Story of our street

Derek Inglis shares the story of his discovery that his paternal family line are the direct descendants of Reverend William Inglis, Robert Burns’ minister

News of a researcher’s Robert Burns family history connection

Iwas born in 1972 and grew up with my brother and sister on the south side of Glasgow, in Clarkston. My father ran a successful printing business, Mackey & Inglis Ltd, all his working days, as did my grandfather. I also worked there for many years, until my father retired. This is where it gets interesting… During my father’s spare time, he would start to look into our family history, spending many days in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. There were dates, names and addresses of generations of the Inglis family and some of his research led down different paths, some of which were of no relevance.

It wasn’t until my nephew was doing a school project on our family that an interesting fact was discovered about our family’s connection to Reverend William Inglis of Loreburn church. William Inglis was born in 1741 in Leslie, Fife and was ordained as minister of the First United Associate Congregation of Dumfries in 1765. Known as the Loreburn church, its first minister was the Reverend Thomas Herbertson. William Inglis, the second minister, was to remain as minister to the congregation for 62 years. He was also minister of the United Associate Church, which covered an area from Stranraer to Whitehaven.

The inscription on his monument at St Michael’s kirkyard reads:

He was possessed of an amiable temper, and of a peculiar suavity of manners, which endeared him to all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance; as a minister he was a fearless reprove of vice, a faithful promoter of virtue, assiduous and punctual in the discharge of his various duties; he was a steady and sincere friend, a loving and affectionate husband, a tender father, an exercised Christian and an honest man.

Robert Burns, whose family pew was at St Michael’s, was often present at Reverend Inglis’s sermons.When asked why, he replied: ‘I go to hear Mr Inglis because he preaches what he believes, and practises what he preaches’.

We all know about Scotland’s Bard, but to have a small connection to him fills me with pride. I went to Loreburn and saw the headstone of my relative, placed next to Rabbie Burns (its original resting place).

During all the research my father did, he managed to trace the family roots back to 1545.There are stories of grave robbers, ministers and business owners. All of this research even led me to find a distant relative who can claim a link to Reverend William Inglis too.

Robert Burns, whose family pew was at St Michael’s, was often present at Reverend Inglis’s sermons

Have you uncovered a link to a well-known person in your family tree? E-mail rachelb@warnersgroup.co.uk and your story could appear in a future issue. For more street history, download our #StoryofOurStreet research kit for just £1.99 (99p for subscribers): http://scot.sh/street21