Elizabeth Ann Lindsay was born in Montrose in 1845 and married Alexander Thomson Wood there in 1882. He was born in Stonehaven in 1848, and was the son of James Wood, Druggist, and Mary Thomson (sister of Robert William Thomson who invented the pneumatic tyre). Their son Edward Lindsay Wood was born in Derbyshire in 1883.
Alexander was employed as “Inspector of the Poor, Collector of Rates & Burgh Treasurer”, and he became an elder of Fetteresso Church in May 1891 when the family lived at ‘Elder Grove’ in Arduthie Road. Later they moved to ‘The Lillies’ (the house next door to the church). Lizzie died of pneumonia in 1902 and is interred at the Old Fetteresso Kirkyard. Alexander died on 24 October 1905. Lizzie enjoyed painting and the lilies seen in the stained glass window were her favourite flowers. The window was designed and made by James Benson of Glasgow.
On Sunday 12th August 1990, a new stained glass window was dedicated to the glory of God and in memory of the parents of the late Mr. Fred Murray.
Frederick Murray’s father - Robert Murray - was born in Forfarshire - the son of a ploughman. He trained as a tailor and moved to Stonehaven where he married local lass - Mary Nicol in 1878. The couple had 7 children and lived in Barclay Sheet. Robert (described as a Master Tailor and Clothier) died in 1928 and Mary in 1941 .
Frederick Keillor Keith Murray was their youngest child. He followed his father in becoming a Master Tailor and carried on the family business in Barclay Street till he retired around 1966. He died in 1981 at the age of 82.
Below is a letter explaining the art.
Window of Fetteresso Kirk
Because of the family’s association with tailors and the clothing industry I have made the theme of the window St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare.
St. Francis
(1181 - 1229) was the son of a cloth merchant. He was so distressed by the poverty of his times that he renounced his family’s wealth and dedicated his life to caring for the poor. He had a deep love of nature and many of his ideas and concerns are similar to those of the “Green Peace” movement of the present day.
I have therefore chosen to represent him in his Franciscan habit “preaching to the birds” on a beach near Stonehaven. All the seabirds depicted are those that naturalists would find in the Mearns.
St. Clare (1194-1253) was so inspired by the ideas and life of St. Francis that she founded an order of nuns “The poor Claves: based on his teachings. She became a close friend of St. Francis and shared many of his interests, especially his love of Nature. She was one of the great medieval contemplatives and devoted much of her time to sewing altar cloths and vestments while deep in prayer and contemplation.
To show that, like St. Francis , her concerns are close to ours of the present day, I have imagined her working in Fettereso Kirk (one of its windows is in the background) embroidering a foil for the pulpit. To link it with St. Francis lancet I show her depicting the Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove. A the foot I have placed a spinning wheel - symbol of the transience of Life. This too is a link with St. Francis, the cloth merchant.
In the Kirk above the two lancets I have depicted the Chi-Rho an ancient symbol for Christ - to make that they lived their lives in imitation of Christ and his Teachings.
Crear McCartney
19th September 1988.