As it’s St Fillan’s 900th anniversary I’m looking at Rev. Rutherford’s children’s address, where he talks about the history of the church, this one is for 17th September 1967, here he is talking about another name on the brass memorial – this is one of the bad ones – William Paton.
William Paton has the date 1611, he had been the minister first in the borders, then Milnathort, then Dalgety where he had the oversight of the parishes of Aberdour and Beath and he got a salary for each of these so he was a wealth man. He couldn’t manage to look after all three churches so he employed another to do the work but he didn’t pay him. In 1610 the minister of Aberdour moved elsewhere and William Patton moved into Aberdour manse.
On person said about him “that his skill and dexterity was known to be far greater in making baskets, than either praying or preaching”. Instead of doing the work he was called to he was making money of the side.
In those days some rich nobles would bribe ministers to get them to vote the way they wanted, he was one who accepted £40 (which was a lot of money in those day) to vote the way the Earl of Dunbar wanted. In 1634 it is alleged that he took money from the Kirk Box for his own use. There were attempts to get rid of him , to get him to move to the smaller charge of Carnock, but he said he would only move if he got the same pay.
Today there are a lot op people who like William Paton think only of themselves and how much money they can get.
See Aberdour and Inchcolme by Rev Willam Ross.
Rev William Ross was a minister of the Free Church in Aberdour from 1854 to 1866. His second wife was the daughter of Rev William Bryce minister at Aberdour from 1796 to 1836.