Ayton Local History Society
and
Ayton Heritage
====== Ayton Berwickshire ======
Some information relating to Ayton Churches. Click on the underlined text to read more
All Churches
Ayton Ministers from 1585 to 1842
This is an extract from Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae which is a title given to books containing lists of ministers from the Church of Scotland. The original volumes covered all ministers of the Established Church of Scotland (prior to the union of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland in 1929). The original volumes were published on a regional basis (by Synod), more recent volumes (IX-XI) are published every 25 years covering updates across the whole of the Church of Scotland.
The History of Ayton Churches
An extract from the book by G.A.C. Binnie "The Churches and Graveyards of Berwickshire".
Extract from “History of the Congregations of the United Presbyterian Church 1733 – 1900" by Rev Robert Small D.D. Edinburgh 1904
Springbank Church disposition in 1898
After the amalgamation of Springbank and Summerfield churches to form the United Presbyterian Church in 1894, Springbank was sold to William Martin of Bleachfield. The disposition document, which contains many names of local people involved, has been transcribed with the names of those mentioned indexed for ready reference.
The Present Church (1867 - present)
The story of the current church building, written by one of the Society's senior members, Irvine Inglis.
The Rev JJ Marshall Lang Aitken was minister at Ayton Church from 1882 to 1933 and to mark his 50 years in post a social gathering was held on 30th November 1932. An account of proceedings was published in The Berwickshire Advertiser and after Mr Aitken's death the following year the account was reprinted in booklet form. A copy of this booklet can be read from this link.
A one page newsletter from 1938. Many of the issues being discussed then will be familiar to today's congregation, although some of the changes being proposed were subsequently carried out. An interesting entry is the baptism of the History Society's former late chairman Raymond Allan.
Order of service plus a historical and descriptive note on the church.
A short history of (mainly) the present church. Author unknown
Details of the current bell in the church spire as well as reference to an older bell (16th century) which is now lost. Also brief details of the former Clocktower bell which now hangs in a frame at the entrance to the Crofts in Ayton High Street.
Installation of Church Organ in 1894
The installation and opening of the organ was reported in great detail in the Berwickshire Advertiser. This is a transcript of that report which includes details of the sermon delivered and the organ recital as well as much information about the organ.
The ceremony of the laying of the church foundation stone is reported in this transcription from The Edinburgh Evening Courant of 10th September 1864.
St Dionysius (12th century - 1867)
St Dionysius is the church ruin in the kirkyard close to the present church and dates from the 12th century. A number of documents with information on the history of the church have been transcribed and compiled into a single document here.