2011

NS3975 : The gravestone of James Oliphant

taken 13 years ago, near to Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland

The gravestone of James Oliphant
The gravestone of James Oliphant
This stone lies beside NS3975 : The gravestone of John Brown, behind a locked gate in an enclosure beside the church halls of NS3975 : Dumbarton Riverside Parish Church. The inscription is as follows:

"Sacred to the memory of the Rev. James Oliphant, minister of Dumbarton, who died on the tenth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen years, in the 84th year of his age and the 54th of his ministry. He was licensed to preach the gospel by the presbytery of Kintyre, in Islay, 19th May, 1760; ordained nearly a year in Gorbals of Glasgow; was ordained by the presbytery of Irvine at Kilmarnock, and remained there until 23rd December, 1773, when he was ordained minister of the church and parish of Dumbarton, where he continued to labour until removed by death."

As a student, James Oliphant was associated with the Secession Church, but he later left it to join the established Church of Scotland. He held and expressed ultra-Calvinistic views; for this, Robert Burns, who had heard him preach at Kilmarnock, satirised him in the poem "The Ordination" (Oliphant's surname appears in the second stanza).

Oliphant was the author of "The Mother's Catechism", which saw wide distribution, and which was intended to counter Arminianism (anyone who is curious about the theological points that were being contested may find some good sources of information and comparison by searching for "Calvinism vs Arminianism").

He also supplied the description of the "County of Dunbarton" that appears in the Old Statistical Account (1792). These accounts were generally drawn up by the parish minister (if he was unable to do so for some reason, such as advanced age, he might delegate the task to an assistant minister).

Oliphant married twice; his second wife was Janet Colquhoun, daughter of Humphrey Colquhoun of Barnhill (who was a bailie of Dumbarton); for more on that family, see NS4076 : Memorial to the Campbells of Barnhill (the enclosure in which the gravestones of James Oliphant and John Brown are now located was originally for the Campbells of Barnhill).

In connection with Oliphant's appointment to Dumbarton, Donald MacLeod, in his book "Ancient Records of Dumbarton and Glasgow" (1896), offers the following comments (and, by his standards, they are unusually direct): "Mr Oliphant was married to Janet, daughter of Humphrey Colquhoun by his second wife Margaret Williamson, and that accounts for his being minister of Dumbarton. He was not the choice of the people. He was forced upon them in the bad old times when might was right."

James Oliphant was blind for a few years before his death, which occurred in 1818.

[References: the inscription itself is difficult to see from outside the enclosure, but, helpfully, its text is reproduced in Donald MacLeod's "The God's Acres of Dumbarton" (1888). Joseph Irving's "History of Dumbartonshire" (1860), in a section on the succession of ministers, supplies some biographical details; a few more such details can be found in the Dictionary of National Biography (DNB), Volume 42 (published in 1895).]
Dumbarton Riverside Parish Church

The church was built from 1810-11 (architect John Brash), and stands on the site of the previous parish kirk. See its listed building report – LinkExternal link (at Historic Environment Scotland) – for an architectural description. The associated parish kirkyard was reduced in size several times, and much of what was left of it was cleared away in 1972 to make way for the present-day church halls. Only a few of its memorials remain; see Link for details.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Lairich Rig and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Burial ground, Crematorium other tags: Gravestone Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
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Grid Square
NS3975, 671 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Lairich Rig   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Saturday, 16 April, 2011   (more nearby)
Submitted
Monday, 14 November, 2011
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 3980 7518 [10m precision]
WGS84: 55:56.5730N 4:34.0003W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! NS 3980 7518
View Direction
EAST (about 90 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Supplemental image
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