Early Christian Renfrewshire
This summary does not pretend to be an exhaustive discussion of Early Christian Renfrewshire. It merely draws attention to a number of place-names and dedications that enhance our picture of the religious situation prior to the arrival of the Normans around the 1160s.
The parish-names give us a good starting-point. Amongst them we find Kilmacolm (St Columba), Kilbarchan (St Berchan), and Killallan (St Fillan). No Renfrewshire parish has a name beginning with ‘Kirk-’. The first element is ‘Kil-’ which is from Gaelic cille, (cell or church). We also have some other ‘Kil-’ names which are not parish names:
St Bride or Bridget
We have a Kilbride at c. NS 3371 in Kilmacolm parish.
We have one reference to what was probably another Kilbride in Neilston parish. Fraser, Lennox II, No 2, is a charter by Alan, son of Walter, Steward of Scotland, to Robert Croc, of the land of Kellebrid. It is printed (in Latin) on p 2 and there is an English abstract on p 359 No 2. Alan gave, etc., to Robert Croc: terram de Kellebrid cum vasto, pro terra centum solidorum (the land of Kilbride, with its waste, for a 100 shillings land)
Thirdly we have a chapel dedicated to St Bride in Kenmure, Kilbarchan parish.
Cuthbert Simon’s Protocol Book No 250, 1507, gives evidence of a St Bridget’s Altar in Glasgow Cathedral – although not named elsewhere.
Memoirs of the Maxwells of Pollok, Vol I, No 105 1522 is a testament or will of George Maxwell of Kowglene (Cowglen). George made a number of bequests to support his favoured altars and one of these was the Altar of the blessed Brigid of Mernis (Mearns) – which was left two cows.
St Blaan or Blane
We have a Kilblain (Kilblane) in Greenock. The New Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol VII, Greenock p 425, dated 1840, writes:
The name Kilblain, applied to a part of the town, would seem to indicate that, at some former period, a religious house did stand on the spot which has received that appellation;
Greenock Place Names p 54 claims Kilblain Street had a chapel to St Blane. Also a farm called Kilblain.
St Moluag
We have a Kilmoluag which appears briefly in the records. It is Kylmoloog in GD124/1/406 c. 1350. REG I No 315, pp 289-292, (Shead & Cunningham No 315), 1378, is a charter of Sir John of Danyelston who is described as lord of ‘Fynlauistoun Danyelston and Kylmoloog’. RMS I (867) 1392-3 gives a £40 estate which includes ‘the lands of Kylmeluge’.
This may be what is now known as Chapel Hill (NS 3672/3673), just inside Erskine parish.
Cuthbert Simon’s Protocol Book No 273, 23 October, 1507, gives evidence of a St Moloc’s Altar in Glasgow Cathedral – although not named elsewhere. A similar document, of the same date, done at the same altar, is given under No 297.
St Peter
It is also worth noting Kilpeter, mentioned by Crawfurd in 1710. The first element is from Gaelic cille but the name is Peter and not as it sometimes appears in a Gaelic context e.g. Cladh Pheadair, South Uist (Peter’s burial-ground), or Espedair burn (Eas Pheadair) in Paisley parish. It appears in the context of the Houstoun family who seem to have carved out a parish for themselves from within the parish of Killallan. It is a hybrid, a Gaelic prefix to a Roman saint whose name is written as if by an English-speaker. However the fact that the Houstoun family apparently referred to it as Kilpeter in the twelfth century shows how naming parishes was still rooted in Irish practice.
We also have other evidence of early saints without a surviving place-name in ‘Kil-’:
St Lawrence
OSA Vol 5 No 40, II, p 569, in the account of the New Parish of Greenock, refers to:
“the united bay of Greenock and Crawfurdsdike, formerly called the Bay of St Laurence, from a chapel near it, dedicated to that saint”.
The author of the parish report in The New Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol VII, Greenock p 425, dated 1840, cast considerable doubt on the existence of a chapel to St Laurence. However, in a footnote on p 460, he revised this view on the basis of local knowledge.
Greenock Place Names p 55 states a chapel to St Lawrence founded at the corner of what later became Virginia Street. Remains visible in 1760.
There is a good discussion of St Lawrence in JM Mackinlay, Ancient Church Dedications in Scotland, Non-scriptural dedications, Edinburgh, 1914, pp 388-398.
St Mirrin
One of the saints particularly associated with Paisley Abbey.
Papal Letters to Scotland of Clement VII of Avignon 1378-1394, C. Burns (ed.), Edinburgh, 1976, p 193 refers to the parish church of St Merin de Inverkype (Inverkip) in June 1393.
St Conval
JM Mackinlay, Ancient Church Dedications in Scotland, Non-scriptural dedications, Edinburgh, 1914, p 188, quotes Boece that St Conval was buried at Inchinnan.
RMP pp 63-64, W.W. Scott No 55, 1266, is a quitclaim by Roger, son of Reginald of Aldhous, of all right which he or his heirs might have in all of Aldhus; which land he, and his father, rented from Paisley Abbey. Apparently the land was the endowment of the church of St Convall of Pollock. (This is Nether Pollock in Eastwood parish). It is possible that Roger’s ancestors were those who had endowed the church.
RMP pp 64-65, W.W. Scott No 56, 1284, is a quitclaim by John of Aldhus, son of Roger of Aldhus, (see document immediately above). The quitclaim refers to that part of Aldhus which Patrick, son of Nevin, had rented from the Paisley monks. It too, had been part of the endowment of St Convall of Polloc.
Memoirs of the Maxwells of Pollok, Vol I, No 105 1522 is a testament or will of George Maxwell of Kowglene. George made a number of bequests to support his favoured altars. One of these was the Altar of the blessed Gvalli (Convall) in Eastwood church – to which he left one cow.
Cuthbert Simon’s Protocol Book No 286, 1508, refers to the chaplaincy of Saints Convall and Ninian in the parish church of Renfrew. It appears the chaplain had abandoned his cure.
Apart from St Conval’s Stone (Canmore ID 43064) there is a chapel dedicated to him at Fereneze (Neilston parish)
REG II No 483 p 511 1504 refers to chapel of St Conval in village of Ferrenes. This is the subject of RMP p 78 (WW Scott No 71, c. 1200 x 1219).
In the online database CANMORE, run by Historic Environment Scotland, are the following references:
Canmore ID 43005 St Connel’s Well
Canmore ID 42998 Chapell House – Chapel never located. Dedicated to St Connel. Lands went to John, Lord Semple in 1504.
Canmore ID 42990 NS 480573 Neilston Parish Church. Appears to be dedicated to St Conval.
St Ninian
Cuthbert Simon’s Protocol Book No 286, 1508, refers to the chaplaincy of Saints Convall and Ninian in the parish church of Renfrew. It appears the chaplain had abandoned his cure.
Memoirs of the Maxwells of Pollok, Vol I, No 105 1522 is a testament or will of George Maxwell of Kowglene. George made a number of bequests to support his favoured altars, one of which was the Altar of St Ninian in Eastwood church, to which he left one cow.
St Ninian’s Chapel. There was a chapel to St Ninian beside Nether Merburn in Lochwinnoch parish. See Lochwinnoch table for evidence.
RMS IV (2520) 1575-6, on original of 1571, tells us of a house called St Ninian’s House which belonged to the chaplain of the altar of St Ninian formerly situated in the parish church of Paisley.
St Oswald
JM Mackinlay, Ancient Church Dedications in Scotland, Non-scriptural dedications, Edinburgh, 1914, pp 233-4 on connection to Cathcart.
St Inan
I do not know of any evidence for a connection between St Inan and Inchinnan.
Other chapels
There were other chapels in Renfrewshire. One, in Kilbarchan parish, is referred to in RMP pp 48-9 (Scott No 42, 1173 x 1177) as an antique capelle (old chapel) – i.e. it was regarded as old in the twelfth century. There were also chapels associated with some of the castles but we can assume these were generally later in date.
OPS I p 96 suggests the sites of two ancient chapels in Neilston, perhaps associated with wells. One was at ‘Chapel’ by Arthurlie, the other at a place called ‘Boon the Brae’ [now ‘Aboon the Brae’] about a mile from the church. Unfortunately, unless we have a name or dedication there is little we can do with these traditions. There is always the possibility that some carved stones may turn up in the future which will give us hard evidence.
Saints and burns
Christianity has a long association with holy wells (e.g. Chrisswell, Inverkip parish) but it is worth drawing attention to some burns in Renfrewshire that had links to specific saints.
I do not know if the Peter in Eas Pheadair or the Patrick in Old Patrick Water were originally the names of the saints. ‘Eas’ is from Gaelic (waterfall) and ‘Old’ is a corruption of Gaelic ‘Allt’ (burn). Both are on record from the early thirteenth century: RMP pp 17-18 (WW Scott No 18 1208 x 1214).
Others references are more emphatic:
RMS VIII (1865) 1631 refers to ‘lie burne de Sanct-Mairtenis’ (i.e. St Martin’s burn) in Paisley.
RMS IX (567) 1636 refers to ‘torrentem S. Mirrini’ (i.e. St Mirrin’s burn) Paisley.
Metcalfe, pp 133-134, 1605-1619, refers to ‘St. Mirinis Burnfutt’.
Mackinlay, J.M., Influence of the Pre-Reformation Church on Scottish Place-Names, Edinburgh, 1904, gives p 85 Kilpeter, Houstoun; Peter’s Burn, St. Peter’s Well.
Mackinlay, J.M., Ancient Church Dedications in Scotland, Scriptural Dedications, Edinburgh, 1910, gives p 133 – At Paisley, chapel to Our Lady, giving name to Ladyburn.
Also Ladyburn St in Bartholomew’s plan of 1909.
St Bride’s Burn formed the boundary between Kilbarchan and Lochwinnoch parishes.
- Durkan, ‘Paisley Abbey in the Sixteenth Century’, pp 55-68 of Malden, refers to St Milburga’s well in 1523 (see p 56).
Carved stones
Renfrewshire has a number of important and interesting Early Christian carved stones. I have not examined these here.
Eccles
It is important to recognise the name Eaglesham, in the south-eastern corner of Renfrewshire, as a relic of a different naming tradition using eccles from ecclesia (Latin for a church). This is the only such name in Renfrewshire, although there are others in Dunbartonshire, Bute, Arran and Kintyre.
Paisley altars
RMS IV (2627) 1576-7 names the following altarages (i.e. revenues from offerings at the church altar) etc., lying in the burgh, parish and liberty of Paisley: Altarage of Saints Mirin and Columba, St Ninian, Virgin Mary, St Nicolas, St Peter, St Katherine, St Anne, chapel of St Roch (Roque) and 7 roods belonging to that chapel. See also NSA Paisley p 177.
Metcalfe, W.M. (ed.), Charters and Documents relating to the Burgh of Paisley, Paisley, 1902, pp 129-132 gives this list of altars within the parish kirk of Paisley: Our Lady Altar; St Peter’s Altar; St James’ and St Nicolass’ Altar; St Katrenis (Catherine’s) Altar; St Ninianis Altar; St Anis (Anne’s) Altar; St Roikis (Roque’s) Altar. Metcalfe adds the altar of Saints Mirin and Columba (footnote p 132 referring to Charter No 26 pp 52-58).
I am not sure that Kilburn NS 4756 (Neilston) has any religious connection.
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