A Long-Serving Session Clerk
In 1762, at the early age of 22, John Baillie was appointed schoolmaster and session clerk at Dundonald, and he was to remain in these posts for close to 60 years; he saw some major changes take place in the church. Throughout most of the life of the church here, from the Reformation until the early years of last century, the posts of session clerk and schoolmaster were combined. For much of that time the schoolmaster was probably one of the most educated and literate men in the parish and so an obvious candidate for clerk.
When appointed as session clerk John Baillie was not an ordained elder; that occurred 6 years later. So presumably he attended meetings, took minutes, but took no part in the discussions in session. He was treasurer for some of his time on session, and was also precentor for many years. (The precentor was the man who led the psalm singing in the days before the use of an organ.) In the days before official registration of births, marriages and deaths these events were recorded in parish records and this was the responsibility of the clerk. Here is a typical example of a record:
1836
McCall Margaret, daughter of Gilbert McCall and Elizabeth Neill, spouses, Loans, was born 17th Nov, baptised 4th Dec.
When it came to entering the record of birth for his own children John Baillie was more elaborate:
1780
Baillie John, son to John Baillie, schoolmaster at Dundonald and Janet Miller, spouses, was born on Saturday of July first at thirty minutes past seven o’clock ante meridian and baptised there July third seventeen hundred and eighty years by Rev William Peebles, minister of Newton upon Air. (sic)
He was clearly very proud of his family.
Although it is impossible to be sure about the things John Baillie did for Dundonald Church there are strong suspicions that he achieved much. During his time as clerk the village was provided with a new manse, a new school and a new church and, although the funds would be provided by the Heritors, who knows what strong arguments the session clerk/schoolmaster would make in support of the need for new facilities.
There is another thing which John Baillie seems to have done for the church. Dundonald Church possesses a very complete set of Kirk Session minutes covering most of the years from 1602 to the present day. Looking carefully at the 18th / 19th century minutes we find that there is no change in the handwriting from 1730 onwards until 1820 despite the fact that there were 4 different clerks over that time. All of the hand-writing corresponds to that during John Baillie’s period as clerk. It would seem that John Baillie took an old and possibly disorganised record and completely re-wrote it in a form that remains eminently legible today.
Here is John Baillie’s obituary from the Ayr Advertiser of 13th December 1821:
At Dundonald on 5th curt Mr John Baillie, schoolmaster of that parish, in the 82nd year of his age and the 59th of his induction into the office of schoolmaster. He was precentor in the church of Dundonald for 50 years and during that long period he was not absent a single day when there was public worship. He resigned the office of teaching for the last 8 years to an assistant but retained the greater part of his salary and the office of session clerk till his death. He was a man of the most genuine integrity and uprightness. Of him it may be truly said “he was an Israelite in whom there was no guile”.