Historic Graveyard Update AM reviewed
Renfrewshire Council · 17 March 2026
Back to Economy and Regeneration Policy Board — 17 March 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Economy and Regeneration Policy Board On: 17 March 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Historic Graveyards - Tourism Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to inform the Economy and Regeneration Board of progress made in respect of the Council motion of 28 April 2022 to review Renfrewshire’s historic graveyards and their future tourism potential. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Board: (i) Notes the work undertaken and progress to date. (ii) Agree to officers further exploring the potential of creating a digital and physical resource providing information on key historic graveyards in Renfrewshire. (iii) Notes that updates will be reported to the Board as appropriate. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Council meeting of 28 April 2022 approved a motion in relation to "Renfrewshire’s Historic Graveyards”. The motion states:- That Council agrees officers should undertake a review of the historic graveyards within Renfrewshire, identifying ownership and maintenance requirements and report back with recommendations to enhance the valuable contribution these can make for tourism and future generations." 3.2 An update paper was brought to Board on 29 August 2023. This summarised initial findings of the tourism potential of graveyards and provided detail on
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PUBLIC ownership and maintenance. The Board noted that officers would progress a further study to consider the feasibility of a historic graveyard trail. ___________________________________________________________________ 4 Historic Graveyards Study 4.1 A specialist consultant was appointed by the Council in spring 2025 to consider the feasibility of developing a trail exploring historic graveyards across Renfrewshire. The study (attached at appendix 1 to this report) was informed by engagement with local heritage organisations and key stakeholders. It provides an assessment of historic graveyards and lists those which are considered to be locally important. 4.2 Outcomes from stakeholder engagement supported initial officer research indicating that visitation to, and interest in, historic graveyards as part of Renfrewshire’s tourism proposition is currently low and would not form a primary driver of visits to the area. 4.3 The study highlights that historic graveyards offer a historic and cultural resource, as well as a valued place for reflection. Locally Important Graveyards 4.4 The study highlights some 20 sites which are considered to be locally important and which could form part of a trail or wider heritage resource. Sites were selected using a range of criteria including age, accessibility and participation, where sites lie in private ownership. The study highlights 11 sites within Paisley and 9 within wider Renfrewshire, as set out in the tables below. Table 1 - Graveyard Sites, Paisley Name Owner 1 Abbey Close Renfrewshire Council 2 Paisley Abbey Interior Paisley Abbey 3 Paisley Abbey Graveyard Renfrewshire Council 4 Laigh Kirk (Paisley Arts Centre) Renfrewshire Council 5 Oakshaw Trinity Church (Laigh Park) Renfrewshire Council 6 Holy Trinity (St James Street) Privately owned 7 Castlehead Church Privately owned 8 Martyr’s Parish Graveyard (Woodside) Privately owned 9 Woodside Privately owned 10 St Columba’s Cemetery (Hawkhead) Renfrewshire Council 11 Hawkhead Cemetery Renfrewshire Council Table 2 - Graveyard Sites, Wider Renfrewshire Name Owner 1 Renfrew Old Parish Church Renfrewshire Council 2 Inchinnan Parish Church/Old Parish Church Privately owned/Renfrewshire Council 3 Bishopton Parish Church (Erskine Graveyard) Renfrewshire Council
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PUBLIC 4 Houston Parish Church and Renfrewshire Council 5 Kilallan Kirk, Houston Kilallan Kirk Preservation Trust 6 Kilbarchan Old West Kirk Privately owned 7 Kilbarchan Parish Church (East) Renfrewshire Council 8 Johnstone High Church Renfrewshire Council 9 Lochwinnoch (Cemetery, ‘Auld Simon’, Collegiate Church) Renfrewshire Council, Historic Environment Scotland ___________________________________________________________________ 5 Next Steps 5.1 While outcomes from the study indicate that there is currently limited interaction with historic graveyards within Renfrewshire, there is an opportunity to highlight their historic and cultural importance as part of a local history and tourism offer. 5.2 The graveyards identified as those which are locally important are geographically diverse and as such development of a heritage trail is unlikely to be the most appropriate approach in this instance. An alternative is anticipated to be the creation of an information resource which highlights historic graveyards across Renfrewshire and which could be digitally available for local residents and visitors alike. 5.3 In this context, officers will undertake further research on the locally important sites identified within the study, with a view to developing information which would be available to view on the Council’s website and will scope out the feasibility of developing a physical information leaflet/booklet. Future Opportunities 5.4 In the medium to long term, there may also be opportunities to further develop available resources in relation to graveyards. These could include:- • Information on Commonwealth War Graves and other associated service personnel who were buried abroad, but mentioned on family memorials (noting that OneRen’s Heritage Centre receive regular enquiries, with graveyards listed under Commonwealth War Graves Commission of particular interest); • Information on village war memorials; • Information on the statues within the Council area. 5.5 Opportunities for further development of resources will be considered in partnership with local heritage organisations, key stakeholders and local community groups. ___________________________________________________________________
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PUBLIC Implications of the Report 1. Financial – None. Officer resource for further research is contained within existing staff budgets. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None. 3. Community Planning – Our Renfrewshire is thriving – The project supports development which will enhance the heritage of Renfrewshire’s historic graveyards. 4. Legal – Unknown. 5. Property/Assets - None. 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality and Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. 8. Health and Safety – None. 9. Procurement – None 10. Risks - None. 11. Privacy Impact – None. 12. Climate Risk - No identified impacts at present. 13. Children’s Rights - None 14. Cosla Policy Position - None ________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) Historic Graveyards - Tourism Update - Economy and Regeneration Policy Board, 29 August 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Euan Shearer; Regeneration and Place Manager Email: euan.shearer@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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1 PUBLIC Appendix 1 October 2025 Historic Graveyards Trail RC-RGN-24-05 For: Regeneration and Place Chief Executives Service Renfrewshire Council archaeologyIT trading as: The Urban Historian / Renfrewshire Heritage/ Renfrewshire Ancestors 36 Moorhouse Avenue Paisley PA2 9NX 07779296525 stephen@theurbanhistorian.co.uk
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2 PUBLIC Table of Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Community and Stakeholder Engagement ..................................................................................... 4 3. Heritage Trail - Selection Criteria .................................................................................................... 6 4. Summary and Next Steps ................................................................................................................ 8
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3 PUBLIC 1. Introduction 1.1 The Urban Historian was appointed by Renfrewshire Council in spring 2025 to consider the feasibility of developing a heritage trail exploring historic graveyards across Renfrewshire. This would assist in raising awareness of local heritage for both residents and visitors, contributing to the wider tourism offer within Renfrewshire. 1.2 This report summarises the outcomes of the study and sets out:- • Engagement with local heritage organisations and key stakeholders to gather the views of interested parties on the current use of graveyards and their association with them; • An assessment of historic graveyards, including their local history, condition, and accessibility; • A list of graveyards which could form part of a trail, informed by a range of criteria; • Next steps and other opportunities for research and development of heritage tourism related to historic graveyards.
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4 PUBLIC 2. Community and Stakeholder Engagement 2.1 To gauge current interactions with the historic graveyards within Renfrewshire churches, private owners and other key stakeholders were contacted. Information sought from engagement related to ownership, activity with the graveyard, number of visitors and any detail or documentation on the history of the graveyard. 2.2 In all thirteen bodies were contacted with responses received from three churches, one private owner and one preservation trust. Only one of the three churches indicated direct ties to a graveyard, this being the Laigh Kirk Graveyard (Arts Centre) and the West Relief/ Castlehead Church Graveyard. The church possess burial records for Castlehead including a lair register, a recent physical survey and record of every visible grave. 2.3 A second church were unaware of having had a graveyard, despite one headstone remaining on St James’ Street, Paisley and an extension of their building being constructed on top of the graveyard in the 1880s. The third church indicated they still owned the graveyard, though it is understood in the ownership of Renfrewshire Council. 2.4 Of the other two responders, one now owns the former church within the graveyard (Old Kirk, Kilbarchan) and the other is a preservation trust that owns the church and graveyard at Killallan, Houston. 2.5 None of the respondents were able to advise of visitor numbers and this is not monitored, but the majority of users appear to be dog walkers, with only a small number undertaking any form of research on family history, or simply exploring the graveyard. Use appears to be low, with Killallan for example suggesting less than 10 visitors a week. The owner of the Old Kirk in Kilbarchan indicated that regular visitors are seen and more family history research is undertaken here, with proximity of the National Trust for Scotland’s Weavers Cottage perhaps leading to more interested visitors exploring the older part of the village. 2.6 Outcomes from engagement have indicated that when we look at Renfrewshire’s Historic Graveyards we can see them in several ways: • A historic resource – they provide a window into the past through the information contained in the memorials about the lives of those buried ie, dates of birth and death, occupations, relationships and wider family. This information can be used by genealogists, family historians and historians who can use the information to help understand society at specific times and the way they lived. The graveyards are also a visual record of changes in time – as time moves on the design of the memorial changes and this can often be seen in sections of the graveyards that have been added or used at later dates. • A cultural resource – the graveyards show expressions of values, beliefs and traditions of a community. Within the graveyard the placement of memorials and the graves reflect the traditions of the community the people belonged to. This can be seen from earliest
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5 PUBLIC times with the chambered cairns in Scotland through to the early Christian burials at Whithorn in the 5th and 6th Centuries where pebbles were laid around the corpse, to the much later Viking age Hogback burial monuments to be seen at Govan Old Kirk, towards the simple 16th to 19th Century simple headstones and table stones that dominate the majority of heritage graveyards, to today’s modern memorials and gardens of remembrance for cremated remains. • A place of reflection – many visitors to graveyards visit to grieve or reflect on their ancestors’ lives, but they can also be a place to unplug from the noise of everyday life, even for a short while. A good example of this is the Howff cemetery in Dundee, described as “a tranquil escape from the bustling city, with benches and greenery for relaxation and reflection.”1 1 https://mindtrip.ai/attraction/dundee-scotland/howff/at-JxZSp6NK accessed 15th September 2025
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6 PUBLIC 3. Heritage Trail - Selection Criteria 3.1 An exercise was undertaken to select graveyards for inclusion within a potential heritage trail. The key criteria considered were:- • Age – is the graveyard old enough for inclusion? • Accessibility – is the graveyard open and physically accessible to the public? • Participation – where in private ownership, are owners open to being included? 3.2 To be classed as historic we chose to work from graveyards that opened prior to 1890. Hawkhead opened in 1891 but was included due to the number of local war memorials and the likes of the Glen Cinema memorial. 3.3 Graveyards that are owned by Renfrewshire Council, but not accessible such as the Oakshaw East UP Church Graveyard were excluded due to locked gates and being overgrown. The same criteria were used for privately owned graveyards such as Oakshaw West UP Church and the former Castlehead Church graveyards. Both churches are now flats, and the graveyards are not accessible. 3.4 Although not accessible, Castlehead was included to illustrate important memorials such as that of Robert Tannahill, the weaver poet. The site of Inchinnan Old Kirk was included although it is closed to the public due to security issues for flights landing at Glasgow Airport. It was deemed important enough to cover the site with the memorials that were moved to Inchinnan Parish Church. 3.5 Attempts were made to contact the owners of the private graveyards. The Killallan Preservation Trust and Woodside Cemetery both agreed to participation, while contact with owners of Castlehead has been unsuccessful to date. Graveyards for Inclusion 3.6 A list of the graveyards considered appropriate for inclusion in any heritage trail is set out in table 1 below. Some 20 sites were chosen following the selection process, with 11 of these within Paisley and the remaining 9 across wider Renfrewshire. Table 1 - Graveyard Sites, Paisley 1 Abbey Close Renfrewshire Council 2 Paisley Abbey Interior Paisley Abbey 3 Paisley Abbey Graveyard Renfrewshire Council 4 Laigh Kirk (Paisley Arts Centre) Renfrewshire Council 5 Oakshaw Trinity Church (Laigh Park) Renfrewshire Council 6 Holy Trinity (St James Street) Privately owned 7 Castlehead Church Privately owned 8 Martyr’s Parish Graveyard (Woodside) Privately owned 9 Woodside Privately owned
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7 PUBLIC 10 St Columba’s Cemetery (Hawkhead) Renfrewshire Council 11 Hawkhead Cemetery Renfrewshire Council Table 2 - Graveyard Sites, Wider Renfrewshire 1 Renfrew Old Parish Church Renfrewshire Council 2 Inchinnan Parish Church/Old Parish Church Privately owned/Renfrewshire Council 3 Bishopton Parish Church (Erskine Graveyard) Renfrewshire Council 4 Houston Parish Church and Renfrewshire Council 5 Kilallan Kirk, Houston Kilallan Kirk Preservation Trust 6 Kilbarchan Old West Kirk Privately owned 7 Kilbarchan Parish Church (East) Renfrewshire Council 8 Johnstone High Church Renfrewshire Council 9 Lochwinnoch (Cemetery, ‘Auld Simon’, Collegiate Church) Renfrewshire Council, Historic Environment Scotland
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8 PUBLIC 4. Summary and Next Steps 4.1 Outcomes from this study indicate that there is currently limited interaction with historic graveyards within Renfrewshire. Despite this they offer a historic and cultural resource as well as a valued place for reflection. In this context there is an opportunity to highlight important graveyards across Renfrewshire both in terms of local history and a tourism offer. 4.2 The graveyards identified as those which could be investigated further in section 3 above are geographically diverse and so a heritage trail is unlikely to be the most appropriate approach. An alternative is the creation of an information leaflet which highlights graveyards across Renfrewshire and which could be digitally available for local residents and visitors alike. 4.3 There are also opportunities to further develop available resources in relation to graveyards in the future. These could include:- • Information on Commonweath War Graves and other associated service personnel who were buried abroad, but mentioned on family memorials; • Information on village war memorials; • Information on the statues of the county. 4.4 There are currently several exercises underway within Scotland on Graveyard Recording as part of plan for heritage tourism. Work by the Inchinnan Historical Society at Inchinnan Old is one example of both excavation and recoding of the old site. 4.5 The work at these graveyards is to help promote the tourism and knowledge local areas. As part of a wider piece of work to highlight awareness of graveyards in Renfrewshire, it may be appropriate to consider developing a research group to delve further into the stories of the graveyards and people of Renfrewshire buried within them. This could be to record the condition of the graveyard, number of stones and the inscriptions or develop talks or tours of the graveyards.
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Excerpts from Historic Graveyard research material