Memorial to Robert Glassford Mitchell

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 10 Dec 2012

"In memory of Robert Glassford Mitchell, Writer in Dumbarton, Procurator Fiscal of Dumbartonshire, died 21st September 1874 aged 55 years, and of Agnes Hodge his wife, died 6th December 1872, aged 54". "Writer", in this context, means solicitor. Also commemorated on the stone (which was sculpted by Milne and Wishart) are two sons; one of them died in Haiti; the other went on to become Procurator Fiscal of Dumbartonshire. Robert Glassford Mitchell was the only son of P.H.Mitchell (a Bailie in Dumbarton). He was admitted procurator in 1844, and appointed fiscal in 1854. His wife, Agnes Hodge, was from Paisley; they married in 1843. The couple had three sons and two daughters (see also Image). - - • - - The gravestone of P.H.Mitchell himself is one of the few memorials still present in the greatly-reduced kirkyard of Image, but its inscription has almost entirely flaked away. For this reason, I have not depicted the stone separately, but it is worth commenting on here. A metal plaque beside the flaked stone records that it commemorated Peter H. Mitchell, writer and bailie, who died on the 5th February 1863 (this is wrong – see below), aged 50, and his wife Grace Scott, who died in the 1830s. Peter was born in 1793, educated at the Burgh Grammar School, and was admitted in 1824 as procurator before the Sheriff Court in Dumbarton. He married twice; from his second marriage, he had one son, the above-mentioned R.G.Mitchell. Peter H. Mitchell died on 5th Feb 1843, aged 50. He was a bailie of the town for a number of years, and he was also active in social life, being secretary and a member of the Coul Club (a Glasgow club supposedly instituted c.1796 in honour of Old King Cole/Coul). He was also secretary and a member of Dumbarton's Midge Club and of the Salmon Club. The Midge Club (also referred to as the Glenhoulachan Club, or the Glenhoulachan Midge Club) was instituted in 1824, and its members were referred to as Midges. As Secretary of the Salmon Club, which was instituted in 1796, Peter H. Mitchell was succeeded by his son R.G.Mitchell; when R.G.Mitchell died in 1874, his son R.P.Mitchell (Peter's grandson) succeeded him as Secretary of the club. That position was therefore held by the members of one family for many decades. (Incidentally, Robert Glassford Mitchell was usually just referred to as "R G", and that is how his friends normally addressed him.) Some of the above biographical details for Peter H. Mitchell are from "The God's Acres of Dumbarton" (see the end-note); I have added information about the various clubs, whose names will be unfamiliar to many modern readers. Among other local clubs of a similar nature were the Lang Craigs Club (1770s) and the Hoasting Club.

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