St Fillan's Kirk, Seat and Well facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Fillan's Kirk, Seat and Well
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 St Fillan's Kirk, Seat and Well
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| OS grid reference | NS 38261 68936 |
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| Council area | |
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| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | PA6 |
| Dialling code | 01505 |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament |
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St Fillan's Kirk, Seat and Well are important historical sites found in a small village called Kilallan. This village, near Kilmacolm in Renfrewshire, Scotland, used to be a major religious hub. The old church, known as a kirk, was joined with another parish in 1760. Even though it's now a ruin, it's a protected historical site, and its graveyard is also listed as important. You can find these ruins about 4 kilometres west of Houston, just off Kilallan Road.
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History of St Fillan's Site
The old parish of Kilallan has been spelled many ways over time, but we'll use Kilallan here. This area was home to a religious settlement around the 7th century, founded by a saint named Fillan. He was likely a follower of Saint Columba. St Fillan was so respected that one of his arm bones was carried into battle by the Scottish army at Bannockburn. His name means 'little wolf' in Gaelic, and his special day is January 9th.
The worship of St Fillan was brought to Scotland by people from Ireland. In 1169, Walter fitz Alan, a powerful Scottish leader, gave this church to Paisley Abbey, which he had helped to start. There are other places in Scotland named after St Fillan, with churches, wells, and special seats. St Fillan is also known as the patron saint of people with mental health challenges.
Covenanters and the Kirk
In 1781, the old kirk was used by a group called the Cameronians. They were a strict group of Scottish Covenanters from Sanquhar who followed the teachings of Richard Cameron. These followers were also called "Society Men" or "Hillmen" because they held their religious meetings, known as Conventicles, in remote places. For example, another isolated church, Kirkbride Kirk, had its roof removed to stop Covenanters from using it.
The Old Kirk and Churchyard
The current parish of Houston and Killellan was formed in 1771 when the two older parishes joined. The church in Kilallan, named after St Fillan, was no longer needed after this. It was left empty and lost its roof sometime after 1791. The Barochan Aisle, on the north side of the kirk, is where the Fleming family from nearby Barochan Castle were buried.
The ruin has two date stones, with the oldest showing 1635. However, the church building itself is much older, possibly from the 10th or 11th century. This is suggested by its ancient rectangular shape. This important historical site is now looked after by the Kilallan Kirk Preservation Trust. Every year, a special service is held among the ruins by the minister and people of the united parish.
The church might have originally had doors on both the north and south sides. But in the 17th and 18th centuries, changes were made. Old gravestones were used to block up some doors and windows. A new door, dated 1635, was added to the south wall. A square hole near this door shows where the old parish jougs used to be. These were metal collars used to punish people in public. The original jougs were stolen but later found and given to a local museum.
The church bell has the words "CAROLVS HOG ME FECIT 1618" on it, meaning "Charles Hog made me 1618." It was recast in 1844. This bell was moved from the kirk and hung in a tree at Barochan House, where the Fleming family lived. It was used daily there. Now, the bell is kept in the main parish church and is rung once a year before the annual service on the first Sunday in July, which is St Fillan's feast day.
Archaeologists found a 6th-century bronze coin from the Byzantine Empire and a medieval pewter crucifix among the church ruins. Part of a knight's gravestone, showing a sword, was also found built into the church walls.
Even though the church was abandoned, it was looked after over the years. By 1955, its walls were in good condition. The inside of the church was used for burials in the 19th century. Iron railings were put up to separate the east end, and plaques were placed on the walls. However, weather and plant growth caused serious damage. A big restoration project was started and finished by 2014 to fix it.
Churchyard Details
The graveyard around the church was still used for burials as late as 1856. The old font, a basin used for baptisms, was built into the cemetery's boundary wall. Records show 58 grave markers and two possible grave foundations. Special ground surveys also found an older, oval-shaped wall, which is typical of very old churchyards.
The Manse Building
The church's manse, which was the minister's house, is now called Kilallan Farm or House. It's right next to St Fillan's and is thought to be the oldest house still standing in Renfrewshire. It used to have a stable and a cow shed, which have now been changed. It was sold around 1771 and was described as being in "bad" condition. It had a traditional loupin stane, a stone step used by the minister to get onto his horse. In 1950, a visitor noted that the old glebe field, which was the land belonging to the minister, was very fertile. People believed it was the old kitchen garden of the priests before the Reformation.
Ministers of the Kirk
A plaque on the outside of the south wall remembers Rev James Hutcheson. He served here from 1649 until he died in 1706 at the age of 81. He is also known for his involvement in the Christian Shaw or Paisley witches affair in 1697. In this event, an 11-year-old girl named Christian Shaw gave evidence that led to several people being accused of witchcraft. It was reported that Shaw was showing unusual behaviours. As a result of Christian's testimony, several people faced serious consequences, while one accused person was found dead in his cell.
James Hutcheson was well-known in Scotland for strongly opposing witchcraft. A week before the trials, he gave a long sermon in Paisley Abbey. In it, he spoke strongly against pagan practices and called for action. Many important people, including judges, jurors, and witnesses for the upcoming trials, were in the audience.
Rev Peter Dale was the minister for both Houston and Kilallan parishes. He started his role on September 5, 1843, and served until his death on December 11, 1856. This is recorded on a marble plaque inside the church.
St Fillan's Seat
Also called St Fillan's Chair or Pulpit, this large stone block is next to a stone wall on the west side of the lane. It's a natural boulder that faces south, looking over the kirk and a field where St Fillan's Well is located. A round hollow forms a seat, and to its right is a smaller oval hollow. Local stories say that St Fillan sat in this chair to preach and to baptize new followers and babies using holy water from the nearby well. It was also believed to help cure aches and pains. Old pictures show that the soil around the seat has worn away a lot over time due to rain and animals.
St Fillan's Well
St Fillan's holy well has probably been a special place since before Christian times, and St Fillan himself likely used its spring water. The water flows from under a large, single rock and into a now ruined round basin made of brick and stone. People believed the holy water could miraculously cure sick children or those with rickets. They would tie pieces of cloth and rags to branches hanging over the well as offerings.
The strict Calvinist minister, James Hutcheson, had the well filled with stones around 1690 to stop these practices. However, it was later cleared out because the water kept flowing. It was even piped to the old farm for household use, which might explain why there's brickwork there now.
The water from this clootie well, where people tied rags, was used for baptisms at St Fillan Kirk and traditionally at St Fillan's Seat. Branches used to hang over the well, but no trees grow there now. Old drawings from the 19th century show the well had a circular wall with three layers of stone. A drawing from 1923 shows these three layers of stone or brick in a 'U' shape, with an overflow pipe that sent the holy water into an old rectangular porcelain sink in the ground. The drawing also shows a shrub growing behind the well's boulder. The water was said to cure 'back-gane' bairns, which means children who were not growing well.
The Kneelins Stane
It is said that a special stone called the 'Kneelins Stane' was located somewhere north of the old kirk. This large, flat rock had two bigger and one smaller hollows. These hollows were believed to have been made by pilgrims who knelt there to pray to the saint. Over many years, their knees and staffs wore these depressions into the rock.
The Barochan Cross
The Barochan Cross is an intricately carved Celtic cross from the 8th or 9th century. It used to stand quite close to Kilallan, near Barochan Castle, on a path that once led to Dumbarton Castle. After being moved by the Laird of Barochan, this important monument is now kept in Paisley Abbey. Its carvings are similar to those found in the Govan area.
Place Names and Old Maps
Many other places in Scotland are named after St Fillan, including wells, caves, churches, a village, and natural features. The exact story of St Fillan has been lost over time, and the name might refer to different people from different periods in history.
Old maps and documents use various spellings for the old parish and kirk, such as Kilfillan, Kylhelan, Killilellin, Kyllinan, Kilenan, Kilellan, and Killallan. On Timothy Pont's map from around 1560 to 1614, Killellen is clearly marked with two buildings, probably the church and the minister's house. Farms named North, West, Mid, and East Barfillan were recorded in 1800. A nearby Crosslee Hill suggests a connection to a cross, and as mentioned, the Barochan Cross once stood in the area.
See also
- Kirkbride, Durisdeer
- St Peter's Well, Houston
- St Margaret's Well, Edinburgh
