IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Church Road, HELENSBURGH, G84 8RN

According to a church member, the crocuses were first planted in the graveyard of Rhu Parish Church (as it was then) over 100 years ago. They have certainly flourished and provide a great spectacle at this time of year. Rhu and Shandon Parish Church were holding a "Crocus Tea" in their church hall on this particular afternoon.

The memorial dating from 1709 is for a former minister of the church. See Lairich Rig's Image for a full description.

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.

This stone is in the older part of the kirkyard of Image The other side of the stone is rather worn, but its inscription commemorates William Muir, a smith, and his wife, Margaret Turner. The text on this side reads "W.M. / Erected in 1801". As well as emblems of mortality, the carvings include a crown (top), and some recognisable symbols of the smith's craft. The symbol at the bottom probably represents bellows. For context, see Image, where the position of this stone is picked out.

The flat stone (actually iron) is located in the kirkyard of Image, and lies to the south-east of the church. The elegantly-carved inscription is worth reproducing in full: "To the Memory of Captain Robert Bain, born May 1788, departed this Life at Fort William, Dec. 1827, aged 39 years. - - • - - C R Bain was appointed by H Bell, to the command of the Comet Steam Boat in 1814, by which Vessel a communication was opened up between the Western Islands of Scotland and Glasgow, through the Crinan Canal in July 1819. He was the first Captain who commanded a Vessel from Sea to Sea, through the great Caledonian Canal, in 1822. - - • - - This was erected as a tribute of honour, for 16 years faithful service, By Henry Bell, Engineer, Helensburgh. - - • - - Cast and completely finished At The Shotts Iron Company's Works John Baird Manager 1829." Henry Bell, mentioned here, is buried not far away in the same kirkyard: Image A Image is displayed on the shore at Helensburgh, about 2 miles away, Image, along with an Image See also Image

This picture was taken with the Domesday Reloaded project in mind, and was an attempt to recreate an older photograph, which could (at the time) be seen at the BBC's Domesday Reloaded site. For the front of the inn, see also Image The wall that appears in the foreground, on the right, is at the top of the beach. The photograph was taken from a point near the Image

The memorial is in the kirkyard of Image (and can be seen in that photograph). For additional context, see Image The main inscription reads: "Here lyes intrred Ann Margrat and Janet McFarlands of Robert McFarland and Margrat of Achavenal 1728" Later additions appear in smaller text below the figures. The three sisters named in the main inscription, Ann, Margaret and Janet, born in the 1680s-90s, are represented in the carving. Searching for further details will turn up a tale about the girls dying for the sake of fashion, from a habit of being too tightly-laced: an implausible story that was clearly inspired by the narrow-waisted appearance of the carved figures, and which no doubt originated as a joke. Auchenvennel (the later spelling) was a farmstead in Glen Fruin; see Image and Image

This memorial, in the kirkyard of Image, depicts three sisters from the farmstead of Auchenvennel (in Glen Fruin); for further details, such as the text of the inscription, and for the folklore that has grown up around the carving, see Image The present view is intended to provide further context, showing the position of the carving on the eastern side of Image (the carved figures are also visible in that photograph, at the extreme left). The arch in the background is now part of the Buchanan Memorial; it is a fragment of the 1763 church that stood here, the predecessor of the present-day church.

This is the southern edge of the kirkyard. For the church itself, see Image The dark upright stone in the right foreground has the following inscription: "erected in memory of Alexander Lennox, Miller, Malig, who died 15th December 1828, in the Seventy first year of his age" (there are other members of the Lennox family buried in the same kirkyard; one of them is a later Alexander Lennox, who was also associated with Malig Mill). The Image can still be seen in Helensburgh, but the mill itself pre-dates the creation of that town. The upright stone obscured by the upper-left corner of Alexander Lennox's gravestone is the memorial of William Muir, a smith; it has a number of interesting symbols on its far side: Image The three flat stones at the left and centre commemorate some ministers of this parish, and their relatives.

The memorial commemorates the dead of two World Wars. Image is visible in the background. For a wider view that likewise includes both the memorial and the church, but which provides more context, see Image See also Image (the church is indeed in Image, but the war memorial, which I have used as subject, is in Image, as was I when taking the picture). The memorial was designed by the architectural practice A.N.Paterson and Stoddart. For details of the church itself, see the end-note. Click on the end-note title for other views of the building, and of the various memorials that are to be seen in the kirkyard around the church.