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)

Report on the visit to the Auld Kirk Museum, Kirkintilloch, Thursday 20th June 2024

The Society was delighted to have had the opportunity of a guided tour of the Auld Kirk Museum, a category A listed building and one of the oldest in Kirkintilloch, on 20th June 2024; the visit coincided with the Museums' 380th anniversary exhibition. By way of introduction the 16 members of the group were reminded by the guide that the Romans built the Antonine Wall which runs through Kirkintilloch, the Comyn family built a castle at Peel Brae, and that in 1644 the Museum building and its grounds had been the town's first parish church - St Mary's and its graveyard.

The guide from the Museum describes artwork created to publicise the Auld Kirk
by local school children and the late Willie Rodger, Kirkintilloch's noted artist. 
(© I.S.Ruddock)

Particular exhibits were highlighted and reflected the 13,000 held in the Museum's archive. The 380th Anniversary's timeline around the walls of the main gallery space provided a journey from a carved neolithic stone ball found in the garden of a local resident to sections detailing the industrial era of the Forth and Clyde Canal, ship building, the railways and cast iron manufacturing by the Lion Foundry that included the famous red telephone boxes. Other displays featured the whisky link between Kirkintilloch and Japan, and the 150th anniversary of St Ninian's High School including its WW2 fundraising link with the Royal Navy's HMS King George V battleship. Of particular interest were photographs of organisations including Kirkintilloch and District Society of Antiquaries which were instrumental in establishing the Museum, as it was possible to identify some of those visiting today in some of the pictures on display.

A brass model of one of HMS King George V's quadruple 14" gun turrets presented
to St Ninian's High School in 1942 in connection with its fund raising activities for
the Royal Navy. The trophy was awarded annually to the Dux of the school and in
1984 was donated to the Museum by a former teacher. (© I.S.Ruddock)

 

After the tour, about half the group walked along to Majella's for a cup of tea and a sticky bun and for a chat. The consensus was that the visit had been a success, and that the offer of additional tours by the Museum staff should be explored and that all in all it had been a good 'summer' outing.

David Graham

Visit to the Auld Kirk Museum, Kirkintilloch: 2pm Thursday 20th June 2024

Arrangements have been made for a guided tour of the Auld Kirk Museum as part of the programme of afternoon outings for members of the Society. It will take place on Thursday 20th June 2024 at 2pm and the tour might also include the Barony building where certain items will be displayed. The event is expected to last about one and a half hours. 

Tables have been reserved for 3.30pm at the nearby Majella's Coffee Shop (48 Cowgate, Kirkintilloch between Timpsons and Cowgate Pharmacy) for the group to enjoy tea/coffee and a slice of cake, albeit at your own expense on this occasion.

The Auld Kirk Museum, Kirkintilloch. (© I.S.Ruddock)

Numbers are limited to 20 and on a first come first served basis. Please reserve a place by email at kdsantiquaries@gmail.com no later than Tuesday 18th June. This is hoped to be an interesting outing to a local visitor attraction in Kirkintilloch followed by some socialising.

David Graham