These three churches lie to the north-west of Paisley, in a straight
line, about four miles apart. The Church of Houston is modern, and the
only thing belonging to the ancient church which formerly stood there is
shown in Fig. 1492, being the recumbent figures of one of the Houston
family and his wife. The monument which contained these statues is
entirely gone, and they now lie in a lighted closet, built for their
reception, beside the new church. The Houston arms are carved on the
knight’s armour (a fesse chequé between three martlets). The figures
probably date from the fifteenth century, and are believed to represent
Sir Patrick Houston of that Ilk, who died in 1450, and his wife, Agnes
Campbell, who died in 1456. Crawford states[215] that Sir Patrick,
departing this life 1450, was buried in the Chapel of Houston, where
there is a fair monument erected to the memory of him and his wife, with
this inscription:--“Hic jacet Patricius Houstoun, de Eodem, miles, qui
obiit anno MCCCCL; et D. Maria Colquhoun sponsa dicti Domini Johannis
quae obiit MCCCCLVI.”
The parish of KILFILLAN or KILLALLAN was incorporated with Houston in
1760, and the church dedicated to St. Fillan has probably been in a
state of ruin since about that time. It stands in a beautiful hollow in
an elevated situation overlooking the valley of Strathgryfe, midway
between Houston and Kilmalcolm. The walls are fairly entire, but without
the gables, and are densely covered with ivy. The masonry shows that
they are of considerable age, if indeed they are not of the Norman
period. While this may be so, all the openings are of seventeenth
century work, and the doorway at the west end of the south wall is dated
1635. About that time the openings were probably changed into their
present forms, and the pre-Reformation character of the building was
altered to suit Presbyterian
[Illustration: FIG. 1492.--Houston Church. Effigies of Sir Patrick
Houston and his Wife.]
ideas. The old plan (Fig. 1493), however, resembles many of the ancient
churches in its long proportions, and in having the north and south
doors
[Illustration: FIG. 1493.--St. Fillan’s Church, Killallan, Renfrewshire.
Plan.]
opposite each other. Adjoining the church and churchyard there still
exists a quaint old Scottish mansion house of seventeenth century style,
which may probably have been the residence of the clergymen.
KILMALCOLM.--The church here was dedicated to King Malcolm III., who
along with his wife, Queen Margaret, were commemorated as saints. A
fragment of the east wall of a pre-Reformation church remains, with
three plain lancet windows, which may possibly belong to the thirteenth
century. It forms a part of the parish church. The above three churches,
along with all the others in Strathgryfe (except Inchinnon), were
comprehended in the grant which Walter, the son of Alan, made to the
Abbey of Paisley in 1164.