Church Has Re-opened
We are now back in church for worship each Sunday morning. With the relaxation of restrictions from 19 July, pre-booking is not required although we will need to collect Test and Protect data from all who attend. Singing by the congregation is now allowed but masks are still required.
We will continue to live stream the service on our YouTube channel.
Think of Fenwick and you may think first of our attractive and historical white washed Kirk with its crow stepped gables. Built in 1643 it has been described by visitors in various terms as quaint, a beautiful wee Kirk, and as a place of God’s presence and peace. As a building it points to the wonderful heritage of the Parish. But, we are more than that!
Fenwick Parish Church is a lively, active and busy congregation. We serve a semi rural population, centred on the village of Fenwick but including the hamlets of Waterside and Moscow as well as a large rural hinterland. The make-up of the congregation is mixed from the very young to the not so young. The Kirk Session and congregation are rising to the challenge of melding the traditional with the contemporary. Sunday morning worship is a mix of organ led and band led praise and seeks to be inclusive of the generations. Members of the congregation are involved in scripture readings, prayer and occasional dramas. We seek to be outward looking as a congregation running regular Alpha courses to introduce members of the community to the Christian faith and are actively involved in supporting a number of overseas projects.
Hi We visited Church back in 2000. I just can’t remember the history of the chain by the door. Could you help me please.
I’m a HOWE and are doing my Family Tree.
Regards
Raewyn NEILSON
Hi. My Great Grandparents were married in Fenwick about 1847 and I would like to know if your parish records are still held at the kirk, or at some other repository. We are hoping to visit from Australia during 2016, but this is contingent upon on health as we are getting on.
If you could reply to Email I would very much appreciate it.
Regards
Eric Edwards
My 5th great grandfather was married there too . 20th of December 1781 John watt and Jean Brown Any records to see if I come visit from Canada ?
I was a member of Fenwick church from 1971 to 1984 and sang in the choir, I can’t remember the ministers name.
My great grandfather was the minister at the church and my grandmother played the pump organ. Exact dates I don’t have but the surname was Burns. Are there records kept at the church? I will be in the area this summmer.
Thanks
Bill
Hi Bill, Your Great Grandfather, Andrew Burns saw the last tragic event in the life of the Old Fenwick Parish Church. It happened on the evening before the November Communion of 1929. A spark from the Church’s boiler set alight to the roof and the Church was totally destroyed. Only the walls remained standing and all that was saved internally was the Sand Glass and its stand. In a short space of time the Church was rebuilt and restored to its former glory. We have very few records in the church but his name is on our Ministers Board displayed in the church and there is a picture of him in our vestry. Contact us when you are going to be in the area and we can arraign a tour.
Would love to come visit .
I am visiting Scotland for the first time and am enjoying some time researching ancestry. I believe one of my ancestors was buried in your cemetery in the 1800s. Is the cemetery open to public to visit?
Hi,
Yes it is always open.
Hello-
Find a Grave lists my greatX4 grandmother Ann Craig Dunlop (1760-1791) as being buried in the Fenwick Parish Churchyard. There is no photo of her grave on the memorial here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/185288627
Is there a way to confirm that she is in fact buried there?
Thanks for your help- it is MUCH appreciated.
Hi Michelle, Ann Craig Dunlop is memorialised in our graveyard. I have sent you an email with details and pictures.
hi, trying to find out if Robert Buntine is buried in your church grounds? He was born in Fenwick about 1630 and was executed on 19th Dec 1666 in Glasgow as a result of the Pentland Rising of that year. i have a photo of what looks like a gravestone of his. He is my 9th Great Grandad.
thank you and God bless
Martin
Good morning from the west coast of Canada…. my 4 x great grandfather James Currie was baptized in Fenwick on April 9th 1788. His mother is said to be Jane Stevenson and in what looks like in the ancient script ‘ in Pehilly’. I can find no local reference to any variant of what the spelling of ‘Pehilly’ looks like and wonder if you, with local knowledge can help? Thank you in advance for any help.
Rhona ( Currie) Burslem
Hi Rhona
James Currie was actually baptised 9th April 1780. His parents were James Currie(1752-1827) and Janet Stevenson in Pokelly.
Mary
Greetings, we are considering moving to the lovely, little town of Fenwick. It is my husband, Angus (Scottish descent) and myself (born in Zambia) together with our lovely, well-behaved, much-loved dog, Didi (Donna di Dio in Italian which means Gift from God).
We have children and grand-children living in nearby Nielston, as well as in London, Bath and Midsomer Norton. Although many years of our marriage have been spent in Cape Town, we have recently lived in Sicily for 4 years. I am a Lay Preacher, a Psychotherapist, a wannabe writer and passionate about taking people on wilderness encounters to gain life-changing insights from nature http://www.wildernessencountersafrica.com.
We look forward to being a part of this lively congregation and to contributing all we can. If there is anyone we can converse with and get to know the church a little in advance, that would be lovely.
with warmth, Mandy
Hi from Japan.
I’ve just learned that Stiven Wallace was born in Fenwick in 1695. He married Martha Gillmowr and they had two sons Stiven and James.
Which records and parish history could the church help me accessing?
My son is doing a family history project for school. He’s interested in the patterns of movement in a parish, the community and across parish and civil lines.
Please stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic and may God be with you.
Peace unto all.