Old & St Andrew’s Church Timeline
Colour coding has been used to help identify the different churches which make up Old & St Andrew's
c1100 Parish Church built in Montrose, possibly on a site formerly used by pagans
1509 John Erskine, 5th Laird of Dun and Reformer is born
1530 Erskine kills Sir William Froster, a priest, in the bell tower of the Parish Church
c1530 George Wishart teaching Greek at Montrose Grammar School
1538 Wishart is charged with heresy - flees to England
1542 Wishart returns to Montrose before embarking on a preaching tour
1546 Wishart is captured and burned as a heretic in St Andrews
1555 John Knox visits Dun Castle and celebrates communion
1556 Knox returns to Dun
1558 Eighty year old Walter Mill of Lunan is burned as a heretic
1560 Reformation
1589 Death of John Erskine
1595 General Assembly meets in Montrose
1600 General Assembly meets in Montrose. Andrew Melville of Baldovie is banned from attending but still central in opposing the King’s attempt to introduce bishops
1624 Hearse (candelabrum) is gifted to Parish Church by Richard Clark, an expat Montrosian serving as a vice-admiral in the Swedish navy
1727 First recorded mention of Mr Wilson’s Meeting House
c1745 United Associate Congregation is formed
1764 Rev Charles Nisbet is appointed to Parish Church
1784 Mr Nisbet takes up post as Principal of Dickinson College, Pennsylvania
1787 First recorded mention of Associate Secessional Congregation
1791 Parish Church is demolished and work starts on its replacement
First recorded mention of Burgher Associate Meeting
1793 Parish Church is dedicated
1811 Robert Stevenson (builder of the Bell Rock lighthouse) inspects the old bell tower and declares it unsafe. No action is taken
1829 Chapel of Ease set up
1830 Manse at Rosehill Road is built for minister of the First Charge of Parish Church
1831 The bell tower of the Parish Church is demolished
1834 Steeple, designed by Gillespie Graham, is completed
St John’s Church of Scotland is formed (building later office of the Montrose Review and currently
unoccupied
1838 Gas lighting is installed in Parish Church and the hearse removed
Second United Associate Secession Congregation is formed
c1840 First United Associate Congregation is formed
1843 The Disruption; Some ministers & members leave the Church of Scotland to set up the Free Church
The congregation of St John’s Church join the new Church
Another breakaway group meets on the site of the bowling green beside where the Museum is today. The site, a
disused circus, has seating for over 1,000 people.
1844 George Street Free Church, later re-named St George’s Free Church, opens
St John’s Free Church is formed
1847 John Street United Presbyterian Church is formed (building later Rosemount Dance Hall, Glaxo Club & now housing)
1854 Hearse is discovered in a blacksmith’s workshop, shorn of its branches. It is restored and replaced
c1860 Mill Street United Presbyterian Church is formed (building now Knox’s Church)
1871 Hot air central heating is installed in Parish Church
1885 Organ is installed in Parish Church
1888 Lochside Mission Hall is purchased by Parish Church for various uses
1894 St Luke’s United Presbyterian Church is formed
1896 Parish Church Halls are purchased
1900 St George’s United Free Church is formed
Trinity United Free Church is formed – so named because of confusion between St John’s and John Street Churches
St Luke’s United Free Church is formed
St John’s United Free Church is formed
1904 Hot water central heating replaces previous system in Parish church
1923 St George’s & Trinity United Free Church is formed by union of the two individual churches
1929 St George’s & Trinity U F Church rejoins the Church of Scotland
St John’s U F Church rejoins Church of Scotland
1931 Parish Church - First & Second Charges unite as a single charge
1933 Renovation of interior of Parish Church is proposed. Plan is later abandoned because of World War II
1948 Rev Frederick Kennedy is inducted to Parish Church
1953 Renovation of Parish Church, including moving organ, begins
St Luke’s & St John’s Church is formed by union of the two individual churches
1955 Renovated Parish Church is rededicated
1963 Present Parish Church Manse is built on part of the former Glebe
1967 Rev Robert Tyre is inducted to St Luke’s & St John’s Church
1968 Death of Rev. F Kennedy
1969 Rev. James L Weatherhead is inducted to Parish Church
1970 Rev John F Davidson is inducted to St George & Trinity Church
1975 Parish Church is extended to provide a new session room and vestry
1976 Rev Robert Tyre demits office
1977 St Andrew’s Church is formed by union of St George’s & Trinity and St Luke’s & St John’s Church
1979 Rev John F Davidson demits office
1980 Rev Iain M Douglas is inducted to St Andrew’s Church
1985 Rev J L Weatherhead appointed Principal Clerk to the General Assembly
Rev. Lawrence A B Whitley is inducted to Parish Church
2004 Rev Iain M Douglas demits office
Old & St Andrew’s Church is formed by union of St Andrew’s and Old Church
2007 Rev Dr L A B Whitley is appointed minister of Glasgow Cathedral
2008 Rev Dr I McLean is inducted to Old & St Andrew’s Church
2023 Union of Old & St Andrew’s, Ferryden and Hillside Churches to form Montrose Trinity Church of Scotland
2023 Rev Dr I Mclean retires
2023 Formation of Montrose Trinity Church - the union of Dun & Hillside, Old & St. Andrews, and
Montrose South & Ferryden churches
Forbes Inglis