The History of the Ryburns     -:  SOURCES OF INFORMATION  :-

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Over the last decade, or so, the job of the historian/genealogist has become much easier, with oodles of information now available on line.  Not only have the births, marriages and census results now gone on line, but all of the old local-history books, that were so difficult to get a hold of, are also turning up in full on Google Books, and other sites.  By just typing in Ryburn as a search term you discover a whole forgotten world.  Add an 'e' to the end of Ryburn and more references pop up.  Marvelous!  There are also a lot of old and new maps on line, including Google Earth. Scotland's People  The official site for Scottish births, marriages, deaths, census information, etc. You have to pay a deposit up front, but the cost is reasonable, provided you don't go overboard. Original images of parish registers, wills, etc., are also available. Latter Day Saints Database  Free, and very useful. It has most of the parish register information also in Scotland's People.  Family trees and records that were contributed by LDS members are less reliable - often with a component of wishful thinking. FreeCEN  Free census information from the UK.  As yet incomplete, but the 1841 Scotland census data seems all there. The National Archives of Scotland  Much information, but particularly court records, with all the bad stuff! Kintyre Gravestones  Lists of requestable photos of gravestones from Kintyre graveyards - from the Ralston genealogy site.  I obtained photos of the Campbeltown gravestones of brothers William and James Ryburn from here. Duke of Argyle's Rentals, 1505-1710  Who was leasing what farm in Kintyre, when. 1797 Horse Tax  In 1797 a tax was levied on all horse owners in Scotland.  Agnes (Tirfergus) William & James (Drumlemble) Ryburn were there. Kintyre Magazine  Now reproduced in part in the Ralston genealogy website.  Rich in articles on the history of Campbeltown and the Kintyre Peninsula. No longer active, unfortunately. Google  A great way to ferret out Ryburn-related information.  Requires intelligent use of search terms, and patience reading through many pages.  Google Books  Google's ambitious site for books on line. Out of copyright books are fully searchable, otherwise snippet views, or hits in context. Has links to relevant library catalogs and sellers. Google Images  It's surprising what you can see! Google Earth  A fantastic Web-based program with very detailed satellite images of most of the world. It revealed the traces of old 'Ryburn Manor House', near Dunlop. Streetmap.co.uk  Online, zoomable, searchable and very detailed maps of the UK. Search using names of places, streets, farms and rivers etc.   Magnificent! Old Maps  The National Library of Scotland has many links to sites with online early maps, including the 1847-1895 Ordinance Survey maps. Wikipedia  Good articles on history and geography of Ayrshire, particularly 'Chapeltoun' and 'Corseshill, Lainshaw, Robertland and Dunlop', by Roger Griffith.  Also, quick answers in general. Kintyre in the 17th Century  By A. McKerral, 1948. A good history of Kintyre, the Marquis of Argyll's plantation scheme, and the people involved. RamblingRoots.com  Diana Powell's extensive web site on the pioneering families of Washington County, Virginia, USA.  Includes 200 Ryburns. Ancestry.com  The largest commercial genealogy site, with censuses, immigrant lists and much more.  Expensive, but a with 2-week free trial. Last updated  17 May, 2012

Longrow Church, Campbeltown, Kintyre, 2007 Image of first page of the Campbeltown Parish Births Register, Coutesy of Diana Powell, Atherton, California.  The arrow points to an entry that translates to "16 April, 1681, Margaret, lawfull daughter to James Clark and Janet Ryburn of Knockriochmore" Celtic Gravestones at Kilkivan Chapel, Drumlemble, Kintyre, 2007 West Drumlemble Farm, Kintyre, 2010 The site of the old Ryburn Manor is near the tree, on Newmill Road, 600m northeast of Dunlop, Ayrshire. Jessica Ryburn standing beside the car