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"Survey return from Charles Stewart"
Kilmory, Ardrossan.
1850.
RCP/COL/4/8/19
Charles Stewart was a church minister to Kilmory parish.
Kilmory (also known as Kilmorie) was an entirely rural parish on the Isle of Arran in the historic County of Bute. There had been improvements in the keeping of black-cattle by the mid-1800s and fishing was a large industry. In 1831, the population was 3771, with a decrease in population as a result of a new agriculture system.
[[Addressee]]
The Revd
Charles Stewart
Kilmory
Ardrossan
[[Survey]]
QUERIES
1. How many Medical Men practice within the Parish of Kilmory?
There is no resident Medical practitioner in the Parish; The Medical Gentleman who attends upon the poor of this parish resides at Brodick
2. The Names and Addresses of these.
Mr Andrew Stoddart Surgeon, Brodick.
Mr Chas Cook Surgeon Lamlash.
Both these Gentlemen practise in this parish though they don’t reside in it.
3. Has the number increased or diminished of late years?
There has been no change of late years.
4. Have any left the Parish since you became connected with it? If so, for what reasons?
None have left, and for a good reason, none was in it.
5. Is there any complaint among the people of inadequacy in the supply of Medical aid?
There are complaints; but from there being no prospects of bettering their condition in respect to medical attendance, the people do not often give expression to their complaints
6. Do you know of any cases of protracted suffering, or of injury by Accident, such as might have been alleviated had proper advice been at hand?
I cannot, at present, specify any cases such as alluded to in this Query; but that such must frequently exist, I have no doubt of, in such a population [1 word illegible] 3455
7. To what extent is the deficiency of qualified Practitioners made up by the efforts of other parties?
There are a few persons in the parish who are in the habit of letting blood1 – setting broken bones, and administering simple medicines - . There are two acting midwives in the parish, and who in all likelihood will not quarrel as they are about thirty miles from each other -
8. Does your experience enable you to suggest any measure – of general applicability – such as would be likely to relieve to some extent the evils (if they exist) of deficiency in the supply of Medical aid?
From the poverty of the great body of the [manuscript damaged]2 parishioners, it is clear that a qualified medical practitioner would not be remunerated by fees – and without a salary ab Entia he would starve
9. What Heritors3 are resident, either generally or occasionally, in your Parish?
The whole parish belongs to three Heritors
1. Duke of Hamilton
2. Lord Rossmore
3. Capn Archd Fullarton
Lord4 Rossmore is the only Heritor who occasionally resides in the parish
[[Additional Text]]
Kilmory Manse
3d Decr 1850 – Chas Stewart Min
Explanatory notes:
1. Bleeding, or bloodletting, is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. This was a common medical practice in the 1800s, dating back to antiquity, and was often carried out by unlicensed healers as well as qualified physicians.
2. The manuscript has a large tear in the bottom right corner. However, it appears to have occurred before the survey was completed since the answers to the queries make perfect sense i.e. there does not appear to be any missing text.
3. A heritor was a landowner, under Scots Law, whose holdings were sizeable enough for them to be liable for the payment of public burdens such as Poor Law rates, road and bridge assessments and the church minister’s stipend.
4. Query 9 continues from “Lord” into the additional section due to lack of space caused by the aforementioned tear.
Remote & Rural Remedies
