IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Hillview Road, JOHNSTONE, PA5 9HU

Abbey Cemetery is in the foreground. See the scene over the past few months... March 2015 Image March 2017 Image April 2017 Image June 2017 Image August 2017 Image April 2018 Image May 2018 Image September 2018 Image January 2019 Image April 2019 Image February 2019 Image

This photograph was taken from more or less the same point as Image

See the scene over the past few months... March 2015 Image March 2017 Image April 2017 Image June 2017 Image August 2017 Image April 2018 Image May 2018 Image September 2018 Image

The picture was taken in the newer (northern) half of the cemetery. The wall on the right separates it from the older half. Not far ahead, on the right, is a Celtic cross, a Image

The Celtic cross, erected in 1939, is set beside the wall that separates the older and newer halves of the Abbey Cemetery. This memorial is in the newer half, which is on the northern side of the wall; see Image for context. Its Gaelic inscription, reproduced below in full, relates (my own translation) that this monument was erected by acquaintances as a memorial to Calum MacPhàrlain, an outstanding Gael, pre-eminent as a poet and as a scholar of literature and folk music; that he worked zealously to promote the interests of the Gaelic language, leaving behind a precious legacy in his books, airs and songs; that his accomplishments and his upright character have earned him devotion and lasting respect in the hearts of the Gaels; and that he was born at Loch-Awe-side in 1853, and passed away at Greenock in 1931. The inscription itself is as follows; for readability, I have changed the text to lower case, and have added some accent marks (the inscription itself has none): "Thogadh an carragh so le luchd-eòlais mar chùimhneachan air Calum MacPhàrlain sar-Ghàidheal a bha barraighte mar bhàrd, is mar sgoilear an litreachas is an ceòl a dhùthcha. Shaothraich e gu dealasach as leth a chànain: agus dh'fhàg e dìleab luachmhor 'na leabhraichean, 'na òrain agus 'na fhuinn. Choisinn a bhuadhan agus a threibhdhireas dha urram is meas a mhaireas buan an cridheachan nan Gàidheal. Rugadh e Taobh Loch-Odha, 1853. Chaochail e an Grianaig, 1931. 1939." An entirely Gaelic inscription like this one provides some welcome variety, as well as serving as a reminder of part of our cultural heritage. As for Calum MacPhàrlain, he is also sometimes referred to as Malcolm MacFarlane, which is the Anglicised form of his name. As well as publishing songs, he wrote scholarly works on the orthography and phonetics of the Gaelic language. As noted in the inscription, he was also active in promoting Gaelic.

This picture was taken in the newer half of the cemetery. In the foreground is a memorial to John Ronald Lang, and to other members of his family. There are several other Lang memorials in the cemetery. For example, two more, though not visible in this picture, are located in an area near the trees on the right, and there is a prominent one in the older half of the cemetery: Image In the background of the present picture, a little right of centre, the wide memorial with the curving top is for the Keanie family; the first person named in its inscription is James Young Keanie (d.1931), who founded the firm of J Y Keanie Ltd, Builders, Johnstone.

An interesting feature of this monument is that, as explained on the base, "this memorial is a restored copy of the ancient cross of Barochan without the historical figures". (By coincidence, I had viewed Image itself a little earlier on the same day, though I did not photograph it on that occasion. It used to be located at Barrochan Mill, near Houston, before being moved to a nearby hilltop, and then to its present location, inside Paisley Abbey; see the link just cited for a picture, and for further details.) The memorial in the present photograph is "sacred to the memory of Sir Charles Bine Renshaw of Barochan, Baronet, born Dec 9th 1848, died Mar 6th 1918, and his wife, Dame Mary Home, born Nov 9th 1852, died Feb 13th 1987". Charles Bine Renshaw was a manufacturer with Messrs A F Stoddard & Co of the Glenpatrick Carpet Works, Elderslie. He married Mr A F Stoddard's daughter, and later became the chairman of the company. He was also a Member of Parliament, and he became the chairman of the Caledonian Railway Company.

The gates at the west entrance to the cemetery.