sources

History of the Churches
of New Cumnock

History of the Parish

of New Cumnock

by Robert Guthrie

Sources and Acknowledgements

Helen J Steven 'The Cumnocks Old and New'

George Sanderson 'New Cumnock Far and Away'

Reverend James Young 'First Statistical Account of Scotland'

Reverend Matthew Kirkland 'Second Statistical Account of Scotland'

John Strawhorn and William Boyd 'Third Statistical Account of Scotland'

Hugh Lorimer 'A Corner of Old Strathclyde'

Rev. James B Johnston 'Place-names of Scotland' (Third Edition)

John Thomson 'The Martyrs Graves of Scotland' Editor Matthew Hutchison

J. H. S. Burleigh 'A Church History of Scotland' (Oxford University Press 1960)

Rob Close 'Ayrshire & Arran An Illustrated Architectural Guide' (1992 )

RCAHMS : Royal Commission on the Ancient Historical Monuments of Scotland

Chart illustrating Divisions and Unions in the Church

TIME-LINE 1560 -1970

1638

Time -Line	National Events	Local Events

1560	Reformation First Book of Discipline
1603	Union of Crowns
1625	Charles I
1638	National Covenant
1643	Solemn League and Covenant
1649	Charles I executed
1650		Parish of Cumnock sub-divided into two new parishes of Old Cumnock and New Cumnock
1651	Cromwell victorious at Battle of Dunbar. Commonwealth
1653		Ayr Presbytery appoint Hugh Crawford of Auchinames as first minister of the parish of New Cumnock

1659		Parish Church of New Cumnock built on the castlehill
1660	Restoration of Charles II
1661	Prelacy re-established
1662	Over 300 ministers ejected from their churches . Conventicles and field preaching	Hugh Crawford on of Ayrshire True Band of Covenanters is ejected from parish of New Cumnock
1667		Commission of the Plantation of Kirks reversed decision to sub-divide the parish of Cumnock - Old Cumnock and New Cumnock effectively reunited into one parish.
1670	Field-meetings declared treasonable
1680	Sanquhar Declaration	Richard Cameron and his associates including Partick Gamill of Cumnock Mains (New Cumnock) renounced their allegiance to the king and declared war on him
1680	Battle of Airdsmoss	Richard Cameron and eight other killed at Airdsmoss including spouse of Joanatt McMichall of the Bank, New Cumnock.
1684-85	Killing Times	Jamieson, Humphry & Wilson martyred on Carsgailoch Hill Corson & Hair martyred near Overcairn Marion Cameron and Margaret Dun martyred in Martyrs' Moss
1685	Accession of James VII & II
1689	Revolution against James
1690	Restoration of Presbyterianism Cameronians or Reformed Presbyterians remain outwith Established Church
1691		Parish of Cumnock once again sub-divided into the parishes of Old Cumnock and New Cumnock
1692	Glencoe Massacre	Hugh Crawford dies
1696		Reverend James Gilchrist appointed as minister of parish church
1706		Reverend Thomas Hunter appointed as minister of parish church
1707	Union of England and Scotland
1712	Patronage Act
1733	First Secession Ebenezer Erskine
1745	Jacobite Rebellion
1747	Seceeders schism Burghers Anti-Burghers
1755		Population : 1497
1757		Reverend Thomas Hunter retires , dies three years later in 1760
1758		Reverend James Young appointed as minister of parish church
1761	Second Secession Thomas Gillespie Relief Church
1780		With no church building the Reformed Presbyterians held open-air meetings, as their Covenanting ancestors had done a century beforehand.
1789	Robert Burns 'The Kirk's Alarm'	Reverend James Young appears as 'Jamie Goose' in 'The Kirk's Alarm'.
1790		Population : 1200
1793	First Statistical Account of Scotland	Reverend James Young writes Statistical Account for New Cumnock in 1790. Population approx 1200 About 12 of the inhabitants are Seceeders (probably Reformed Presbyterians)
		Reverend James Youg dies.
1796		Reverend William Reid appointed as minister of parish church
1799	Burghers split Auld Lichts New Lichts
1800		About beginning of the century there was a small meeting house belonging to Reformed Presbyterians but with no minister
1806	Anti-Burghers split Auld Lichts New Lichts
1820	Union of New Lichts United Secession Church
1829		Reverend William Reid dies. Reverend Robert Craig appointed as minister of parish church

1831		Population : 2184 Established Church : 1752 Seceeders of various denominations : 299 Reformed Presbyterians : 117
1832	Reform Bill
1833		New parish church built in the main thoroughfare. Original church now disfunctional and becomes known as the Auld Kirk.
1836		Reverend Robert Craig leaves for Bute Reverend Matthew Kirkland appointed minister
1842	New (Second) Statistical Account of Scotland	Rev. Matthew Kirkland writes New Statistical Account in 1838 and quotes population and church preferences as those given in 1831.
1839	Auld Lichts of Burghers return to Established Church
1843	Disruption Free Church	Reverend Matthew Kirkland demits from Established Church Reverend Robert Murray appointed as minister of parish church Reverend Matthew Kirkland becomes first minister of Free Church, new church built on the castlehill, majority of his congregation leave Established (parish) Church to join him.
1846		Reverend Matthew Kirkland dies Reverend Gilbert Johnston appointed minister of Free Church
1847	Union of Relief Church and United Secession Church United Presbyterian Church
1849		Reverend Gilbert Johnston leaves New Cumnock Reverend George Anderson appointed as minister of Free Church
1852	Most Auld Lichts of Anti-Burghers join Free Church
1859		Reverend Matthew Hutchison appointed minister of Reformed Presbyterian Church.
1868		New Reformed Presbyterian Church and Manse built at Afton Bridgend with seating for 300.
1875		Free Church expands into the miners rows and small iron church the Bank Free Church, built at Craigbank
1876	Most Reformed Presbyterians join Free Church	Congregation of Reformed Presbyterians at Afton Bridgend joins with the Free Church retaining church building and now Afton Free Church Manse.
1880		Continued recovery in parish church with 600 on communicant roll.
1881		1881 Census Records Population : 3797
1885		Bank Free Church : 170 on communicant roll
1888	Keir Hardie forms Scottish Labour Party
1890		New Cumnock born James Adair becomes firt pastor of Baptist Church in New Cumnock.
1889		New stone-built Bank Free Church erected to replace small iron church.
1892	Small schism from Free Church Free Presbyterian Church Keir Hardie elected as first Labour M.P.
1894		Reverend Robert Murray dies Reverend James Millar appointed as minister of parish church

1900	UNION of Free Church and United Presbyterian Church United Free Church	Free Church on castlehill becomes United Free Church
1906
1911		United Free Church on castlehill pulled down
1913		Arthur Memorial United Free Church built on castlehill in memory of William Arthur of Wellhill.
1914-1919	First World War
1923		Congregation of Afton Free Church (former Reformed Presbyterian Church) transferred to Arthur Memorial Church and the church building was sold and used as a Masonic Temple.
1926		Reverend Andrew Bodin appointed as minister of parish church. The church became known as the 'Martyrs Kirk' in memory of his former charge in Glasgow.
1929	UNION - United Free Church and Established Church	Arthur Memorial United Free Church and the Bank Church
1939-1945	Second World War
1951	Third Statistical Account of Scotland	The Martyrs Church has a membership of 600 of which one-quarter to one-third attend on Sunday, i.e 150-200. Associated is Bridgend Hall ( former Reformed Presbyterian Church) and Mission Hall at Burnside Arthur Memorial membership declined to 240 and attendance to 30 Bank Church membership of 230 and attendance of 50. Baptist Church at Connelpark membership of 174 St. Margaret's Chapel membership of 163 with attendance of 120 Christian Brethern at Pathhead (30), Bank Brae (20) and Burnfoot (25)
1960's		Miners' rows demolished, so too the Bank Free Church
1970's		Congregation of Arthur Memorial Free Church move to the Martyrs Kirk.

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