Chapter 4

Religion and all that

Stewarton was a Roman Catholic community in the beginning and it has been described as a cluster of houses built round a church. That small church is supposed to have existed on the same site as the present St. Columba's Church in the district that was known as kirktown.

   This church was administered over by the monks at Kilwinning Abbey and yearly rents had to be paid by the local clergy. There is no record of exactly when the first church was built but it is thought to date back to the 12th century and Hugh De Morville of "Langshaw" or Lainshaw was the founder. After the Reformation, the church lands "fell into lay hands" and the parishioners became Protestants. It was   some time before there was a resident minister and   services were conducted by lay preachers who had not the powers to administer the sacraments or conduct marriages.

   The present church was erected in 1696, mostly from old materials, on the foundations of the old church or chapel. During the 18th and 19th centuries very extensive alterations were made to the original small church of 1696 and the somewhat unpretentious spire, which still exists, was then in the centre of the building. The only other remaining part still standing is the Corsehill Aisle but later the Lainshaw Aisle was added in line with the former. In 1772 the roof was removed and the walls heightened and afterwards the minister stated: "It is now well-seated and holds a great number."

   The minister was not so pleased with the thatched-roof manse which had been built in 1642 which he said was in very bad condition.

   The changes to the church took place in 1730, 1773 and 1825, and these dates are engraved on the walls to this day. The extensions included the bell loft, and the galleries. Entrance to the Lainshaw Gallery was obtained by outside stairs which still exist, and the laird and his family were served hot soup on cold days by their "retainers."

   The floor was good earth which became hard-trodden in dry weather and there were flag-stones in the middle of the passages. On very wet days the parishioners probably had to sit with soaking wet feet and the only protection from the muddy floor was foot-stools. All the lofts had outside stairs at one time.

   Wooden flooring and internal stairs were installed in the late 1860s but it was not until later heating and a harmonium were provided.

   Four stained-glass windows were installed, two on each side of the pulpit. The two large ones representing St. Paul and Dorcas are in memory of William Mackie and his spouse, Mary Airstone. Of the other two smaller windows, one is in memory of James Gilmour of Clerkland and Jane Alexander, his wife, and their children; while the other was erected by public subscription in memory of John Gilmour, a local poet who died at the age of 18.

   At the rear of the church, an old sundial exists high up on the wall with some of the numbers still visible, and at the front of the building there is a large "shake fork" with the motto of the Cunninghame’s: "Over Fork Over." The clock in the steeple is of simple design and is very old. It was manufactured in Stewarton when clock-making was a local industry.

  Although a headstone exists in the graveyard dated 1418, it is not thought to be authentic but there are genuine stones which date back to the early 18th century.

   The remains of Robert Burns, uncle of the poet, who worked and lived in Stewarton, lie in the yard and a memorial stone was erected on the grave by Stewarton Literary Society in 1910.

   The Kirkyard was Stewarton's only burial ground until the present cemetery was opened at the start of this century. However, there were those who wanted to be laid beside their "ain folks" and burials still took place until early 1920s, latterly only by permission of the Secretary of State for Scotland.

   A look-out post, which was restored by William Smith, existed at one corner of the yard. This was where relatives of the recently-deceased kept watch over the graves to prevent body-snatching.

In the 19th century and before, the Kirk Session acted as a kind of court dealing with cases of fraud and other misdemeanours. They handled complaints connected with the sale of animals when usually the buyer accused the seller of selling him an animal which was "unsound."

   The main function of the Kirk Session seems to have been in dealing with cases of fornication and there were several "compearances" each month. Married couples who appeared before the Session were accused of "antenuptial fornication." Single girls or ladies were also compeared and charged with fornication and it was made the custom for the females to name "the father of the child," who was then compeared at the next meeting. Most times the man named admitted guilt but there were cases when the bounder "compeared not" meaning he had refused the invitation to the meeting or he had hit the trail out of town.

   Most of the "culprits" were admonished but others had to appear before either the minister, the Presbytery at Irvine, or before the congregation on a Sunday morning in the Kirk where they rebuked publicly. Fines were sometimes imposed and some had to pay two shillings to the Session Clerk and one shilling to the Kirk Officer.

   In 1825, the Session decided that members of the congregation who did not wish to witness "this painful part of ministerial duty" should be allowed to retire "in orderly manner."

   One long-serving minister who supervised the Kirk Session from 1825 until the late 1850s, the Rev. Charles B. Steven. was himself "compeared" in connection with his involvement with several women in the town. Local rumour was that Mr Steven was not all that he ought to be and what he professed to be and his "fornication" with a Mrs Dunlop and others led to his downfall.

   On one occasion when Mrs Dunlop had agreed to meet the minister at the water planting?, a trap was set by her husband and two friends who pounced on the couple when they were in a very indelicate position. Mr Steven cried and pleaded for mercy before agreeing to pay Dunlop £80 and his chums £5 each to keep their mouths shut.

   Years later Steven's case came before the Presbytery in Kilmarnock who neither found him guilty or not guilty as the business was conducted behind closed doors. The canting cleric agreed to resign provided he was paid £100 a year for life. In 1859 he left Stewarton in disgrace and went to live in Paisley, an outcast from society.

   While the Parish Church was never involved with some of the dramatic episodes and stramashes of other local churches, in 1843 seven elders resigned en masse for no apparent reason, except that they wanted to disclaim all further connection with the Established Church.

   The Kirk Session members had other duties and well into this century they were purchasing and distributing "coals for the poor." They were also involved with the allocation and the renting of seats in the days before people could sit anywhere, and this caused the odd row when innocent non-members or visitors dared to occupy someone else's pew. In extreme cases members were known to uplift their lines and join another church if they were allocated a seat which did not please them. After this practice ceased, many parishioners continued to sit in their old pews, even to this day.

   The first "organ" in the Kirk was actually a harmonium and it was not until early this century that a proper organ was installed as well as heating. A fundraising venture between 1908 and 1910 when firstly a sale-of-work was held followed by "A Grand Bazaar and Garden Fete''at Lainshaw on Friday and Saturday, 15th and 16th July, 1910 when the target was £1400, a large sum in those days.

   The result was that, with the added financial assistance of Andrew Carnegie, the philanthropist, and a door-to-door collection, enough cash was raised to provide an organ and, in 1923, build the church hall.

   The manse, which was sold recently, was erected in 1723 but extensive alterations were made to it in the 1920s.

   Prominent "auld Kirk" ministers this century include the Rev. J. Cornwall Brown from 1879 to 1907. Mr Brown had a fine, cultivated voice and was said to be a brilliant orator who was not only popular with his own parishioners but was made welcome at all social gatherings of every denomination. The Church flourished during those years, when many improvements were made to both the church and the manse. Unfortunately Mr Brown's eyesight deteriorated and this ailment deprived him of enjoying to the full the pleasures of his work.

   The next minister was the Rev. W. Falconer Ogilvie, a man with a keen sense of humour, who occupied the pulpit from 1908 until 1939. During this time, in 1913, the vestry was built behind the pulpit. He was described as "a genial, kindly, and sympathetic pastor, and a preacher of high merit."

   In 1940, the Rev. Andrew R. Hastie came to Stewarton. A "Doorhamer," he was a bachelor who, during his twenty years as a minister of the Laigh Kirk, had tremendous support from his sister, Miss Madge Hastie. It was a shock when he died, relatively young, in 1960 and it was said then that he was "a man of high and outstanding intellectual ability; a gentle, kindly, understanding, and sympathetic pastor and a true and loyal friend and helper."

   There has only been one minister of St. Columba's Church as the Rev. Philip McCardel's ministry in Stewarton began when he came from Renfrew North to become the first minister of the combined congregations of the Laigh Kirk and the Cairns United Free Church in 1962. There have been numerous changes in the intervening years due to the increasing population of the town. The congregation, instead of being almost totally comprised of bom-and-bred residents, is now an amicable alliance of townspeople, country people and ex-city people, with many of the incomers being elders and prominent members.

   Changes which have taken place in Mr McCardel's time include the replacement of the organ. The previous organ had been installed in 1939 when it was donated  by  a  former  Stewartonian, Mr John G. Shields, who lived at that time in Donnington in England. It was a beautiful instrument but when it required repairs several years ago it was found that the parts could not be obtained. Anew organ — an electronic one — was installed in 1982.

   The old manse in Lainshaw Street was sold in 1982 and a new, modern manse was erected on part of the former manse gardens. The Kirk Glebe was also sold and private houses were built there. The streets were appropriately named Kirk Glebe and belltree Avenue.  Mr McCardel retired recently and he and Mrs McCardel intend to remain in Stewarton.

Long-serving Session Clerks include A.L. Watt, James Sheddon and John Hamilton; Roy Cameron and Archie McKellar are the present joint holders of this post. The organists include J. B. Tannahill, James Bowman, and at present J.Mac. Armour. "The Church Officer, or as he used to be known, the Beadle, has always been a well-kent face and John Haining and Jackie Blades held this post, as does Tom Graham at the present time.

   When the Laigh Kirk and the Cairns Church joined together in 1961, there was a problem of what to call the new combined congregation church. Two proposals were: The Laigh and Cairns Church and Stewarton Old Parish Church. After much discussion between the two Kirk Sessions, no agreement was forthcoming so the matter was referred to the Kilmarnock Presbytery which, in its wisdom, stated that the new combined congregation was to be known as St. Columba's Parish Church.

   This decision did not please everyone and there were murmurings among the Laigh Kirk community who felt that the "Kirk" should have been retamed. The Cairns fraternity, too, were grieved that "Cairns" had not been included in the title.

   Since both congregations had developed their own traditions, there were some difficulties at the outset. The union had presented a definite challenge and both had to adapt and change to the new situation. This they did quite successfully, although there were problems sometimes caused by trivial matters, such as: Should elders at communion wear white or black ties? But  eventually the difficulties were resolved.

  About this time the church was redecorated, a major repair effected to the tower, a stained-glass window from the Cairns Church was installed and the Lainshaw Gallery changed into a chapel which used the communion table and baptismal font from the Cairns Church.

   There was only one church in Stewarton for centuries and it was not until the 18th and 19th centuries that other churches were founded. Each has its own individual history, although the Free Church (John Knox) and the Congregational histories are closely linked.

   Anyone passing the John Knox Church must imagine that here stands the epitome of peace, goodwill and good fellowship, and this is certainly the case today. But it was not always this way for behind the solid, grey sandstone walls lies a history of turbulence, bitterness, and strife which had religious repercussions which affected the whole of Scotland.

    Late in the 18th century, small groups of people started leaving the established Church of Scotland for one reason or another. In Stewarton, the Rev. Thomas Maxwell assisted and accelerated this state of affairs by his outspoken sermons and his eccentric behaviour in the pulpit. He achieved fame or notoriety once by preaching the same sermon four Sundays running, then reading the whole thing backwards the following week —no mean feat indeed.

   One Stewarton breakaway group who joined the Old Light Burghers, or the Auld Lichts as they were called, used to trudge  barefoot  to  Kilmarnock  every Sunday morning carrying their shoes and stockings,  which  they  put  on  before attending  the  only  Burgher  Kirk  in Ayrshire, the Gallows Knock — now the Henderson Church — whose minister was the Rev. Robert Jeffrey.

   After Mr Jeffrey died in 1814, the Auld Lichts from Stewarton were no longer made welcome at the Gallows Knowe and as they were tired of their weekly pilgrimage to Kilmarnock they decided to form their own congregation and in the following year, under the leadership of James Brown, a 60-year-old former church elder from Fenwick, began holding services in each other's homes and then in a weaver's shop in High Street.

   In 1825 they were recognised by the Old Light Presbytery in Glasgow who sent a young probationer, the Rev. James Duncan, aged 23, and he preached the first sermon on 26th June that year.

   Three years later the New Church, as it is known, was built by members' subscriptions at the top of Avenue Street. The cost was C290 and the building is still there today, although called the Congregational Church.

   In 1839, the same year in which the church manse was built and which is now the John Knox Manse, the congregation was received by the Presbytery of Irvine and enrolled among the congregations of the Church of Scotland, which resulted in a law-suit being filed by one of the elders, Mattha Paton, who had spite against the minister and who claimed the church and eventually won his case.

   Thereafter, the services had to be held in a local inn, the Mason Lodge, while land was sought for the erection of another new church. This should have been easy but for the efforts of the second villain of the piece as far as the Auld Lichts were concerned — William Cunninghame of Lainshaw. Who did his utmost to prevent them rebuilding. However, unknown to Cunninghame, the son of a "tobacco baron," Mr J. A. Snodgrass, a local writer and bank agent, held the titles of ground in High Street and this was secretly acquired, much to the Laird of Lainshaw's mortification.

   The second church was built in 1841 for £1,300 and was named the John Knox Church. A suit was then filed by Cunninghame to prevent the church of Scotland implementing the Chapel Act by which new congregations with no standing could be incorporated into the Church of Scotland.  This led to the famous "Stewarton case" which took three years to settle and the eventual majority decision that the Church of Scotland was wrong, affected all the new congregations throughout the country, even to the extent of the loss of their church buildings. The year was 1843 and this decision led to what was termed the Disruption in Scottish church circles.

   William Cunninghame then claimed that the John Knox Church rightly belonged to the established church and once led a posse of his estate workers with the intention of forcing entry by means of a battering ram but was warned against this extreme action by the angry John Knox supporters who were determined to stop the Laird and his men by fair means or foul.

   For the next two years Cunninghame tried to deprive the John Knox congregation of their properties and although the manse was safe, as someone had had the foresight to insert the minister's name on the title deeds, the Church was a different matter and another law-suit followed, After much wheeling and dealing, a public roup and an important visit to Edinburgh by three bond-holders, they were given legal ownership of the kirk — the  only Free Kirk in Scotland that managed to hold on to its buildings.

   In later years it was renamed the John Knox United Free Church and it was only in 1929 that it joined the Church of Scotland  to become one of the two parish churches in Stewarton.

   Many worthy men have preached from the pulpit of the John Knox Church. Back in the 1850s, the minister was the Rev. Samuel Kennedy who hailed from the North of Ireland, although he was said to be a man of courage, wit and versatility and very well-liked by the congregation, he got himself into the bad books of local horse-race fans. It was the custom at this time to have horse-racing along the main street during the Cadger's Fair, an institution dating back to the time Mary Queen of Scots visited Lainshaw. Kennedy became alarmed when he was nearly knocked down by the rush of horses during the race, so the following year he managed to persuade the Lord Lieutenant of the County to prohibit racing in the streets. This incensed some local hard men so much that they decided to grab the minister and tar-and -feat her him. However, they were talked out of this course and the next best thing was to burn an effigy of the offending pastor outside his house. This duly happened and the affair caused great excitement and scandal in the town, which had no police force in those days. Strangely, all those connected with the episode met mystifying ends, not one of them dying in their beds, and none being alive when the minister left Stewarton a few years later.

   James Clugston, a Canadian, was the minister for thirty-four years and it has been stated he outstayed his welcome, although he was an honourable man.

   In 1894 Thomas Cassels was ordained and came to the John Knox Church. During his nine years in Stewarton, he increased the membership, which had been small. He was behind the project of building a church hall which still stands; and it was he who thought that the services could be improved by installing a pipe organ. With the help of the Scottish philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, this was accomplished. He also formed the Sunbeam Club to train public-speaking members of the congregation. Mr Cassels wrote a book entitled History of the John Knox Church, Stewarton.

   Other ministers this centurywere Rev. Alexander Strang, Rev. George Johnstone Jeffrey  and  Rev. Alexander Chisholm, who, as well as preaching the gospel preached temperance when Stewarton was engrossed by the "wet" or "dry" argument. The Rev. J. M. Melrose followed, then Rev. John Warnock, Rev. T. M. Pliillips and Rev. lan lsdale, all of whom were highly revered. The present minister, the Rev. George Campbell, came to the John Knox Church in 1971 direct from Malawi, Central Africa, where he had been a missionary for thirteen years. During his time he has introduced a "youth policy" giving more scope in church affairs and services to young people.

   Session Clerks of note included Alex Highet and his son Robert K. Highet who between them served the church for sixty-five years; John Parry followed and long-time hard-working elders are Robert Miller and Willie Galbraith. The present Session Clerk is John Kilpatrick. Lay preacher John Greenwood conducts the morning service occasionally.

   The post of church officer has disappeared but well-remembered long serving "beadles" were David. Ogilvie and John Newlands.

    Among the church activities are the Woman's Guild and the Men's Own, Young Mothers Group. Youth Fellowship, Sunday school, and Bible study and house groups; and the all-female concert party put on shows at old people's homes or clubs and at their annual concert in the church hall.

   Although William Cunninghame was regarded as a tyrant and a villain by the Auld Lichts, he was still highly regarded in both the former Laigh Kirk and the Congregational Church.

   As a boy, Cunninghame had been sent by his rich father to be educated in Kensington, London, presumably to inflict on him the affected Angio accent so revered by the Scottish gentry, and he was a highly-strung lad of nervous disposition. After further education at the University of Utrecht he accepted a position in the Bengal Civil Service in India, where his religious convictions were strengthened. When his father died in 1799, it took William Junior five years before he took up residence in Lainshaw, a place he seldom left for the remainder of his life. He was vehemently opposed to bad language and once broke off a promising romance when he heard his beloved swear. He remained a bachelor thereafter.

   In Stewarton he became a member of the established church but although he was asked to become an elder, he refused, as he did not agree with some of the doctrines of the Confession of Faith, especially the teaching of the limitations of the Atonement.

   Although it was at remendous wrench, he left the Church and started a Sabbath School in the Cunninghame Institute where he taught every Sunday in a small room called the Chapel. He had a great influence on his young Stewarton members and demonstrated by example how to lead the good life; and not only was the Laird of Lainshaw concerned about their spiritual welfare, for once a year at Lainshaw on a special day. He presented each boy from his Sunday school with enough corduroy to make a suit of clothes; he also had a kindly word and a pat on the head for every youngster.

   The Free Kirk views on the enigmatic laird were rather different. They saw him as an eccentric who dressed himself in a clean, white nightshirt and night-cap every night in preparation for the Advent, but as he surmised that it would be chilly flying high in the sky, he always wore his heavy woollen combinations underneath. He believed in keeping his servants, like Uriah Heep, ever so humble and paying them starvation wages. When he died he left his butler not one penny.

   He rode through the streets of Stewarton on a white horse which had a grey tail and his groom rode twelve paces behind him. During those trips, if Cunninghame passed a boy who did not doff his cap to him, he shouted: "Bad boy! Bad boy!" while the groom would lash out at the poor lad with his whip.

   It appears, depending  on  different viewpoints, that Wlliam Cunninghame was either a saint or a scoundrel.

   In due course Cunninghame became involved in the strife and turmoil connected  with  the  Free  Church  which subsequently led to him founding the Congregational Church in the former Free Church at the top of Avenue Street, and he  published  a  pamphlet  entitled: "Narrative  of  the  Formation  of the Congregational  Church  in Stewarton." Cunninghame himself was the pastor and in 1843 the Rev. Robert Smith from Irvine became assistant minister.

   He believed in the Second Advent so strongly that he turned to the east every morning to see if there was any sign of the coming of the Lord. He was a prolific author and published several books on chronology and prophecy, and he was annoyed when people laughed at some of his writings that he bought up all the remaining books.

   In St. Columba's Church to this day, there is a handsome tablet in white marble, bordered in black, which bears the profile of William Cunninghame of Lainshaw; and a bust of the Laird is to be seen in a prominent position in the Congregational Church. He died in 1849, aged 73 years.

    A dozen ministers have conducted the services in the Congregational church over the years. One was the Rev. John R. Ramsay, 1912-1928, who was a champion of the Temperance cause. When Stewarton was first voted "dry" in 1919, the ducks belonging to the outspoken pastor were seen, so the story goes, waddling from the Manse in Lainshaw Street down the "Washhoose Road" to the Annick, never to be seen again.

   Other names among the preachers were Rev. Robert Deans, 1931-1940; the Rev. William Cowan, 1940-1954, followed by Mr Cammock, Mr MePherson and Mr Lawrence. There has been no resident minister in recent years. The manse was sold and. for a spell; there was a joint charge with Dreghorn Church. Today, acting minister is the Rev. Charles Moore, who comes from Beith. The Church President is John Brown and Vice President George Barclay is a well known lay preacher.

   In 1929 the church was reseated and the hall was built. In the seventies, dry rot was found to exist and the church had to be gutted and eventually restored. This work cost £7,000 and it would have been much more but for some of the labour being carried out by members.

   There were other breakaway groups from the established church and one was known as the Seceders, who formed a Secession Church in Kilmaurs in 1739.

Those from Stewarton with the same views joined this church but later decided to. form their own church in Stewarton and this led to the founding of the United Presbyterian Church. The original church was built in 1776 in Bridgend (later to become Springwell Place) and it cost £200, with seating for 592. Mr Smyton came from Kilmaurs to conduct the services.

   When the Stewarton congregation decided to go its separate way there was a two-year spell without a minister. A succession of pastors followed but it was not until February 1, 1827 that the Rev. Peter Cairns started his ministry, a historic day for the church. Described as "a man greatly beloved" and "everybody's body," he was responsible for increasing the membership from 150 to 274 by 1836.

   In 1854 it was decided to erect a new church on a superior site not far away at High Street which cost £2,000 and seated 650. A new manse was built at Nether Robertland at a cost of £1,000 with £700 of that sum raised by members and friends. The old church at Bridgend was sold to the Good Templars.

   Mr Cairns served the church for over half a century. He died in 1879.In 1900it was decided to rename the church the Cairns United Free Church, in memory of this most revered minister.

   Ministers who served in the Cairns Church were Mr Ronald, Mr Wright, Mr Rees Mr Grieve MrLogan. Mr Colquhoun, Mr Williamson and Dr. Wright.

   The Gilljes family was associated with the Cairns Church over a long number of years in two centuries. At the end of the 19th century until he died in 1901, Andrew Gillies was the kirk beadle and he was followed by his wife Margaret, who took over his duty. She had come to Stewarton earlier to become the Rev. Peter Cairns' housekeeper and was known as "Minister's Maggie." She met and then married the beadle, Andrew, and it was their son. Peter Cairns Gillies, who was the beadle from 1914 to 1941. His grandson, also Peter Cairns Gillies, is an elder in St. Columba's Church today.

   William Roxburgh was a long-serving organist at the Cairns Church.

   The church which stood in Brown Street until it was demolished in 1984 was erected in the 1870s as a Methodist or Wesleyan Church and services were held there until the turn of the century. The "wee Broon Street Kirk" was then taken over by the Stewarton Liberal association and it was known as the Liberal Club until 1934.

   The United Free congregation was formed in 1929 when the then United Free Church and the Church of Scotland joined to form the new established church. Services were held firstly in the Lesser Institute Hall and then in the Templars Hall before moving to Brown Street in 1934. In 1937, the Rev. H. Stoddard, a former Congregational minister from Peterhead, was called to become the first minister. From June, 1956, the pastoral duties were carried out by Mr R. H. Skilling.

   This small but hard-working congregation battled on for years to keep their church open but were forced to disband and close the church in 1983.

   In Webster's Analysis of Population in 1755, the total number of people in Stewarton numbered 2,819. The actual record states: "Stewarton: Inhabitants Papists - 0, Protestants - 2,819. Total 2,819."

    By the end of the 19th century, there were only a few families of the Roman Catholic faith living in Stewarton and district, and they worshipped in a very small hall above stables in the mews off Main Street, owned by a local contractor and publican, John Newlands. Mass was celebrated there on the first Sunday of each month and the priest used to come from Kilmarnock either on horseback or by pony trap. In those days the congregations were often augmented by visiting Irishmen who came to the district to work on farms during the summer months.

   In 1925, a chapel was erected on a site at the foot of Lainshaw Street by Mgr. J. J.   Canon Shechy of St. Joseph's Kilmarnock. On Lacture Sunday, the mid Sunday of Lent, in that year, the little, modest building was opened and dedicated to Our Lady and St. John. From then on, Mass was celebrated on the first and third Sundays of each month when, again, a   priest   came   from   St.Joseph's Kilmarnock — not on horseback, but by bus.

   Early in the war, the congregation increased for a short time when R. C. mothers and children were evacuated from St. Luke's Parish in Glasgow. But this did not last as most returned to the city after a short stay.  Later in the war years, soldiers from Lainshaw Camp attended services which were conducted by Army Chaplains.

Eventually the church was separated from St. Joseph's and came under jurisdiction of "Our Lady of Mount Carmel" in Kilmarnock and Mass was celebrated every Sunday. When the town's population began to increase in the mid-sixties when the Glasgow overspill operation started locally, the R. C. population also increased and it became obvious that a larger church was required as the existing building was overcrowded every week. In 1974, when services were held in the Institute Hall, the small chapel was replaced by a larger and modern church — a multi-purpose building — and it was also named Our Lady and St. John. Stewarton soon had its first resident priest since before the Reformation, and Fr.  Kevin   O'Shaughnessy conducted all services and lived nearby in Lainshaw Street. Until recently Fr. Joseph Mitchell, known as Father Joe, was the resident priest and in 1987 he took part in the Bonnet Guild's annual church service in St. Columba’s Church, which was attended by all denominations.

   Church Unity has been most successful in Stewarton in recent years. Two years ago a Prayer for Peace meeting was held in the Institute Hall and in 1987 "John KJIOX" walked with "Our Lady" when local ministers and the local priest marched with members of their congregations through Stewarton to Strandhead Park where a short service was held as part of the Pentecost March of Witness.

   The Stewarton Bible School was started in the early Seventies by Mr David Loughran,who came to Stewarton from  London when the Post Office Savings Bank transferred to Glasgow. He began by holding a children's bible class on Saturday mornings which led him into writing lessons. Soon the Stewarton Bible School was receiving requests for these lessons from all over the world but especially from Africa, and Mr Loughran, assisted by his wife, Ingeborg, despatched these lessons on the bible and also sermons for young ministers to many different countries.

   Back in the Twenties and Thirties the Salvation Army used to hold services and children's meetings in Stewarton. There were two resident Lady members who lived in the red sandstone buildings towards the foot of Lainshaw Street and the meetings were held in the Guide hut at Standalane. The Watsons and the Gaits  were  prominent  members  and Tom Watson rose to become a Captain in the Salvation Army. He later became a minister.

   The Foundry Boys were a well-known body in Stewarton during a long period of years.  Many people remember their meetings in the Lesser Hall every Sunday morning from II a.m. to noon and at the Cross on Saturday nights .when music was provided by a portable harmonium. Prominent members were Tom Barclay, the butcher; Davie Sim, the baker; George Whiteford; Tom Hall, the hosiery manufacturer; and Alex Cunningham, the postman, ably assisted by Miss Roy and wee Bella McAllister,

   A similar group, the Faith Mission, also held meetings.

   One renowned preacher in Stewarton was John Love Brown, or J. L. Brown, as he was generally known, who had a long beard and wore a frock coat. Once described as "a saintly, ancient evangelist," he used to take his stand at the Cross and preach the word of God in a booming and forthright style, promising hell’s fire and damnation to those who disregarded the message. I'm told that one wee lassie was so overawed by Mr Brown that she actually thought he was God himself.

   Religious “kitchen meetings" were sometimes held for poor people who did not possess a "Sunday suit" of a "good coat" to enable them to attend church.

   There have been several religious revivals in Scotland. One of these took place in Stewarton and the "Stewarton Sickness" swept the country. It was said at the time in the 17th century that people were "seized so violently with anguish of mind and contrition for their sins, so prostrate were they with despair and remorse, with such loud crying and tears they sought a place of refuge."

   Strangely, it was not the Stewarton minister, the Rev.  William Castlelaw, who conducted the revival - he asked Mr David Dickson from Irvine to take control. A learned student of the Bible and a Professor of Theology, Mr Dickson was not of the usual stamp of revivalist who relies on a loud voice and thumping of the bible to work up hysteria.

   Mr Dickson's cultured style of preaching appealed to the people and the "Stewarton Sickness" lasted for five years, from 1625 to 1630.

   Many changes have taken place in the churches in recent years. Today there is less formal atmosphere and gone are the times when no one would dare speak before the start of the service and smiling or laughing were almost sacrilege. Fifty years ago people wore their "Sunday best" to attend church, which meant sombre clothing and doleful faces, and all ladies wore hats. While a certain degree of respectability is still expected in church, lighter and brighter clothes are often worn and ladies no longer are required to cover their heads in the Church of Scotland.

    At special services the traditional organ music is sometimes augmented by the Stewarton  Academy  Brass  Band, and children's  choirs  or  soloists  from  the schools also  take part. They are even applauded on occasion — unthinkable in the past.  Every Sunday morning the children from the Sunday Schools attend the first part of the service, when they are told a story and sing a children's hymn, and the youth organisations make contributions to some services by singing religious songs with guitar accompaniment.

   During the last decade, women elders have been introduced in the Church of Scotland, and idea which would have shocked our forefathers but one that has proved successful, as the ladies are among the hardest-working and most helpful of the elders.

   One very special development during the decades of the 20th century has been the growing cooperation between the various denominations, and no doubt this will continue as the next century draws near and Christians unite in the task of witnessing for their faith.

    In the past, there has been much strife and squabbling, animosity and acrimony, bitterness and backbiting, among the various religious sects in Stewarton. All of that is now past history and today the churches in Stewarton are altogether happier places. They are also in good heart and look forward to the future with confidence.