A bit history
The first mention of Kirkkonummi has been found in a Latin document, which considered other things than Kirkkonummi. The document was dated at the 21st March 1330, and it has been authenticated by Erwasti de Kyrkioslaeth, the vicar of Kirkkonummi. During the historic time Kirkkonummi was called by its Swedish name Kyrkslätt. All we know from that period is that there was a congregation in Kirkkonummi, and the vicar mentioned earlier served as its priest. All other information is very insignificant. However, the following events led to the foundation of Kirkkonummi, as well as to the foundation of many other municipalities in Southern Finland.
Development of the coastal region
Swedish kings led several military expeditions from the middle of 1150's to Finland, when Christianity was already rooted to Sweden. In this way Sweden strengted it's foothold in the country and opposed an increasing Russian influence here. At the same time Sweden made more solid state-political relationship to Finland Proper with which they already had trade-relationship. Later these expeditions were called crusades. As a result of these crusades, the early church organization was also established in Finland Proper.
Also the Danes noticed the importance of the Gulf of Finland and led some expeditions to the coast of South Finland. However, the Danes didn't get space here, unlike in the southern side of the Gulf of Finland. But their memory still lives in some place names, like "Danskarby", "Village of the Danish".
In the end of 1230's or 1240's, the crusade accomplished by the Swedes extended the church organization to Uusimaa and Häme. In addition to that, Sweden populated the coasts of Gulf of Finland as well as the Gulf of Bothnia with Swedish population. The third crusade that took place in 1293, strengthened the Swedish population especially on the Coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. This is how the population of the Swedish speaking coastal region has originated and lasted up to the present. Many place names confirm this fact.
Also the place names tell us that the connections from Kirkkonummi to the Southern side of Gulf of Finland have already stabilized early. The Paadisto Monastery, located in Estonia, owned several farms in Kirkkonummi in the years 1335 - 1407. As late as in 18th century there were people still immigrating Finland from Estonia. Village names such as Munkkulla and Estby maintain memories from those days.
Why didn't they populate the coast of Gulf of Finland earlier, even though settlements had already spread to the inland of Finland? From that simple reason that before the Crusades, the only people who had sailed across the coast were the feared Vikings. According to its name, Uusimaa (literally New Land) was not inhabited until the state authority of Sweden had directed the immigration. First now the social organizing could take place.
Population and livelihood
The Exact information about the population of Kirkkonummi is available from the middle of the 18th century, when they started to make censuses of Finland's population. There were 2,343 inhabitants in the parish, about which 1,089 were male and 1,254 female. Majority of women was caused by the War of Bothnia and the War of Great Anger (a Russian occupation in the beginning of 18th century) with heavy men losses. During those days many villages were completely deserted. However, the same majority of women appears later. That is not caused by the loss of men in war, but of migration, which has brought more women than men to the district, obviously related to the remarkable state of animal husbandry. The majority of the people that moved to the district did not own land. They came to the district to work as maids and hired hands.
In 1899 there were little over 6,200 inhabitants in the parish. About 75 percent of them made their living at agriculture. The profitability of the small farms was based on horticulture, which was drastically increased after the Shore Railway between Helsinki and Turku was opened for traffic in 1903. The reduced cargo transport periods had a very notable meaning for the producers of milk, fish, and vegetables, who where making their products for the continually growing need of the capital.
Civil War
The great wars of this century have affected the lives of the Kirkkonummians in a notable way. When Finland declared itself independent in December 1917, the prevailing tension led the country to a civil war in the end of the next January. The Civil Guards of West Uusimaa gathered to Sigurd's Manor in Kirkkonummi. Their intention was to capture the fortress of Mäkiluoto, build and occupied by the Russians. However, their attempt failed and 467 members of the Civil Guard surrendered to the Red Guard. Representant from Sweden acted as a mediator. Later, they were released in association with the capture of Helsinki.
