Significant personalities in Kirkintilloch and District by the Research Group: Wednesday 20th November, 2pm.

 Our next meeting will be in the Park Centre at 2pm on Wednesday 20th November, when the Research Group will present profiles of several significant personalities in the history of Kirkintilloch and District that they have been researching over the past year. The personalities are all buried in the Old Aisle Cemetery and were featured in our exhibition in the William Patrick Library and guided walk round the cemetery on Doors Open Day on7th September. 

The personalities include some who are well known, such as Petticoat Dan and others who were significant in their time, such as William Patrick, his brother David and the entertainer Tommy Lorne. It will include several prominent women, including the first female Provost of the burgh and a keen angler who founded an all-women fly fishing club. Don Martin, MBE will introduce the history of the Old Aisle as a church and then a cemetery, and profiles of selected personalities will be given by Barrie Stewart, Jenny Burgon, Ivan Ruddock and Murray Reid. 

This afternoon meeting has been arranged to enable members who are reluctant to go out on cold, dark winter nights to hear what the Society has been doing over the past year. We hope for a good turnout. If you know any former members who may be interested in this event, please tell them about it; they will be most welcome. 

Who are these people? Come along and find out!

The RNLI: 200 years of saving lives at sea by Louise Nixon. Thursday 7th November, the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch, 7:30pm.

 

This year the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) celebrates 200 years of saving lives at sea. It all began in the early 18th century with rescuing sailors and passengers from many wrecks. From there the RNLI was founded and has developed from strength to strength, from modest beginnings of a few volunteers , early life jackets, developing self righting boats to the international charity life saving organisation it is today.

Louise Nixon is the Vice President of the Kirkintilloch and District Society of Antiquaries. She has been a RNLI sea safety and Education Volunteer for 20 years, attending and delivering the water safety message at major  events schools, youth groups, scouts, Guides, BB and at clubs and societies for all age groups. 

Report on the visit to Govan Old Parish Church, Wednesday 9th October 2024

On Wednesday 9th October, members of the Society gathered at the entrance of Govan Old Parish Church for a guided tour to learn about Govan's early history as the centre of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, the advent of early Christianity, and the records of attacks by Viking forces.

The Old Parish Church is dedicated to Saint Constantine and comprises an A-listed Scottish Gothic Revival building, completed in 1888 within a pear-shaped Scheduled Ancient Monument churchyard, housing early medieval monuments from the 9th-11th centuries. Christian worship on the site dates from the 5th-6th centuries with links to other Brittonic communities, and more recently with the Iona community. Raids by the Vikings occurred in 870AD, evidence for which exists in historic records and in some of the sculptures.

Govan Old Parish's guide describes the features of the hogback gravestones
and explains their history. (© I.S.Ruddock)

The building is not typical of the Church of Scotland and has been described as Scottish-Roman in an attempt to better affiliate the two churches. Interestingly, the Russian Orthodox Church still uses the church for worship. A striking feature is the number of richly decorated stained glass windows commissioned from different workshops.

The engraved details on the Govan Sarcophagus are pointed out by the guide. (© I.S.Ruddock)

The collection of 31 sculptured monuments - The Govan Stones - is displayed throughout the church and includes the Govan Sarcophagus, crosses with figurative and interlace decoration, and the Anglo-Scandinavian 'hogback' gravestones. There is also an exhibition of reproduction armour, clothing, jewellery and an early board game. Time passed quickly due to the engaging and enthusiastic manner in which the guide from the Govan Heritage Trust proved details of the internationally recognised importance of the church, the stones and their historical context.

David Graham

Visit to Govan Old Parish Church, 2pm Wednesday 9th October 2024

 A guided tour of Govan Old Parish Church and Stones (866 Govan Road, G513UU) has been arranged for Wednesday 9th October at 2.0pm. The group comprising between 12 and 20 members meets at 1.45pm at the entrance to the church. Please indicate by email to kdsantiquaries@gmail.com if you would like to take part.

Members are expected to make their own way to and from the venue which can be accessed

By underground to Govan Cross,

By McGill bus 23 or 26 from city centre; also by First Glasgow,

By car although there is restricted parking, or

By walking from the Riverside Museum across the newly opened Govan-Partick bridge.

The Roman Campaigns in Scotland: Brian Young. Thursday 3rd October 2024, 7:30pm, The Park Centre

Our first meeting of the new session will be a talk by Brian Young on “The Roman Campaigns in Scotland”. There were three Roman campaigns in Scotland. Did the romans really ever conquer Scotland ? What was the point of and who was responsible for building the wall across Scotland? All of these questions plus more will be answered…

Brian is a graduate of Strathclyde University with an honours degree in electrical engineering and has worked for a diagnostics company all his life as a principal engineer in numerous projects over the last 30 years . He is currently working with AI and digital generated solutions for medical testing in biochemistry and pathology labs. He is also a student of history with special interest in Alexander the Great and the Roman period. He has a specific interest in tactics and strategy used in warfare. He has written one book about the lost legion (9th) approximately 12 yrs ago and is writing a new book hopefully to be published next year about Hadrian’s wall, its construction and recent developments found about dislocation.

The meeting will be held in the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch G66 1LF starting at 7:30pm. Members will have the opportunity to pick up membership cards at the meeting. Visitors welcome.

Doors Open Day and Old Aisle Cemetery Walk, 7th September 2024

This year's Doors Open Day in East Dunbartonshire is on Saturday 7th September 2024. The Society's contribution is an exhibition in the foyer of the William Patrick Library profiling significant local personalities, mostly buried in the Old Aisle Cemetery, Kirkintilloch. In connection with the exhibition, which this year will be on view for the following week, a guided walk around a selection of these graves will start from the cemetery's belfry at the Old Aisle Road entrance at 2.00 pm. The full programme for 2024's Doors Open Day may be downloaded here with details of the Antiquaries exhibition and walk on pages 13 and 14.

The grave of Joey Henderson and Robert Somerville. Joey died on 1st March
1929, a few days after giving birth, and her grief stricken husband, Robert, took
his own life in December 1931. He was a lecturer in chemistry in the University
of Glasgow and had been involved in the campaign to erect a plaque on the
birthplace of Archibald Scott Couper at 25 Townhead. (© I.S.Ruddock)