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You are here: Photo
Albums • GRIERSON • Ruthwell Since my GRIERSON history is so closely connected with the town of Ruthwell, I thought it would only be fitting to include some information I have found on this very interesting and historic village. All of the information I have obtained, including the photographs, are courtesy of Sandy Pittendreigh of Dumfries, Scotland. I owe him a very special thank you! The Story of Ruthwell Village The village is very small and is well away from the main roads between Dumfries and Annan. The houses you see are all much renovated from what would have been the original 18th/19th century stone built thatched cottages. Today they benefit from modern utilities and services, you can even see the wheelie bins (large trash bins -- in American) were out the day I took the photographs, waiting for the weekly rubbish collection vehicle to come by. The application of modern paint is also very evident. The original look would not have been as pretty as these very nice white single story dwellings, but we live in times improved from that of our ancestors.
The tiny village of Ruthwell has three claims to fame: 1. The church is the oldest building in the south of Scotland still in use as a Parish church. The Parish Church for Ruthwell (Church of Scotland is Presbyterian), is both a historic monument and a functioning church. It also houses the oldest surviving Preaching Cross in the UK (see below for more information). Preaching crosses date back to the early Celtic Church when Christianity was spreading throughout the whole island of Britian (i.e. even before there were nations of Scots and English or countries called Scotland and England.)
2. The Runic Cross, which stands in a specially constructed apse inside the church, is the finest example of a Celtic Christian monument to be found anywhere. The cross is a series of 'visual aids' telling the story of the Life of Christ. During the Reformation when there was a reaction against the use of images and idols, the Reformed Church Authorities in Edinburgh ordered that it be thrown down and destroyed. A far sighted Minister of the time 'disobeyed' his superiors because he had it taken down and buried in the floor of the old church, it did suffer some damage as a result and broke into sections. In the 19th Century another far sighted Minister had it restored to its present state -- but part of it (the cross at the top) was missing and the reconstructed cross with Masonic Symbols is not authentic, of course, but had more to do with the imagination of the mason who pieced it together again.
Click here for much more information on the Runic Cross (this page will take a minute or two to load but wait for it ... it is very interesting!). 3. The Savings Bank Movement, now world-wide, was started by Rev. Henry Duncan, the local Minister in 1810. The small cottage in the village where it all began is now a Museum funded by the Trustee Savings Bank. The Savings Bank was organised on strict business principles which he had learned as a young man in a Liverpool Bank where his family were merchants traders. The small accumulated savings of his parishioners were then deposited with the much larger trading banks and the interest was returned to the depositors accounts. A reserve fund ensured that his depositors were protected against losses. From these small beginnings at Ruthwell in 1810, the idea soon caught on elsewhere.
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