Parish Almshouses in Scotland
After 1845, poor relief in Scotland continued to be administered at the parish level. As well as providing out-relief, parishes, or 'combinations' of parishes, with a population of at least five thousand, could operate a 'statutory' poorhouse under rules prescribed by the central Board of Supervision. These establishments are listed on a separate page.
Many parishes, particularly in the east of Scotland, instead operated smaller and more informal poorhouse establishments variously known as almshouses, parish homes, parochial houses, or parish lodging houses. Although a few of the larger almshouses such as that at Peterhead were comparable to the statutory poorhouses, most were very modest establishments. Rather than the dormitories that characterised poorhouses, almshouse accommodation was more likely to be arranged as small apartments or cottages. The inmates ('persons of good character') could live with as much freedom as in their own homes, often with their own furniture, and buying and cooking their own food.
A list of parish almshouses is given below. In some cases, a link is provided to a page giving more details.
- Aberdeenshire
- Aboyne, Alford, Birse, Chapel of Garioch, Clatt, Cruden, Culsalmond, New Deer, Old Deer, Ellon, Forgue, Foveran, Fyvie, Gartly, Huntly, Insch, Kinnellar, Kinnethmont, Leslie, Lonmay, New Machar, Meldrum, Oyne, Peterhead, Rhynie, St Fergus, Strichen, Tarves, Tyrie, Turriff, Udny
- Angus (Forfarshire)
- Brechin, Kirriemuir, Montrose
- Argyllshire
- Ardnamurchan, Kilarrow, Lochgoilhead, Morven
- Ayrshire
- Kilmaurs
- Banffshire
- Cabrach, Cullen, Gamrie and Macduff, Kirkmichael, Marnoch
- Berwickshire
- Chirnside, Coldingham, Duns
- Caithness
- Halkirk
- Clackmannanshire
- Clackmannan
- East Lothian (Haddingtonshire)
- Haddington
- Elgin
- (See Morayshire)
- Fife
- Ceres, St Andrews
- Forfarshire
- (See Angus)
- Haddingtonshire
- (See East Lothian)
- Inverness-shire
- Abernethy, Alvie, Boleskine and Abertaff, Dores, Duthil, Glenmoriston, Kilmallie, Kilmonivaig, Kingussie, Kirkhill, Laggan, Portree
- Kincardineshire
- Banchory-Ternan, Strachan
- Kinross-shire
- Kinross
- Lanarkshire
- Leshmahagow
- Morayshire (Elgin)
- Cromdale
- Orkney
- Cross and Burness, Lady, Orphir, Sunnis
- Perth
- Alyth, Blairgowrie, Coupar Angus, Kenmore
- Ross and Cromarty
- Alness, Applecross, Dingwall, Gairloch, Glenshiel, Kintail, Lochalsh, Urquhart
- Shetland (Zetland)
- Unst
- Stirlingshire
- Logie
- Sutherland
- Assynt, Durness, Eddrachillis, Kildonan, Rogart, Tongue
- Wigtownshire
- Kirkcolm, Penninghame
- Zetland
- (See Shetland)
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