Religion - Parish Church
Parish (Established) Church Timeline
9th century Old kirk dedicated to Ninian
1116 Bishopic of Glasgow founded,
whereby Stonehouse continued under
the diocese of Glasgow
1267 ‘Sir Roger, the rector’
Earliest recorded
association with the church in Stonehouse.
1298 Hugh de Burgo
In September, 1298,
Edward I made appointments to certain churches in
Scotland. ‘The King to John de Langeton his Chancellor. Commands...
Similar in favour of Hugh de Burgo clerk, to the vacant church of
Stonehouse in the diocese of Glasgow’
1319 Unnamed Cleric
King Edward II presented
persons to several churches in Scotland, and
among these was ‘Stanhous’, in the diocese of Glasgow
1368 Archibald, Earl of Douglas
erected Bothwell Church into a
Collegiate Church and mortified the teinds of Stonehouse (Hessildene
and Kittymuir) for the upkeep of the three prebendaries in his
Collegiate Church. Thereafter, Stonehouse Church would sink to the
level of a vicarage, served by vicars supplied from Bothwell, few of
the names of which have been preserved. The lands for these vicars lay
between the village and the Avon.
1557 Mathew Sandilands
Matthew Sandilands was
‘notar and curate Stanehouse’ in 1557 and
earlier. In October of that year he took part in a marriage ceremony of
a peculiar nature (when a marriage pall or ‘cair claith’ was used)
whereby Claud Hamilton, son of John and Elizabeth Hamilton was
legitimated.
1560 William Taylor (prebendary) and Robert Hamilton (prebendary)
William Taylor
(Tailzifer) held the prebend of Stonehouse in 1560
producing £30 13s. 4d., which he paid a subsitute £16 to
officiate for him in the Collegiate Church of Bothwell. Robert Hamilton
held the prebend of Hezildeane, and the rectory of Torrance.
1560 Year of the Reformation.
Scotland was divided into five districts
over which were placed superintendents to look after the spiritual
interests of the people. John Willock was appointed to Glasgow and the
West district. A number of parishes were combined and placed under the
charge of a minister; and under him a class of probationer styled
readers, one being appointed to each parish to read common prayer and
scriptures until such times as a suitable minister could be found.
1560 William Hamilton
First reader in the parish
1561 Vicarage given up by the
provost of Bothwell
1565 Sir Thomas Wilson
Sir Thomas Wilson was
Vicar of Stonehouse in 1565 and ‘with consent of
the provost and prebendaries of the Collegiate. Church of Bothwell, who
were patrons of the said vicarage’, he rented out the vicarage lands to
John Hamilton of Brumhill.
1565 Thomas Neilsoun
In February 1565-6 he was
styled perpetual vicar. ‘The King and Queen
confirm D. Thome Neilsoun as perpetual vicar of the parish church of
Stanehouse with consent of John Hamilton prepositus (provost) of the
Church of Bothwell’.
1571 John Rankine
Reader
1574 Alexander Hamilton
Translated to Strathaven
in 1576 as first ordained protestant minister,
later taking up ministry of Glassford in 1580
1579 Andrew Hamilton
Reader previously
officiating in Dalserf and later returning to Dalserf
1585 Rev. Robert Darroch
First ordained protestant
minister in Stonehouse Parish, later
translated to Kilbride in 1586
1586 Rev. Archibald Normand (b. 1563 d. 1644)
Translated to Strathaven
around 1589. In 1587 Sir James Hamilton of
Crawfordjohn had to ask pardon for striking Rev. Normand.
1591 Rev. Andrew Law (d. c1639)
Translated to Glassford
in 1593, he was possibly related to Margaret
Law (buried Stonehouse Graveyard 1678) the wife of John Nisbet
(Covenanter)
1593 Rev. Luke Stirling
1595 Rev. Alexander Thomson (m. Anna Duncan, d. c1641)
Ministered until c1630
holding prebendary of Hezildene, within the
collegiate of Bothwell Church
1625 Rev. James Johnston (m. Helen Hamilton, d. c1659)
Assistant to Rev. Thomson
in 1625, translating to Monkland in 1626
before returning in 1630
1652 Rev. Thomas Charteris (b. c1626, m. Anna Hamilton, d. 1656)
Translated to Kilbride in
1654
1656 Rev. John Oliphant (1st m. Jean Campbell, d. 1698)
Deprived of living by
Acts of Glasgow 1662, when more than 400 Church
of Scotland ministers were cast out of their charges for conscience sake
1685 Rev. Angus Macintosh
1687 Rev. John Oliphant (2nd m. Jean Hamilton in 1694)
Translated to Carluke in
1691 and later to Carstairs in 1693
1696 Rev. Archibald Foyer (b. c1668, m. Agnes Goodlet (b. 1668, d.
1734) d. 1710)
Buried in old kirk
cemetery
1713 Rev. John Scott (b. 1683, m. Ann Sommerville (d. 1774), d. 1759)
Buried in old kirk
cemetery
1734 Restoration work carried out on
Old Kirk
1756 Robert Watson appointed
“beddal, grave-maker and kirk-officer”
1760 Rev. James Muir(ore)head (b. 1732, d. 1800)
First minister in the new
kirk, he wrote statistical account of village
in 1790
1761 Manse built at Glebe replacing
older building, later upgraded in
1781, 1806, 1816 and 1905.
1772 New Kirk built in New Street
accommodating 600 people, at a cost
of £450. An article from the Hamilton Advertiser in 1895 suggests
the building was erected sometime between 1760-1771. The bell was
removed from the belfry in 1929 and held by Mr MacLeod until 1943 when
it was removed to Dundee. The old church subsequenty became a hosiery
factory, S. A. headquarters and meal mill.
1790 Statistical Account states
there are around 140 dissenters in
total, of which 4 families are Cameronians, 5 families-Antiburghers, 21
families-Presbytery or Relief and 5 families are Burghers
1801 Rev. William Stark (b. 1772)
Formerly minister in
Airdrie, later translated to Dirleton in 1805
1806 Rev. Daniel Wilkie (b. 1781, d. 1838)
Originator of the first
Stonehouse Auxiliary Bible Society in 1813.
Translated to Yester in 1821, thence to New Greyfriars in 1829 where he
was later laid to rest.
1822 Rev. Hugh Dewar (from Fenwick, b. 1794, m. Jessie Henderson 1822,
d. 1861)
Buried in old kirk
cemetery
1836 Statistical Account by Rev.
Hugh Dewar states 360 families attend
the established church and around 120 families are dissenters or
seceders
1861 Rev. James Dunn (from Doune, b. 1821, d. 1887)
Buried in old kirk
cemetery
1866 Stonehouse Auxiliary Bible
Society formed
1887 Rev. James Wyper Wilson (d.1925)
Last minister of the Old
Parish Church in New Street
1893 Girls’ Brigade formed
1894 Stonehouse Boys’ Brigade
formed. The Boys’ Brigade was founded by
William Alexander from Thurso in 1883, making the Stonehouse company
among the oldest in the country.
1896 Memorial stone laid for new
church in Vicars Road by Major-General
Lockhart
1897 Parish Church officially opened
1922 Installation of pipe organ,
donated by the congregation in memory
of those who gave their lives in the Great War
1926 Rev. Thomas McCaughan
Resigned in 1935 due to
ill health
1929 Union of the Churches. The kirk
session agreed in recognition of
the event to rename the Parish Church as St.Ninian’s Parish Church of
Scotland, Stonehouse. Church bell was removed from Old Parish Church in
New Street.
1934 Installation of electric lights
completed
1935 Rev. Hugh R. Munro
Received call from
Bo’ness as an assistant to Rev. McCaughan before
becoming his successor. He received a call from another church in 1943.
1944 Rev. George K. Wood
Received call from New
Galloway. Accepted call from another church in
1946 to facilitate the union of St.Ninian’s and Hamilton Memorial
Church.
1946 Union of Hamilton Memorial
Church and St. Ninian’s Parish Church.
United charge renamed Stonehouse Church of Scotland. United Guild of
Stonehouse Church of Scotland formed.
1947 Rev. Robert C. Pollock
Served as Army Chaplain
during war. Accepted call to St.Andrew’s,
Falkirk in 1951
1951 Rev. W.A.J. Gardiner
Served as Interim
Moderator until new minister appointed
1952 Rev. William R.F. McGhie (d. 1968)
Served as Army Chaplain
during war. Accepted call for missionary work
in Jamacia in 1957. Undertook research project of tracing the history
of the church in Stonehouse from 1560 to 1956.
1954 Boys’ Brigade re-established
after lapse of nearly half a century
1955 New hall opened incorporating
stained glass windows from Hamilton
Memorial Church
1956 Rev. W.A.J. Gardiner
Served as Interim
Moderator until new minister appointed
1956 Parish Church Woman’s Guild
formed
1957 Rev. Alexander Gemmell (d.1984)
Appointed Clerk to the
Presbytery of Hamilton in 1980
1958 ‘Mens’ Club’ formed, meeting in
Adult Education Centre in Green
Street
1959 Young Woman’s Fellowship formed
1960 400th anniversary of Reformation
1961 Opening ceremony of new church
gates
1962 AGM of congregation agreed
renaming of church as St.Ninian’s
Parish Church
1970 New small hall opened,
dedicated to Rev. Alexander Gemmell. The
armorial bearings of Hamilton of Raploch, who resided at Patrickholm
incorporated into the vestibule, gifted by Mrs Euphemia Hamilton of
Crofthead farm. (formerly embedded above the entrance door to
Patrickholm House)
1971 Twelve hundredth anniversary of
dedication of the Parish to St.
Ninian
1981 Rev. C. Raymond Vincent
Retired in 1992 to New
Galloway
1992 Rev. Tom Nelson
1996 Centenary Year in which three
services were screened by Scottish
Television
2002 Rev. Tom Nelson receives call to Netherlee Church, Glasgow
2003 Rev. Paul George Reid Grant
|
|
