Kirkintilloch and District Society of Antiquaries will be holding a special open meeting for the annual Local History Month 2024 at 2pm on Wednesday 20th March in the Park Centre, 45 Kerr Street, Kirkintilloch G66 1LF.
The presentation will be based on the exhibition and guided walk on the same theme held by the Antiquaries for Doors Open Day in September 2023. After an introduction to the Old Aisle cemetery and its history, sketches will be presented of eight or nine individuals who are buried there. Some of these will be people who were very well-known in their day and who made a mark on the fabric and development of the burgh and, in some cases the nation. Others will be less well-known but who illustrate aspects of the life and times of Kirkintilloch.
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| The participants in 2003's Doors Open Day guided walk in the Old Aisle Cemetery hearing about the history of the site and the belfry. (© I.S.Ruddock) |
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The guided walk group at the monument to Father James Bonnyman, the first Roman Catholic priest appointed to Kirkintilloch for an extended period and who was responsible for the building of St Ninian's. (© I.S.Ruddock) |
The speakers will be Don Martin MBE, well-known local historian and former Secretary of the Antiquaries, Dr Murray Reid, the current Secretary, and Dr Ivan Ruddock, President of the Antiquaries. We hope that this sample of the personalities buried in the Old Aisle will encourage others to enquire into the history of other 'residents' and learn more about their history and that of the community.
All welcome, with no booking required.
