott's Fasti (new edition) thus "From 1221-1238 the church of Sanchar belonged to the Gilbertine Priory of St Mary at Dalmulin within the parish. From 1238 till Reformation it was owned by Paisley Abbey."

"The present name of St. Quivox is believed to have been derived from 'Santa Kennocha Virgo in Coila" (Malcolm II era). It was found spelt St. Kevock, St Kenochis, St. Cavocks and St. Evox. The latter could be found on local milestones until a few years ago.

"The church was served by a reader from 1567. It was restored by Lord Cathcart of Auchincruive in 1595 and an old panel on the south wall bears his arms & initials. The first minister after the reformation was Colin ROW in 1604. A later minister Dr. William McINHOE, 1764-1823 is mentioned by Burns in "The Twa Herds".

"In 1755 the population of the parish was 499 from 96 families - 4 blacksmiths, 4 masons, 5 colliers, 3 weavers, 30 farming and 43 part time labourers.

"Around this time Sir Thomas Wallace of Craigie feued land for building north of the Auld Brig from which Wallacetown developed.

"In 1759 Auchincruive Estate was purchased by London merchant, Richard Oswald, son of minister at Dunnet.

"By 1792 population had risen to 250 families mainly at Wallacetown, by 1835 it was found necessary to build another church to serve this area and then in the following year it was declared a separate parish.

"In the 19th century, the Oswalds built a new manse and two additions to the original church, each one discernible from the outside, yet forming harmonious unity within. It would be impossible to make substantial alterations to the church without losing many old features -
outside stairs to galleries, box pews, narrow straight back pews in newer section and narrow aisles. Ladies continue to be used for the collection.”

Bobbie’s revelation that Paisley Abbey controlled St Quivox Parish invites speculation whether there is a link to the Caldwell Estate at Upawmoor, Renfrewshire, and the Caldwell clan starddling the border of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. In 1349 William Caldwell of this clan became the Lord High Chancellor of Scotland, after serving as a Prebendary for the Church at Glasgow.

The Parish Church of St. Quivox is among 46 parishes in Ayrshire, listed at http://www.wayfinding.net/scotchparish.htm.

You can see a sketch map of all 46 parishes at http://www.ayrshirehistory.org.uk/osa/parishes.htm.

St. Quivox and Ayr are in the District of Kyle, not Carrick nor Cunninghame. http://www.ayrshirehistory.org.uk/osa/parishes.htm

Between 1955-1890, St Quivox & Newton-Upon-Ayr merged as one parish.

Some of the local librairies in Scotland have the Index to the Register of Sasines, Ayr, Kyle, Carrick & Cunningham 1599-1609 & 1617-1634 & 1635-1660. Tom might want to check these sources out.

The LDS Family Hisotry Library has a CD listing the names of parish births.