1840 Camelon St John's Church 2003

a History

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Early Days - The Chapel of Ease

For more than two hundred years after the Reformation Falkirk Parish Church was the centre of worship of a huge district stretching from Denny in the west to Polmont in the east, and from Slamannan parish in the south to the banks of the River Carron. Attendance at the Sunday service for the scattered parishioners meant traveling on foot or horseback over many miles of rough terrain and, in this respect at least, the few hundred souls who made up the village of Camelon were luckier than most. In 1797 when the Minister of Falkirk prepared a long and detailed account of his enormous parish the village earned only two short references. There were, said Dr. James Wilson, '568 inhabitants in the village' and, later, '.....there is a dwelling house and a school room provided for the encouragement of a schoolmaster, but no salary.' Despite this, the seeds of rapid growth had been sown some years before and these, within fifty years, would lead to the establishment of a separate parish with its own church, minister and congregation.

The arrival of iron smelting with Carron Company in 1759 had brought in its wake a number of ancillary industries these included that of nail making which developed in Camelon. By the end of the century there were several hundred nailers at work in the village. Camelon was given a further boost by the arrival of the Forth and Clyde canal in the 1780s and the Union in 1820. The population rose to over 800 by 1830 and by then the church going inhabitants had, like their fellows in Grangemouth, Laurieston and Bainsford, expressed a strong wish to worship within their own community. But the idea of 'chapels of ease' as such buildings were called found no favour with the minister of Falkirk who firmly opposed any development that challenged the central position of the Parish Church and of its minister. Thankfully for the people of Camelon, Dr Wilson's two immediate successors John Brown Patterson and Alexander Melville look a different view and each championed the cause of church extension during their all too brief ministries. At the same time the Church of Scotland had come to recognise the need for new churches in the growing industrial areas of central Scotland and Dr Thomas Chalmers, the leading churchman of the day had been appointed Convener of the new Church Extension Committee. Under his energetic leadership the great seven-year campaign begun in 1834 had raised over £300,000 - perhaps £30 million in today's terms - and in the end contributed to the construction of 220 churches. Camelon was destined to be one of them.

In 1835 the presbytery of Linlithgow 'most cordially approved of this attempt to increase church accommodation in the overgrown parish of Falkirk', and shortly afterwards the General Assembly itself began investigations aimed at the ultimate erection of new church buildings in Bainsford, Laurieston and Camelon. By 1838 an active Extension Committee was at work in Falkirk under Rev Alexander Melville and that year Dr Chalmers came to the town to address a large meeting in the Parish Church. The decision to build a new church in Camelon was taken and William Forbes of Callendar, the leading land-owner in the parish offered a piece of land in the west end of the village along with a donation of £300 towards the construction costs. One of Scotland's leading architects, David Rhind of Edinburgh, was commissioned to draw up plans for a building to house a congregation of around 600 and the result was a building described by one observer as 'of oblong form with an elegant porch in front.....it commanded a view of the surrounding country and was looked on as an ornament to the village.' Work started in 1839 with Galbraiths, a local firm of stonemasons, responsible for the construction. By March of the following year the new church was ready for occupation at a total cost of £1,100 of which the Extension Fund contributed the lion's share. The official opening was delayed until Sunday 23rd August 1840 when special morning, afternoon and evening services were conducted by the new minister of Falkirk William Begg )pictured on the left), the highly respected Minister of Larbert, John Bonar, and the Minister of Grangemouth William Taylor, himself the first beneficiary of church extension in the parish. The limited records of the period tell us that:

'...at each of the services the church was crowded to excess and many people could not obtain admittance. The greatest enthusiasm seemed to pervade the inhabitants of the district and we anticipate that under the Divine blessing this church will he an unspeakable benefit to this populous neighbourhood. A very liberal collection was realised'

Tradition has it that the bell which called .the congregation to worship on that first day and for many decades thereafter was the one used to in the 1830s to call workers to and from their labours when the viaduct which crosses the Union Canal was under construction.. But though it was a building with a bell it had no minister, district or constitution and the securing of all three was the next important stage in the evolution of Camelon as an independent parish.

The young minister of Falkirk, William Begg now emerged as the driving force behind the efforts to advance the cause of the new church and its congregation. In February 1841 he petitioned the Presbytery for their support and, with the full backing of his fellow ministers, began the process of finding a minister for the charge he was able to persuade an old school and college companion William Branks, to accept the challenge as first minister of Camelon. Mr Branks was ordained on Ist October 1841 and the two Falkirk ministers, Mr Begg himself and Mr Gordon of Grangemouth, With the support of the Presbytery, Mr Begg formed yet another committee to establish a district for the Chapel of Ease within which Mr Branks would have spiritual. After careful examination the recommendation which Presbytery approved was for an extensive district with an estimated population of two thousand. The boundaries as described in 1841 were:

'Beginning on the south bank of the Union Canal at the eastern verge of the lands of South Bantaskine, from that point bounded on the east by the lands of Callendar to the road leading to Jawcraig, and on the south east by the said road, on the south by the lands of Jawcraig and by the parish of Cumbernauld, on the west by the estate of Castlecary, on the north by the parish of Denny, Bonny Water and the Carron to the eastern verge of the lands of Dorrator on the banks of that river, and on the east by the lands of Mungall and Mungall burn on to the south east corner of Mr James Fulton of Burnhouse's garden wall, and from that point to the Forth and Clyde Canal by a water run or ditch leading to the tail of Lock No 10 on said canal, and then by the canal to Tophill Bridge, from Tophill to Glenfuir gate by (he road leading thereto, and from thence to the Union Canal by the road leading to Lock 17 '

Mr Branks met with his ministerial colleagues and together they agreed to the appointment of three prominent elders from Falkirk Parish who lived in Camelon. George Fairbairn, one of Camelon's leading nail manufacturers, Henry Smart, manager of the South Bantaskine coal-workings and Alexander Binnie, a prominent Camelon merchant were joined a few months later by Sheriff James Wardrope Dickson as first Session Clerk to form the powerful and influential Session required to establish the new church over such a wide area. One of their first acts was to approve a list of communicants, which in December 1841 numbered 169. They also appointed,

'..John Evans the Officer of the Session with a salary of£2 per annum with 6d for every baptism and they allow him one pound five shillings sterling for his past services. They likewise allow William Harrison who has previously officiated as precentor, three pounds sterling per annum and seeing that he has already received £5 they consider him obliged to continue his services till he has wrought for the above amount in money'

The following weeks and months brought a steady addition to the communion roll and, with an energetic minister and powerful Session at work, the fledgling parish congregation seemed set fair for the future. But all was not well with the Church of Scotland and Dr Thomas Chalmers whose early role in promoting church extension had played such an important part in Camelon's birth was now the indirect cause of its greatest crisis. Conscience had led nearly half the parish ministers in Scotland, to follow Dr Chalmers into the new 'Church of Scotland Free'. It was church extension on the grand scale, for Camelon, like every other town and village in the land, soon had two congregations and two church buildings with the establishment of what would later become lrving Church. Although Mr Branks (pictured below right) shared many of the ideas of the breakaway group he remained within the establishment but the very large number of vacancies created by the disruption led him later the same year to the parish of Torphichen where he remained until his death in 1879. It was an understandable move on his part for Camelon was still a Chapel of Ease within the parish of Falkirk and the greater needs of the national church to fill its major vacancies prevailed over a natural attachment to his first charge

For the congregation of Camelon this was a stunning blow. Finding a new minister was desperately difficult and it was six years before a second pastor was called to the charge. During this long vacancy responsibility reverted once more to the Minister of Falkirk though there was some missionary work done by such as James Sommers and George Morton, then classics master at Falkirk Grammar School in Park Street. Welcome as this help was to the sore tried congregation pressure for a proper settlement increased with each passing year. In 1846 Mr Begg led a deputation to the Presbytery with a petition claiming that the district now had between two and three thousand of a population fully two thirds of whom supported the established church. The population was increasing as a result of public works in the district and there was an urgent need for an active ordained minister to be settled at Camelon and a permanent endowment for the church obtained. There was already 'a neat and commodious church' in the village which was 'entirely free of debt.' But uncertainly about the provision of sufficient funds for the minister's stipend led to further delays which in 1848 led to direct action. In December of that year another petition signed by 300 residents of Camelon asked Presbytery to approve the appointment of John Oswald to the vacant charge in order to begin the dispensation of the major ordinances of the church - baptism and communion - the want of which left them 'extremely aggrieved.' Again the Presbytery declined but this time instructed Mr Begg to investigate sources of funding to provide the legal minimum stipend of £120 per annum. Within a matter of weeks he was able to report that a bond signed by William Forbes of Callendar, John Baird of Camelon, Mr Begg himself and several other leading men of the area would produce an endowment large enough to guarantee the stipend in all time coming. This time Presbytery agreed and on 14th May 1849 Mr Oswald was ordained as Camelon's second minister, a position he held until his death nearly twenty years later. After a long period in the wilderness the people of Camelon were once again on course for a long period of sustained growth under the unbroken leadership of a succession of outstanding ministers.

The New Parish of Camelon

There is some evidence to suggest that Rev John Oswald had worked for a period as a missioner in Camelon prior to his call, and the ready acceptance among his parishioners assisted greatly in the process of rebuilding the congregation and its institutions. The first Session having lapsed, a new group of elders was appointed and this time the Session looks less like an assembly of prominent men of affairs and more like the ordinary people of the congregation. Along with the Minister as moderator were Thomas Allan, a carter and farmer, James Smith, a nailer, James Campbell, a wright and John Fraser, a lock-keeper. The first list of communicants was approved in 1849 with 106 names surviving from the original group.

Shortly after taking up the charge Mr Oswald began the process which would lead eventually to the legal separation of Camelon from Falkirk. This was formally approved by the Courts of the Church on 25th October 1852. Part of the proposal involved arrangements for the funding of the Minister's stipend and to maintain the fabric of the church buildings. Responsibility from then on would rest with a group of Trustees representing once again the most influential men in the district - William Forbes of Callendar, Henry Salmond of Bonnyside, banker, William Fulton of Sunnyside, John Gunn, distiller, George Fairbairn, nail manufacturer and James Ross of the chemical works.

Thus established as Minister of an independent parish of Camelon, Mr Oswald (photo below, right) was able to concentrate on the pastoral and spiritual life of his flock. The records show a steady growth in attendance at the twice-yearly communion services and a preoccupation with discipline, which even at that late stage still played a significant part in the life of the church everywhere in Scotland. Every fortnight penitent parishioners appeared before the stern Minister and elders to confess their failings, often committed many years before. There they were 'rebuked, admonished, absolved and restored to the privileges of church membership,' and though the sackcloth and cutty stool of earlier days had long gone, it remained quite an ordeal for the participants and it is a measure of the importance attached to participation in communion and baptism that so many came forward so willingly. What is perhaps more surprising is that it persisted for more than fifty years and was still practised in Camelon in the early years of this century.

After a nineteen year ministry that had restored the congregation and established the Parish, Mr Oswald, photographed on the right, died at his home Dorrator House on 5th February 1867. After a six-month vacancy 30-year-old John Scott, a borderer who was assistant minister at Livingston, was ordained as successor to Mr Oswald. Though the new minister's forty-five year service in Camelon was the longest in the history of the parish, it was relatively uneventful in the best sense of the word. Church politics that had disfigured earlier decades played little part, and prudent management and the liberal support of an active and growing congregation avoided financial difficulties. It was a period in which the church flourished in Scottish society, recovering quickly from the disruption and playing a major role in the life of people of all ranks. In Rev John Scott the congregation of Camelon had a minister of outstanding ability who carried out his pastoral duties with diligence and steadfastness and the people of Camelon had a man of action who served on a host of committees, trusts and societies aimed at promoting the social and educational life of the people. For forty years he served as Clerk to the Presbytery of Linlithgow and as such was at the heart of developments in church life in the whole district for most of his working life. Socially he was a kenspeckle figure well remembered by one observer:

' His genial presence on the bowling green or on the curling rink was always welcome and in these pastimes he always 'played the game' '

Though there were no significant changes to the structure of the church building during Mr Scott's time, the Minister and his Session did resolve to build a manse in 1869. Mr Scott lent his considerable weight to a proposal to hold a grand bazaar - the first of its kind in Falkirk district to raise money for church purposes and the model for many which followed in the years ahead. Over £300 was raised in this way in June 1873 and along with donations made up the building cost of £500 to provide the new manse, now the lvanhoe Guest House on the Stirling Road.

One problem that regularly concerned the elders beyond the problem of discipline, was the constant need to add to their own number. Many who were approached declined the invitation, some no doubt because they felt unprepared for an office of such importance. A goodly number of others who were appointed moved away from the parish within a relatively short period and not a few accepted the position but did not seem to attend sessional meetings. But while it was a constant difficulty for Mr Scott and his Session it was not new and would remain a concern for many decades after they were gone.

Parochial life flourished. Sunday schools thrived from the earliest years and there was a Young Men's Guild, a Fellowship Association, a Ladies Work Party and regular congregational soirees. The records show many people transferring to Camelon Parish from outside the area as they arrived to work in the thriving industries in the district and there are regular lists of young communicants under the Minister's instruction. A more enlightened approach to the liturgy saw the birth of choral praise in Camelon parish in 1884:

'The Session unanimously agreed to recommend the use of the hymnal of the Church of Scotland in the public service of the church and to request Mr Wright to form a choir for the practice of sacred music and to assist in leading the public service of praise'

Soon afterwards a harmonium was installed and the transformation from precentor led metrical psalms of the previous century was almost complete. The photo (above left) shows Mr Scott with the choir

The early years of the new century brought a gradual deterioration in the Minister's health and for several periods he was unable to carry out his duties. In 1912 he asked leave to resign his charge and this was accepted with the greatest regret. His farewell service in November 1912 was a moving occasion as the parish took leave of its patriarchal pastor after forty-five years. Mr Scott died two years later mourned not only by the people of Camelon and the Falkirk district. The photograph on the right shows the imposing figure of Mr Scott in later life. In many ways his departure on the eve of the outbreak of the Great War was symbolic for he represented the best of a world which was about to change so radically that neither the people or their church would ever be the same.

Soon afterwards a harmonium was installed and the transformation from precentor led metrical psalms of the previous century was almost complete.

The early years of the new century brought a gradual deterioration in the Minister's health and for several periods he was unable to carry out his duties. In 1912 he asked leave to resign his charge and this was accepted with the greatest regret. His farewell service in November 1912 was a moving occasion as the parish took leave of its patriarchal pastor after forty-five years. Mr Scott died two years later mourned not only by the people of Camelon and the Falkirk district. In many ways his departure on the eve of the outbreak of the Great War was symbolic for he represented the best of a world which was about to change so radically that neither the people or their church would ever be the same.

In War and Peace

The new incumbent of the Camelon Manse was an Irishman from Newry, County Down. Rev Robert Agnew (above left and pictured with the Kirk Session on the left) was called to his first charge in April 1913 from Portobello where he was assistant and his eight year ministry covered the years of war with all the special difficulties and burdens brought by such calamitous times. But that was in the future and his earliest concern in Camelon was for the deteriorating fabric of the church building which at over seventy years old was beginning to show major signs of wear and tear. Indeed it was at Mr Agnew's first Session meeting four weeks after his arrival that he raised the question and managed to persuade his new colleagues to set aside £162 from their general account as the nucleus of a restoration fund. The argument was simple enough - the building was too small for the growing congregation, its plain oblong form was inadequate for the style of worship they now expected including music in the liturgy, there was a need for proper retiral and session rooms and the building badly needed external and internal repair and redecoration. Mr Agnew convinced the Trustees of the urgency of the need and they agreed to go ahead with a substantial project based on proposals drawn up by one of Scotland's leading architects Dr Peter Macgregor Chalmers who was at the same time engaged in the design of St Modan's Church in Falkirk.

By April 1914 the full details of the restoration plan were complete and they were as radical and ambitious as the Minister had suggested. The old building would be extended by removing the gable wall at the south end behind the pulpit and reconstructing it eighteen feet further back. An aisle with a new gallery above would be added on the East Side and the existing main gallery would be replaced by one covering half of the space below. The estimated cost was £2000 with an additional £250 for a pipe organ and if it had gone ahead the scheme would have added almost 200 additional places. It was a bold and imaginative plan and the sums involved were very considerable at a time when a skilled man earned less than £100 per annum and most of the Camelon congregation substantially less.

The Trustees gave the plan their total support and in addition agreed to buy a piece of land so that a hall might be built at some future dale. But the outbreak of War on 4th August 1914 brought all the planning to a halt and nearly ten years were to pass before the work on the church building was completed. In the meantime the pastoral work continued while more and more young men of the parish left for service in France and elsewhere. The Minister himself left to serve with the Mediterranean forces on two occasions with the blessing of the Session - three months in 1916 and a longer period in early 1918. Strangely enough the official records of the Parish contain relatively few references to the war which in the end was to claim the lives of 265 of her young men. There was a special collection for Belgian refugees organised by the Ladies Work party in 1915 and one short reference to lighting restrictions in 1916 but little more. But one can be fairly sure that the carnage in the trenches of the Somme and Ypres were seldom far from the minds of Minister and people and that the ladies of the congregation were equally active in supporting the men at the front with socks, balaclavas and gloves as their sisters in churches throughout the nation. The photograph on the right is a card sent with a parcel to a member of the congregation serving overseas. The text reads:

Dear Roy, Your friends in Camelon Church who are unable to share your risks want to divide some of their comforts with you in whatever place you are this Christmas and New Year. The desire to say how much they appreciate all that you do to keep the old flag flying where each of you "does his bit" for Faith, King and Native=Land and want to assure you that they on their part are keeping the home fires burning and keeping a warm corner of their hearts for you. An opportunity has come for me to do some little service in the Mediterranean Area, and I can enter with fullest sympathy into your feeling of homesickness. It's fine to get a letter from home, even the old postmark "Feel" on a letter makes one's heart beat faster, and I know just what this parcel with its love and tender thoughts of home mean to you today. May you and I prove worthy of all this love showered on us. May I join with your friends in Camelon who think of you, in wishing you a very serene New Year. God bless you Caddie, Yours brotherly, Robert Agnew. Christmas 1916.

With the war over the Camelon Trustees returned to more routine matters. For some time they had been concerned by the level of the Minister's income and now steps were taken to supplement the allowance by a special subscription of the congregation which raised £60 to be added to the legal stipend provided by the original endowment. Thereafter such supplements were a regular feature of the financial arrangements in the Parish. Some idea of the way such things worked can be gained from the accounts for the year 1919 which show that £58 was collected.

In July 1919 there was one incident which was no doubt keenly felt by the participants at the time but seems amusing in retrospect. The choirmaster complained that the harmonium was in a poor state of repair and needed attention. The matter was raised with the trustees and the following observation appeared in the official records shortly afterwards:

The Chairman of the Trustees expressed the opinion that the harmonium was in good enough order to carry on the services and that the fault lay with the choirmaster himself

Shortly afterwards the choirmaster resigned and within weeks the harmonium was repaired at a cost of £6 10 shillings!

By early 1920 the restoration fund had reached £1,984 but with post war shortages of material and the inevitable rise in prices the proposed changes would now cost over £5,000. It was agreed to modify the plan and aim for a figure of £4,000 and that the balance of the money should be raised by a special congregational subscription. But the Minister who had done so much to inspire the restoration project moved away from Camelon before the work commenced. Mr Agnew left Camelon in January 1921 to accept charge of the Parish of Clackmannan and after a vacancy of just six months he was succeeded by Robert Headrick from Alva (above right) who at the time was acting as assistant minister in Glasgow Catherdral. Mr Headrick had seen active service as a lieutenant in the Scottish Rifles during the war before being invalided out in 1917 and, although he never enjoyed very good health thereafter, he brought considerable energy and determination to his new charge particularly the restoration project which is always associated with his name. He was ordained on 8th June 1921 at the age of twenty-eight and was to serve the people of Camelon of over thirty years. Inevitably the impending reconstruction project dominated the early months of Mr Headrick's ministry though it was far from a one-man show. With the trustees, elders and whole congregation behind the scheme the funds continued to grow and by August 1922 over £3300 had been collected. Work began the following year to a modified design drawn up by architect Jeffrey Waddell of Glasgow who followed the main lines laid out by Macgregor Chalmers in 1913. By the spring of 1924 the rebuilding was complete and the church with its extended nave, fine new chancel and reconstructed gallery was ready for public worship. The whole interior had been refloored and the ceiling removed to create a much improved auditorium, which could now hold a congregation of 800 worshippers. The building was further enhanced by the installation of electric lighting and by the addition of a three-light stained glass window designed by Meredith Williams which was the gift of Miss Bessie Wilson of South Bantaskine as a memorial to her nephew and the other men of Camelon who fell in the great war. Other gifts helped to decorate the restored interior - there was a fine pulpit in fumed oak designed and carved by its donor. Miss Wilson's sister Helen and a matching baptismal font provided by the Allan family of Lime Road. Completing the transformation a two-manual electric pipe organ was installed to one side of the new chancel with session and retiring rooms on the other. The outside stonework was repaired and cleaned and the porch modified and the overall impression was of an edifice of great beauty eminently more suitable for the kind of liturgy then finding favour in churches throughout the land. The rejection of ornamentation and instrumental music which had characterised the church in its early days was set aside for ever and the once dreaded 'kist o' whistles' would now play a central part in the worship of the Camelon congregation.

The final cost of the work including the organ was reported as £5575 but with the help of grants from the Baird Trust and the Church of Scotland the sum raised exceeded expenditure by several hundred pounds. On Sunday 23rd March 1924 the Moderator of the General Assembly Professor George Milligan led the celebration at the first of three packed services during which the restored building, organ, pulpit and font were dedicated. Preaching from Deuteronomy, 'Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations' Dr Milligan reminded the congregation of the debt they owed to those who had worshipped in Camelon over the previous eighty-four years and to the faithful pastors who had served them:

Is it not very impressive when you think that you are here this morning to worship on the very spot where for nigh on three generations the voice of prayer and praise has never been silent. For you as for those who have gone before it is in very truth the House of God, the gate to heaven

At the afternoon service an impressive War Memorial erected by the children of the Sunday school was dedicated by Rev. Robert Agnew minister of the congregation throughout the years of war. In what must have been a grim and moving moment the tablet was unveiled by Pi. John Blackburn of the Camelon Boys Brigade and Mr Headrick read aloud the names of all 265 men of the parish who had perished. Beneath the names was the simple inscription:

'We who loved and honoured them have dedicated this record of the gallant dead ......... the gift of the children of Camelon Parish Sunday school'

The evening service was an altogether lighter affair befitting the air of celebration felt throughout the parish. The church was again packed to capacity to hear the organist Mr W A Henderson, later of Falkirk Old, perform a series of religious and secular works to considerable acclaim and to hear Mr Headrick urge them to celebrate the joy of accomplishment and the joy of beauty which now surrounded them. The following evening a congregational social completed the programme of events when ministers from all over the district joined the Camelon parishioners in one final happy gathering. It was a high point in the story of Camelon and its church for now the congregation in its fine new house could put the painful years of war and deprivation behind them and look to the future with confidence.

Mr Headrick's Congregation

With all the bills for the restored church paid and a small surplus in hand the confident trustees and elders turned their attention to the lack of hall accommodation which had greatly limited congregational life in recent years. In 1925 the decision was taken to build new on the corner of Brown Street and Mansionhouse Road just a short distance from the church and soon fund raising was underway with a target of around £3,000. Once again Jeffrey Waddell was the architect and he produced plans for a suite of two linked halls to accommodate 400 and 100 people respectively along with a kitchen and several other small rooms. This would provide space for a host of social activities as well as housing the Sunday School with 455 children, senior and junior bible classes, Young Men's and Women's Guilds and other groups which were formed from time to time to answer the needs of the growing congregation. The highlight of the fund raising events was a grand bazaar held in Falkirk Town Hall on 14th and 15th October 1927 which attracted thousands of visitors and raised over £1000 towards the target. The Souvenir Guide to the bazaar, price one shilling, ran to ninety-six pages which gives some indication of the scale of the undertaking.

The new halls, pictured in the drawing on the right, were ready for occupation in 1928 and early in April there was a formal opening service led by Rev A M Dunnet, Home Mission Deputy of the Church of Scotland. Once again there were hymns of praise, much celebration, many words of thanks and a congregational soiree. The total cost was £3,300 and once again the congregation had greatly enhanced their facilities while remaining free of debt. It was a staggering achievement at a time when the spectre of unemployment that would so disfigure the decade to come was beginning to make an appearance in a parish almost wholly dependent on working people and their generosity.

But amid all the fund-raising, restoration and new building the day-to-day work of the parish had continued often in makeshift or borrowed accommodation, and the records which survive recall the routine as well as the more memorable developments of the period. In early 1929 for example the lack of sufficient communion cups and the need to borrow from Larbert, led to a request from 'several ladies of the congregation' for the purchase of trays of individual communion glasses. After trying out a tray from Bainsford and one from St Andrews in Falkirk,

Camelon acquired its own set with the common cup retained for those who preferred the more traditional approach. Another interesting development was the transfer of the Ist Camelon Boys Brigade from the care of Miss Bessie Wilson of South Bantaskine to the church thirty years after she established the company. With adequate hall accommodation now available she felt the time for a move was right and the Session were delighted to accept the responsibility.

On a grander scale the Church of Scotland was engaged the same year at national level in the final stages of the coming together of presbyterian churches split asunder by the secessions and disruptions of the 18th and 19th centuries. In Camelon this welcome reunion meant that the United Free Churches of lrving and Trinity would become parish churches within the established church and all three would have new constitutions and changed districts. After lengthy discussions the Session agreed unanimously to support the union and this was later confirmed by the whole congregation. Several important changes followed of course; firstly there was the question of a new name for the congregation since Camelon Parish Church was no longer acceptable. In October 1929 the name St John's was adopted with little apparent difficulty and no record of any dispute or alternative suggestion has survived. The trustees who had handled the financial affairs of the congregation since 1853 were replaced by a Congregational Board consisting of the session plus nine other members including Miss Scott and Miss McCallum, the first women to share in the formal management of the parish in its history. The Minister held a number of meetings with his colleagues in lrving and Trinity Churches and as a result new areas were mapped out which divided the old Camelon parish into three districts to be attached to each church for pastoral purposes. Predictably though the loyalty of families long tied to their own church remained unchanged as far as worship and social involvement were concerned.

In February 1933 the Presbytery made a quinquennial visit to St John's and their report was very heartening indeed when one considers the decade of almost continuous change which proceeded it. The visiting ministers were

'...struck with the great proportion of men at worship........the Sunday school must be one of the largest in the Presbytery but the Boys Brigade and Women's Guild are also very strong. When the Presbytery really decide to undertake a Forward Movement we know no other parish better fitted to give effective support. The Minister and people should be congratulated on the accomplishment of a big task'

During the 1930s the large increase in housing in the Carmuirs area further stretched resources and in 1934 the parish appointed Rev Duncan Williamson as assistant minister at an annual salary of £1! The outbreak of war once again in 1939 saw the new halls commandeered by the army in the early months and a range of minor problems relating to blackouts and other air raid precautions. More importantly it meant the departure of many young men of the parish for service overseas including the organist Mr Thomson who left Camelon in October 1939. The Women's Guild, like their predecessors in 1914, rallied to the cause and for much of the war their efforts were devoted to raising funds, preparing parcels and despatching these 'comforts' to the troops wherever they were. On 9th November 1941 St John's held a belated centenary service conducted by Rev Dr Archie Main in the morning and Mr Headrick in the afternoon, before a large and enthusiastic congregation, but with the country in the grip of war and the prospect of victory looking increasingly remote at that stage, it was not the time for large or exuberant celebrations. The following year the legacy of the earlier conflict laid the Minister low for many months and Mr Headrick spent some time in hospital recovering from an operation. His congregation soldiered on and together they reached the end of the war in reasonable good heart. The military occupation of the hall left it in such a poor condition that substantial compensation of over £500 was sought and eventually obtained from the reluctant authorities. The years after the war are dotted here and there with little illuminating glimpses of life in the congregation. In December 1945 both Kirk Session and congregation like their fellows throughout the land voted overwhelmingly against the introduction of women elders and nearly two decades would pass before the Church at national level was able to reverse the decision. In January 1946 a welcome home social was held for 60 members of the parish returning from active service and in 1950 the family of John Erskine thirty-four years the Session Clerk until his death in 1942, presented the church with two solid silver communion cups as a memorial. As a result one of the old Camelon cups was sent to the fledgling parish of Chogoria in Kenya for the use of the Church of Scotland missioner there.

In November 1950 Mr Headrick's wife of thirty years died very suddenly and the shock of this loss combined with his own deteriorating health led to the Minister's final illness and death in June 1951. He was just 58 years of age and his loss was keenly felt by all those he had served for over three decades. The tribute from the session summed up the feelings of all:

'The Kirk Session desire to place on record their deep appreciation of the faithful ministry of their late Minister, Pastor and friend the Rev Robert Headrick who passed away on14thJune 1951. Mr Headrick came to Camelon St John's - which was his only charge -in 1921 all throughout his ministry of just over thirty years used his many qualities of mind and heart in serving his Master through the service of his fellow men. Mr Headrick always gave of his best. He look a keen and active interest in the many and varied activities of this congregation. He was a wise counselor, a trusted friend, an able scholar, a good preacher and a kind and sympathetic visitor. We give thanks to God for this Christian Warrior, who in spite of failing health and the sudden loss of his wife fought a good fight, finished his course and kept the faith.'

Modern Times

Nearly forty years have passed since the end of Mr Headrick's long ministry but many members of the congregation will no doubt still remember him and the events which followed his untimely death in 1951. After a vacancy of six months Rev Robert Gray (right) was called to St John's as sole nominee from a position as Minister in the parish of Harthill. During his short six-year ministry Mr Gray won the affection of his congregation and earned their respect for his efforts to promote congregational activities and to extend the list of communicant members. The records of the period are full of references to large groups of catechumens under the Minister's instruction, crowded communion services, preparatory meetings, the appointment and induction of new elders and the establishment of new uniformed organisations - the Brownies and Girls Guildry. In 1953 the membership was reported to be 1,250 and the Session had several discussions on a proposal to abandon the system of pew cards with individual names. Around the same time a great deal of time was spent on choosing a suitable memorial to Rev Robert Headrick and his wife which resulted eventually in the familiar oak paneling dedicated at a special service in June 1954.

As well as pastoral affairs Mr Gray and his Congregational Board faced a succession of problems with church, hall and manse all requiring extensive and expensive repair and decoration. The manse was a particular headache. Even before its new occupant arrived in 1951 the Board had to find over £300 for essential repairs and thereafter

hardly a year passed without further major expenditure to keep the house in reasonable order. In addition there were leaking roofs in both church and hall, serious problems with heating and lighting the church and costly repairs to the organ. The bills were invariably met by special congregational subscriptions supplemented by gifts from an active and concerned Women's Guild and it speaks volumes for the dedication of the people of Camelon St John's that the parish remained solvent! And though their charity began at home it certainly did not end there. In 1958 as the Church at national level sought to raise one million pounds to support church extension in the large housing estates in central Scotland, the people of St John's agreed to raise £650 as their share of the target and once again this was done by a direct appeal to the congregation for donations. By Mr Gray had accepted a call to Fetteresso Church in Stonehaven, and his Session agreed reluctantly to his going. He remained there until his retirement in 1982 and still hale and hearty he returned to Camelon in February 1990 to take part in one of the special 150th anniversary services.

His successor, Rev James Robson (pictured on the right) from St Michael's, Gordon, Berwickshire preached as sole nominee in St John's on 16th June 1957 and was inducted to the charge in August the same year. It was the start of one of the longest ministries in the history of the congregation and it ended in 1987 with his retirement. Mr Robson's early years followed much the same pattern as the previous decade with a continuation of attempts to extend the spiritual and pastoral activities of the congregation at a time when many new distractions challenged churches throughout the land.

In December 1957 for example, following an initiative from the YMCA, a youth fellowship was established to engage the interests of the young people of the congregation and it was soon involved in a whole range of social and parochial activities. One such was a programme of house visitation which laid the foundation for many similar exercises in the future. There were also a number of new memorials that added further to the beauty of the church building not least because they signaled many years of loyal service. One example is a bell paid for by the widow of an elder of long standing who is remembered not by name but as 'one who loved and served his church' and a lamp above the front entrance in memory of another faithful servant. These were dedicated at a special service in October 1959 along with an addition to the original war memorial carrying the names of the men lost in 1939-45.

But like his predecessor Mr Robson found a great deal of his time taken up with matters relating to the fabric of church, hall and manse. Before his arrival the exasperated Congregational Board faced with a further list a costly repairs decided to cut their losses by building a new manse. For the next two years they tried to persuade the Presbytery that the manse should be built on the vacant land next to the hall in Mansionhouse Road and the plans were drawn up. But it was not to be as permission was refused on the grounds that the noise from the local works and the church's own hall would be a distraction. In 1959 the Board changed its tack and bought the present manse in Rennie Street, Falkirk with the blessing of the Presbytery. It was a long way from the parish, the church and the congregation but neither the Minister nor his Board were prepared to tolerate the existing conditions any longer and all must have heaved a mighty sigh of relief when the old manse was finally sold later the same year.

The early 1960s saw a major redecoration of the church including the stripping down and varnishing of the pews and the timbers of the roof. Inflation in those years, mild by comparison with what would follow, was nonetheless sufficient to push the bills for repair and redecoration from the hundreds into the thousands of pounds and the congregation was always involved in fund raising of one kind or another. The hall had replaced the manse as the principal headache and throughout the 1960s ad 70s it required almost continuous attention especially the windows which were broken with such regularity that unsightly grills had eventually to be erected. What was most ironic of course was that the young people who inflicted the damage from the outside might have, in an earlier generation, been inside the building benefiting from its fellowship and facilities. But the world of the 1960s was very different from the past and that very change was at the heart of the new challenge to the Minister and his congregation.

It was a period when changes in national life brought in their wake a decline in adherence to formal religion and a steady falling off in participation in worship and the other activities of the church. The post war world with its emphasis on the material values at the expense of the spiritual placed new burdens and responsibilities on those who continued to bear witness in their communities, and the record shows that in this respect Camelon St John's achieved more than most. A great deal of the time of the Minister and his elders was spent in reaching out to those who had fallen away from regular attendance and to those incomers to the village who had not fallen away from regular attendance and to those incomers to the village who had now previous church connection but who were still parishioners of St John's. At various times the Session organised visitations in which every house in a district of the parish received a call from one or two elders anxious to restore a link or forge a new one. A parish 'Development Campaign' was launched in the 1960s with much the same aim and though it was an uphill struggle it was one which did bear fruit and helped to keep St John's congregation large and prominent in the life of the village.

Elsewhere the situation was more serious and in 1968 there was talk of a group ministry involving the three Camelon churches and later there was a formal arrangement for cooperation which included the shared services of a Deaconess. In 1973 the congregation of Trinity Church was dissolved and St John's and lrving accepted responsibility for the parochial area left without a church and the Minister was soon able to report that a large number of former Trinity members were now attending St John's.

About the same time the old kirkyard which had served the congregation from 1840 until the 1930s was cleared of the majority of its old stones by the Town Council and laid out with grass and paved areas to create the present pleasant and picturesque surroundings. Many members of the congregation must have regretted that the silent witness of these markers to the faith and fidelity of their forefathers was lost forever. Certainly the Congregational Board had many other more pressing problems to deal with. So many organisations both inside and outside the congregation were using the hall that its facilities were severely stretched and the mid '70s saw a costly proposal to extend the building turned down and replaced by a programme of repair and redecoration. With inflation rampant the cost of everything the congregation required to sustain its spiritual and pastoral life rose dramatically and the Board, and its long serving treasurer John Henderson, battled to balance the books each year. Though some parishioners here as everywhere else fell away from attending and thus sustaining their church, the vast majority rallied round year after year to meet the financial demands and keep their church active, and in so doing they honoured the debt owed not only to the present generation but to those who loved and cherished this church for a century and a half.

Rev. James K. Wallace was ordained and introduced as minister of Camelon St John’s church on June 22nd 1988. He was called on the basis of ‘terminable tenure’. The then Moderator of Falkirk Presbytery presided over the service of ordination, he had also been the interim moderator of the Church during the vacancy. The sermon was preached by Rev. Cliff Rennie.

Early in his ministry, seeking to make the Church more accessible, a bus was organised to transport members of the congregation from Tamfourhill to the church service on a Sunday. The Falkirk Herald ran an article on this with a photograph of Jim at the wheel of the bus. As a result of this many people in the community believed that in addition to preaching and taking the service on a Sunday Jim also drove the bus!

Early in the 90s a group of members and Jim visited the Church of North India. A close relationship was developed and in furtherance of this, in 1993 we were fortunate to have Rev. Sam Joshua Singh of that Church stay for a two month visit enabling everyone in the church to have an insight to his work in India.

St John's Church, Camelon

A Parish Assistant was appointed to support the minister in his work within the parish. Catherine Bell came to Camelon St John’s from Garthamlock and Craigend East Church in Glasgow and was introduced in September 1990. In addition to starting a very successful Mother and Toddler group, she went on to start the annual Church holiday and along with Jim ran the J Team, the mid week children’s group that was enormously successful.

1990 saw the Church celebrating it’s 150th anniversary marked on August 26th by a service of thanksgiving. The guest preacher on that occasion was the Very Reverend John M.K. Paterson DD minister to the deaf community during the 90’s. Following considerable efforts to improve attendance and its financial situation the Church was granted full status in 1991.

In 1993, at the March communion service, when Session Clerk Davie Roberts announced that Jim and Catherine were to be married the congregation erupted into spontaneous applause. The wedding – in St John’s of course – followed on the 18th June with Megan, Catherine’s 5 year old daughter, as a flower girl. The whole congregation had been invited to the service and everyone who could attend did attend and went on to the buffet reception and lively ceilidh in Falkirk Town Hall.

In October 1993 a fire in the church hall caused considerable damage, the repair and renovation of the hall took over a year to complete. Following the completion of the repairs a dedication service was held in January 1995 with the Very Rev. Prof. James Whyte as guest preacher.

On Christmas Eve 1995, a Sunday, the Wallace family was completed when Ruth was born. Rev. Evie Young provided pulpit supply at the morning service since both the minister and deaconess were otherwise occupied, the baby arriving in the early afternoon. Rev. Graeme Blount kindly conducted the Watch-Night service as Jim was in no fit emotional state to be doing that kind of thing! However he did conduct a very informal, if somewhat dishevelled, Christmas morning service the following day.

After the birth of Ruth, Catherine decided to cut her hours to part-time and then later resigned her post. On Tuesday 17th November 1998 Margaret Corrie was welcomed to the congregation as Deaconess by means of an introductory service followed by a social event. Margaret proved to be a tower of strength during the events that followed and provided a solid link during the time that St John's remained an independent entity.

In December 1999, to a tearful congregation, Jim and Catherine announced their impending departure to Setauket Church, Long Island, USA. However, due to visa hold ups it was not until June 2000 that they finally left St John's. One of the highlights in the recent history of St John’s was the magnificent midnight service to celebrate the new millennium. A moving and emotional service conducted by Jim that touched significantly each person who attended. The Church celebrated with Jim, Catherine, Megan and Ruth as they prepared to move to their new home. A ceilidh in Falkirk High School, presentations of gifts including a painting of St John’s and an engraved quaich demonstrated the love and affection that had developed within the congregation for this family.

Following the departure of Rev Jim Wallace a series of interesting procedures took place resulting from Presbytery overturning the Parish reappraisal team's recommendation for reviewable tenure after a strong case was put forward in appeal by the congregation. However, national committee also felt that reviewable tenure was the most appropriate decision and in order to push forward the search for a new minister the congregation reluctantly agreed to this. Vacancy procedures began with Rev Duncan McClements as interim moderator. However, Duncan’s untimely death caused yet more upset to the congregation. The vacancy committee continued with its task and were unanimous in their choice of Rev. Stuart Sharp as sole nominee for the call at Camelon St Johns. The congregation concurred when he preached at the Church as sole nominee in December 2000. the congregation were delighted to welcome Stuart, Karen, Andrew, Alasdair, Mathew and Callum to the Church when he was inducted on St Valentines Day 2001.

The Church continued to develop under the care of Stuart and a rise in attendance at Sunday service was a welcome bonus. He guided the congregation through the difficult times, the discussions and decisions leading up to the union of Camelon St John’s and Camelon Irving Churches in December 2003 when Camelon Parish Church came into being under his ministry.

This perhaps is the right point to bring this short history to an end. For the present it is enough to celebrate the achievement of over a century and a half of work and witness in this place and to remember that whatever challenges and changes are thrown up by the present and the future they are made the easier for us by recalling the story of the dedication and devotion, through triumph and disaster, of thousands of men and women who made up the congregation of St John's, Camelon and the members of the current congregation who are carrying the baton into the future with Camelon Parish Church.

Editor's note: This history has been based on Ian Scott's booklet, produced to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the congregation that was to become Camelon St John's. The story of the years 1990 to 2003 were drawn from the parish records and from happy contemporary memories.

Rev Stuart Sharp MTh