How many ecclesiastical buildings once stood in Glasgow? St Mark’s Church of Scotland has a fascinating story. It reflects the religious shifts of the 19th century. We stand before a place with a layered past. It echoes with the voices of congregations past.
St Mark’s Church of Scotland’s story is entwined with earlier religious buildings. Let’s talk about Anderston’s religious history. Anderston Old Church opened its doors in 1770. A second congregation soon followed.
In 1792, the Associate Congregation of Anderston built a meeting house. This stood on Cheapside Street. They were later known as St Mark’s. It was also called Anderston Associate and Anderston Antiburgher.
Around 1828, they moved to Wellington Street. Later, in 1884, they constructed Wellington Church. It was built in University Avenue. The Cheapside building’s fate is less clear. Sources suggest it continued to exist.
The Lanarkshire OS Name Books offer a glimpse from 1858 to 1861. It describes the Antiburgher Meeting House as plain. Yet it was commodious. It could hold about 1000 people. The transcriber noted its status as a Chapel of Ease. He expressed surprise at the lack of an attached burial ground. This reflects some confusion about Anderston’s many religious sites.
Old maps show numerous burial grounds. These once dotted the area around St Mark’s Church of Scotland. These include Anderston Old, St Mark’s, and the RC Chapel burial ground. The city’s expansion led to their disappearance.
St Mark’s burial ground has its own stories. The poet James Macfarlan may have been buried here. Macfarlan died in poverty in 1862. A Monument Committee formed to honour him. This led to conflicting reports about his burial site.
Some claimed he was buried in the High Church graveyard. Others said it was St Mark’s. The Greenock Telegraph issued an apology for the confusion. A monument was unveiled in the Cheapside burial ground. Hugh MacPhail and Rev. Logan led the ceremony. It was a Mossman monument shaped like a gravestone. A lyre and floral wreath adorned it. The gathering then moved to St Mark’s church. There, Dr. Logan spoke about the poet’s life.
The Mossman family were respected monumental sculptors. Sadly, the James Macfarlan memorial vanished. It disappeared around 1967 during construction. The loss is deeply regrettable.
No burial register for St Mark’s churchyard is known. However, records of lair holders from 1870 exist. The LDS church surveyed it in the 1950s. John F Mitchell also surveyed it in 1956.
The story of St Mark’s Church of Scotland reminds us. It shows the changing face of Glasgow’s religious landscape. It also highlights the hidden stories beneath our feet.