As you walk down the main path towards the Church, on the right hand side, attached to the outside wall of the ancient Session House, is this large amazing plaque.
The very ornate lettering is difficult to read but it says –
Jehovah – jirrh Gen.22.14.
1860
Jehova jirrh (or jireh) is Hebrew for ‘The Lord Will Provide’ and Genesis chapter 22, verse 14 says ‘So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided”.
This imposing plaque was originally in a prominent position above the door of the Rothesay Chapelhill Gaelic Free Church. The congregation of Rothesay Free Church was established at the time of the Disruption in 1843 and continued to worship in the Gaelic Church in Russel Street until 1858 when they were required to leave. A new church was built and opened at Chapelhill Street in 1860 when the plaque was erected on the front elevation.
Following the union of the United Presbyterian Church and the Free Church of Scotland in 1900, Rothesay Chapelhill Gaelic Free Church became Rothesay Chapelhill United Free Church and during this time Gaelic services ceased and the congregation lost their church.
A new church was built in the High Street and in the 1929 union between the United Free Church of Scotland and the Church of Scotland, Rothesay Chapelhill United Free became Rothesay Chapelhill Church of Scotland with the name of the congregation changing two years later (1931) to Rothesay St James In 1938 Rothesay St James was joined with the charge of Rothesay Trinity, and the former St James Church was sold a year later. After this local union the congregation continued under the name of Rothesay Trinity and a further union followed with Rothesay West in 1979.
At some point before Chapelhill Church was converted to a private dwelling a kind person had the commemorative plaque removed and safely stored until it was recently put on display in its new location.
Immediately below the carved plaque is a sculptured plaque depicting a baptismal group. This sculpture was re-located here after St John’s Church Rothesay was demolished. St John’s was built in Argyle Street in 1879 as New Rothesay Parish Church. The name changed in 1929 to be New Rothesay Church, and then again in 1942 the name changed to St John’s Church. In 1973 the building was declared unsafe and the congregation united with the High Kirk. Housing was built on the site and named St John’s Place.