Stevenston - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
24 JANUARY 1885

MR COCHRAN PATRICK, M.P., AT STEVENSTON

Mr R. W. Cochran Patrick, M.P. for North Ayrshire, delivered an address at the fourth annual supper of the Saltcoats, Ardrossan, and Stevenston Association, which took place in the Assembly Rooms, Stevenston, last night.

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GLASGOW HERALD
24 JANUARY 1888

THEFT

At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court yesterday HENRY FORDE, navvy, Ardeer Square, Stevenston, was charged with the theft, on the 21st instant, of 2s 6d from a public house in Main Street there.

He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to seven days’ imprisonment.

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GLASGOW HERALD
26 JANUARY 1883

DEATH

ALLAN: At Shore Road, Stevenston, on the 24th instant, aged 27 years, William Allan.

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CASUALTY OF WAR
27 JANUARY 1917

Accidentally killed on service, Private DANIEL SORLEY, (50), Royal Defence Corps – Theatre of war, at home – buried at New Street Cemetery, Stevenston; son of William and Janet Sorley.

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GLASGOW HERALD
28 JANUARY 1882

BIRTH

WYLLIE: At Mayfield, Stevenston, on the 27th instant, Mrs John Wyllie; a son.

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CASUALTY OF WAR
29 JANUARY 1916

Died on service, Private WILLIAM McKENZIE, Royal Scots Fusiliers – Theatre of war, at home – husband of Margaret McKenzie, 23 Warner Place, Stevenston.

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CASUALTY OF WAR
27 JANUARY 1917

Accidentally killed on service, Private DANIEL SORLEY, (50), Royal Defence Corps – Theatre of war, at home – buried at New Street Cemetery, Stevenston; son of William and Janet Sorley.

GLASGOW HERALD
29 JANUARY 1917

SOLDIER KILLED IN MUNITIONS FACTORY

On Saturday afternoon a soldier employed at an Ayrshire munitions factory, while proceeding from his billet to the mess room, was accidentally knocked down by a railway engine and instantaneously killed.

GLASGOW HERALD
30 JANUARY 1917

DEATH ON SERVICE

Accidentally killed on 27 January, 1917, DANIEL SORLEY, Private, Royal Defence Corps.

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GLASGOW HERALD
1 FEBRUARY 1886

DEATH

BLAIR: At Main Street, Stevenston, on the 28th ultimo, aged 71 years, Mary Hunter, widow of William Blair, grocer.

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CASUALTY OF WAR
1 FEBRUARY 1917

Died on service, Private JAMES KING ORR, (21), 6/7th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers – Theatre of war, France and Flanders – son of Mrs Orr, 23 Warner Place, Stevenston, and the late William Orr.

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GLASGOW HERALD
4 FEBRUARY 1884

FOOTBALL
DYNAMITE (STEVENSTON) v. KILBIRNIE

Played on the ground of the former, and resulted in favour of Kilbirnie by five goals to none.

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GLASGOW HERALD
4 FEBRUARY 1891

ALLEGED HERETICAL TEACHING AT STEVENSTON

The established Presbytery of Irvine met at Irvine yesterday – the Rev. James MacGeoch, M.A., of the High Church, Kilmarnock, moderator.

PETITION FROM STEVENSTON

The Clerk – A petition from Stevenston has been lodged, but I think it deals with a matter which the Presbytery should discuss in private. They should, I think, sit alone till they read the petition.

This was agreed to.

The petition was that of Doctor A. H. Howe, of Hullerhirst, Stevenston, Mr W. D. McJannet, solicitor, Irvine, acting as his agent.

It set forth the following: -

“That Robert Joseph Kyd, residing at the manse of Stevenston, is minister of the parish of Stevenston in the county of Ayr.

“That in the beginning of the month of December, 1890, the said Robert Joseph Kyd caused printed hand-bills to be issued and circulated announcing that he would deliver the first of a series of lectures on Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress in the Stevenston Parish Church on Sunday, 7th December, 1890, the subjects being ‘The City of Destruction and the Slough of Despond,’ while the syllabus was as follows: -

‘Popularity of the Pilgrim’s Progress – A wise and good use of fiction - The reasons of Christian’s alarm and flight from the City of Destruction – The 17th century doctrine of eternal torture considered – The village of morality – The wicket gate – Place of the Bible – The Slough of Despond – Puritanic doctrine of Election a hindrance and a snare, but the Biblical doctrine a rock of strength.’

A copy of this hand-bill will be laid on your table along with this petition.

“That in delivering the said lecture, which he did at the time and place advertised, the said Robert Joseph Kyd took as his texts the following passages of Scripture – viz., Genesis xix. 17 and Matthew vii. 13.

“That the said lecture was delivered in presence of the petitioner and others. That in delivery the said lecture, the said Robert Joseph Kyd expressed views and stated doctrines which are heretical, and entirely inconsistent with, and contrary to, the truths taught by the Holy Scriptures, and recognised by the Church of Scotland, and the expressions of which were unbecoming to the character and sacred profession of a minister of the gospel, and which caused a fama clamosa of a scandal among the adherents of the church of Stevenston.

The whole tenor of said lecture was to the effect stated, and your petitioner respectfully refers to the reverend Presbytery the report thereof laid on your table; but while doing so, your petitioner deems it right, respectfully, briefly to direct attention to certain of the opinions which, he humbly submits, are heretical and contrary to the standards of the Church, and to some passages in said lectures which it is more essential the reverend Presbytery should have before their notice.

“That in particular, the said Robert Joseph Kyd, in said lecture stated: -

“First – His disbelief that the patriarch Job ever lived, and his view that the portion of the Holy Scriptures known as the Book of Job was to be regarded as a parable or fictitious or imaginary writing, the words used having been as follow: -

“The element of fiction is found, let me say, in the Bible itself. God has been pleased to give us a revelation of Himself in that form as well as in the form of history and biography. The Book of Job, for instance, has much of the fictional element in it. Such a man as Job never lived, and yet such a man as Job has always lived. Puritanism saw no fiction in the Bible. The Book of Job was interpreted as a grave historical biography.

“Second – His disbelief in the doctrine of eternal punishment for unregenerated sinners in the future life. After referring to this reading as “the revealing doctrine of eternal torture for sinners,’ he said – ‘I believe in retribution here and hereafter; I believe in it being everlasting, but scarcely in the old Puritanical name. God is eternally opposed to all that is wrong, and to all eternity will sin reap awful punishment. There is a fire burning in God’s universe into which all that is evil will be cast. Wrath against sin is eternally God’s position towards sin, and must remain so forever, and that is the fire. Every man who sins enters at once in this life, into the everlasting fire. He does not require to await for the other life till he goes into it. The pains of hell got hold of David long ago, and the pains of hell get round about men here and now. The great question that rises in your mind is – Shall a sinner abide everlastingly in the fire everlasting – the fire of God’s eternal opposition, that is to say? Bunyan believed that a sinner would if he could not get out of it somehow before he was removed from this vale of sorrow. Was that old Puritanic doctrine true? I would observe, further, that whilst God’s fire of opposition to sin never goes out, Christ nowhere says that sinners will never got out of it. Not a single word in the teaching of Christ or his apostles says that sinners going into the fire of God’s wrath will remain in it forever. He simply says that they must go into it. It is one thing to go into an everlasting fire but another thing to stay in it. Is there any necessity for an immortal, under the arch of God’s mercy, staying there? No necessity in the Book or in the love of God. I would also observe that God is stronger than the devil, and that He is mightier than sin, and that His mercy will endure for ever, and whilst sin reaps punishment the punishment is remedial. I will not make any assertion of a dogmatic kind but I simply ask – How can the endless misery of a man, child of the Most High that has sprung out of the bosom of the Everlasting Father, how can the misery of that man be a delight of the Merciful Father in heaven.

“Third – Belief in the doctrine that future punishment of unregenerated sinners is remedial and not penal. It is evident from the passages already quoted that the said Robert Joseph Kyd intended to convey to his hearers the teaching that the pains of hell are remedial. He enforces his argument by the illustration of putting his finger into the fire. ‘If,’ he said, ‘I put my finger into that flame I will suffer. The pain is remedial. It is to keep me from doing it again, and so is the opposition of God to sinners. It is intended as a remedy for the sinner.

“Fourth – Disbelief in and condemnation of the doctrine of election, as taught in the Holy Scriptures and accepted by the Church. The passage in the said lecture specifically referred to on this point is as follows: -

To say that God, by some secret principle, elects a few of the souls kindled by His Spirit and makes them His favourites, heirs of his bliss, and packs off all of the rest of His sheep away to the wilderness to be torn and mysteriously devoured by wolves of destruction that live forever, is simply the devil’s doctrine, which Gifford and hundreds of others preached as God’s gospel, and which Froude says, was ‘the fierce acid which has been poured into his (Bunyan’s) wounds, and set them all festering and made him imagine that he was now further from conversion than before.

“Fifth – Acceptance of and trust in a belief of a universal salvation for the whole human race. ‘The God,’ he said, ‘that Jesus revealed must be in pain until all pain is removed from the universe. They (the Scriptures) assure us that He will put all His enemies under His feet, and that when all things have been subjected unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subjected to Him that did subject all things unto Him – that God may be all in all. Then if God be all in all, where is the pain and the meanings of the damned to come from? If God be all in all, then all flesh shall see the glory of the Lord together, and shall greatly rejoice.”

While reserving all rights competent to him to take other or further action in the matter, the petitioner has deemed it right, in fulfilment of his duty as an adherent and dutiful son of the Church of Scotland, to respectfully bring the views expressed by the said Robert Joseph Kyd in the said lecture under the cognisance of the reverend Presbytery, in the hope they will adopt measures.

The Presbytery discussed the petition for a couple of hours, and decided that the record of their finding should not be read in public, but be sent by post to Mr McJannet.

It transpired, however, that the petition was thrown out by a majority of 10 to 6, leaving it to Doctor Howe to proceed by libel if he should think it proper to take that course.

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GLASGOW HERALD
7 FEBRUARY 1881

STEVENSTON PAROCHIAL BOARD

On Friday the half-yearly meeting of this Board was held in the New Public School – Mr Adam Wilson of Broom in the chair.

The minutes having been read and a few unimportant questions disposed of, it was found impossible, after numerous attempts, to proceed with the business, owing to interruptions. The meeting had therefore to be adjourned, and a committee was appointed to transact the unfinished business.

WATER SUPPLY

The Board have resolved, on the recommendation of Mr Gale, to obtain an analysis of the water of Ashgrove Loch, about two miles from Stevenston, and if found satisfactory, to obtain afterwards a proper engineering survey and report regarding the loch, and also regarding any other available source of supply in the district.