Memorial for Robert Anderson

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 19 May 2014

The stone is set into the southern boundary wall of the kirkyard of Image The stone long pre-dates the present church. On its reverse (close to the war memorial shown in Image) is the following inscription: "Out Of Loue And Respeicte The Paerish Had To There Minister They Bulded This Tomb 1709". John Smith (see the works cited at the end), writing in 1849, described the stone as being "Chinese-shaped rather"; it is, but I doubt whether this conveyed much information to the average reader of those times. The near side bears fairly typical emblems of mortality: an hourglass, skull, and crossbones. Below them is the worn carved representation of a head. Below the head is the following inscription: "Hic situs est Mr Robertus Anderson qui cum ecclesiæ Rowensi per quinque plus minus lustra summa cum laude nec minore fructu præfuisset immatura quamvis morte in ipso ætatis vigore præreptus famam tamen sibi superstitem monumento hoc lapidio longe perenniorem reliquit. Decessit Cal. Mart. Anno Dom. MDCCVIII." As noted there, he was minister of the congregation of Row (now spelled Rhu) for about 25 years ("per quinque plus minus lustra", literally "for five lustra, more or less"). He succeeded Hugh Gordon of Comrie in 1684; during Gordon's ministry, the congregation were following an Episcopalian form of worship, and Anderson did likewise in his first few years at Rhu. His ministry there was not without interruption: at around the time of the 1688 Revolution (the overthrow of James VII), Anderson took up the Second Charge at Dumbarton. Later, with the restoration of Presbyterianism, he again accepted the call to become minister at Rhu, though he now did so on Presbyterian lines. He died on the first of March 1708, aged around 53. References: • The Latin inscription, though still mostly legible today, is transcribed in: John Smith, "Our Scottish Clergy" (1849), Second Series, page 136. • A detailed listing of the succession of ministers at Row/Rhu appears in: "Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ" (1920), volume 3, page 365. • A summary listing of the same succession is given in: Joseph Irving, "The Book of Dumbartonshire" (1879), volume 2, page 303.

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