History of
our church
By 1840 the developing small town of Dalbeattie had two places of worship - the Roman Catholic chapel of St. Peter’s and the Cameronian meeting house in Burn Street. Members of the Presbyterian Established Church had to go to Urr Church for worship.
By 1842, sufficient funds had been gathered to purchase the Cameronian meeting-house and convert it to a church able to accommodate 500 people, and on 2nd March 1843 its first Minister was ordained but a few months later the Disruption in the Church of Scotland took place and the Minister seceded with the majority of his congregation to form a new free Church. After a vacancy of some eighteen months the next Minister was ordained on 23rd January 1845 but demitted office on l4th March 1848. The Rev. Duncan Stewart, ordained on 20th July 1848 oversaw many improvements including the construction of a manse beside the church. On 29th November 1864 the first Kirk Session meeting of the new Parish Church was held.
Mr Stewart died on llth September 1877 and his successor inducted on l3th December 1877. During his ministry the present church was built on a site gifted by Mr Wellwood H. Maxwell of Munches to plans prepared by Messrs Kinnear and Peddie, architects, Edinburgh. The church cost £3876 8s 3d exclusive of the spire which was gifted by Mr Maxwell. The church was opened for worship in January, 1880. In 1882 the five stained glass windows in the apse, were installed as a memorial to Rev. Duncan Stewart.
The church hall was opened on lOth December 1880. In the following years extensive alterations were made to manse and hall and plans were made for installing an organ. The organ, built by Messrs Forster and Andrews of Hull, was dedicated on 30th April, 1897. When the reunion of the Established Church and United Free Church took place in 1929 one consequence was the renaming of many churches, and Dalbeattie Parish Church congregation chose the name Craignair Church.
The church, became badly affected by dry rot and after extensive repairs and redecoration was re-dedicated on l4th April 1963. Next the church hall (in Burn St) was completely reconstructed and modernised and was re-dedicated on 6th March, 1966. In 1979 the outdated and increasingly costly manse and its grounds were sold to the Stewartry District Council to develop as a housing complex for old people together with warden’s accommodation.
Our Church Centre adjacent to the Church was completed in the early 90’s.
ROLL OF MINISTERS
1843-1843 James MacKenzie
1845-1848 Alexander Arthur............
1848-1877 Duncan Stewart..............
1877-1885 John Mackie...................
1885-1897 Roger S. Kirkpatrick......
1897-1907 James P. Wilson.............
1907-1929 Lewis McGlashan
1929-1952 Charles P. Grant
1952-1961 Roderick M. Boyd
1961- 1987 N. Douglas Craig
1988- present Norman Hutcheson
Dalbeattie Parish Church