Kilmun and Dunoon
Principal Sources
RRS VI (293, 304) 1363
RMS I (574) 1375-6, App II Index A (1822), Index B (28),
RMS II (346) original dated 1442, (1059) 1472, (1100) 1472-3, (2221) 1494, (2385) 1497, (2403) 1498, (3136) original 1402, (3623) 1511
RMS III (309) 1525, (1436) 1534-5, (1533) 1535, (1882) 1538-9
RMS IV (467) 1550, (1592) 1564-5
RMS V (662) 1581, (1540) 1588, (2249) 1592-3
RMS VI (1065) 1600, (1218) 1601,
RMS VII (265) 1610
RSS I (1655) 1508
Argyll Retours (5, 6) 1599, (23) 1620, (70) 1662, (77) 1666, (101) 1503, (107) 1651, (528) 1674
AS I (21, 52) 1618, (85) 1619, (146) 1621, (283-4) 1646, (304-5) 1649, (322) 1650, (334) 1651, (346) 1652, (383, 385) 1658, (453, 460-1) 1660, (475, 489-491, 492) 1673, (528, 550-1, 555) 1674, (600) 1675
AS II (8-9) 1617, (31, 34) 1618, (97) 1620, (285, 287, 290) 1629, (384) 1631, (408) 1632, (537) 1635, (598) 1636, (618) 1638, (631) 1639, (677) 1642, (807) 1653, (817, 823) 1654, (943) 1657, (967-8) 1658, (984) 1659, (996) 1660, (1065) 1662, (1077-8, 1087) 1663, (1159) 1654, (1218, 1239) 1665, (1267, 1274, 1276, 1304, 1314) 1666, (1392-7, 1440) 1668, (1455) 1669
GD 1/426/1/24 1572
GD 112/2/9/24 1672
CSSR IV (791) 1441
ER XIV p 626 1519-20
Registrum Monasterii de Passelet, Paisley, 1877 pp 132-4
ILP (91) 1519, (96) 1522, (142) 1538-9, (151) 1540, (254) 1565, (258) 1568
Historical Manuscripts Commission IV pp 476 & 478
Highland Papers II pp 121-2
NAS CS 46/1913/May No 6 pp 337-342, 1673; pp 342-4, 1676
RHP 3131 Plan of Estates of Ballochyle and Dunloskin, Andrew Henderson, 1819
RHP 3137 Plan of Dallilongart, 1839
RHP 5572/2 Glen Morag
RHP 6038 Bernice, Benmore & Kilmun, 1869
RHP 6039 Plan of Estate of Benmore, 1887
On the basis of the listing in the 1751 Valuation Roll this combined parish has a total value of 188½m of which 54½m were Kilmun and 134m Dunoon. (J Smith gave 175m for Dunoon, presumably including Kilmun, in his General View of the Agriculture of the County of Argyll, 1798). Many changes were proposed to parish boundaries in the seventeenth century and these are recorded in the Minutes of the Synod of Argyll. Not all were carried into effect but in order to glimpse the mediaeval parish structure we must account for those that were. After 1650 (Minutes, Vol I p 234) Coynliche, Craigbreck and Illanchoker were transferred from Kilmun to Kilmaglas (later Strachur). I reckon these three properties came to a total of 6m. The total for Kilmun now comes to 60½m.
We have no clear evidence of the pennyland to merkland conversion rate except possibly with Finbacken, where ¼d becomes 1½m, and Strone, where ½d becomes 3m. It is possible that Kilmun and Dunoon, like the parishes of W Cowal, were converted at the rate of 1d to 4 merks which would make them worth ¾oz and just over 1½oz respectively. However there are a striking number of 3m units which is reminiscent of the situation in Bute and Arran. If, as in the Clyde islands, the conversion rate was 1d to 6 merks then Kilmun is almost exactly ½oz and Dunoon just over 1oz. It is also possible that some of the extra merklands of Dunoon formerly belonged to Inverchaolain. (See under Inverchaolain for explanation that it once reached further north to touch Strathlachlan).
RRS VI (No 293 on pp 528-9) of 1363 refers to a unit known as ‘le fourpenyland’.
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