Old Blantyre Parish Church

Blantyre's Ain Website

Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland

High Blantyre

Old Blantyre Parish Church

Old Parish ChurchIt is assumed that Blantyre was an ancient British settlement and was built around the Old Blantyre Kirk Yard, which may have been a druid religious circle. The Kirk Yard is a large man-made eight foot high mound of earth and, if it was a druid circle, it would have been the centre of the settlement’s religious activities. The old sixteenth century communion cups belonging to the Old Parish Church have no letter E in the spelling of BLANTYRE. This must indeed be one of Blantyre’s most beautiful buildings.

The original Parish Church which was built in 1793 was located in the current Kirkton Cemetery. The building had an earthen floor and by 1863 was in a state of disrepair which led to the construction of the current Old Parish Church. The original Parish Church was demolished in the early 1860’s. Old Parish Church

Your Social Comments:

John Cornfield: I have heard but don’t know if its true that the chalice in the old parish kirk is in fact the chalice from the Priory and that the Prior took it from the priory when he became the minister of the reformed church. The newly formed Church of Scotland after the reformation!

Elizabeth Weaver: Rev Oswald Welsh was minister there when I was wee, and then Rev George Dale. Both were fans of the lengthy sermon, so it was just as well there was plenty to look at inside. I also remember using a communal cup at communion – don’t know if those are still used by the congregation (since folk are more fastidious now!).

Violet Elder: I spent most of my youth in that church. Rev Welsh baptised me and from there I went to Sunday School, brownies and guides. Then youth fellowship. Happy times.

Jack Owens: Always admired the workmanship of the stone masons who put this together.

Alan Baird: I remember Mr Dale coming to High Blantyre Primary, he was our school minister, I can remember doing the nativity play in the church, and going to sunday school in the old church hall then going to the cubs, and discos, danced to tiger feet. lol 1973 I think lol.

Margo Haughen: Mr Dale was a lovely man, he and Mr Silcox joined forces to perform our wedding ceremony in ’81, long after Mr Dale retired to Aberfeldy. He was a lovely, kind man, who kept some cows and bees in the Glebe, behind the church, making his own honey. His sermons were sooo long though- he always had 3 parts to it, I would drift off for a while and was so disappointed when I listened again to find he was saying, “in the second place”!!!! I’ll ask around about the chalice John, I know a couple of the Elders.

Alex Orr: Stay just along the road from the kirk lovely old building.

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Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland

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