3. THE PATRON
1887 - THE PATRON
Sir John Maxwell Stirling-Maxwell, 10th Baronet, KT, DL, FRSE (6 June 1866 – 30 May 1956)
The eldest son of Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, 9th Baronet and Lady Anna Maria Leslie-Melville, second daughter of David Leslie-Melville, 8th Earl of Leven and Elizabeth Anne Campbell, he was educated at Eton College and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He succeeded his father to the baronetcy in 1878.
He was Conservative Member of Parliament for the College Division of Glasgow between 1895 and 1906, and later served as Chairman of the Forestry Commission from 1929–1932. He was also Chairman of the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland, and a Trustee of the National Galleries of Scotland, and Chairman of Ancient Monuments Board. He was a Lieutenant in the Royal Company of Archers and an active Freemason, being a member of The Pollokshaws Royal Arch Lodge No. 153, a founding member of Lodge Blythswood No. 817, and an honorary member of Lodge Pollok, Pollokshields No. 772.
He was a founder member of the National Trust for Scotland (1931), becoming one of its first Vice-Presidents and President from 1943 until his death. He realised the importance of green spaces within a city. In this context, he was determined to protect the Pollok Estate and give the people of Glasgow access to it, which he undertook in 1911.
Stirling Maxwell was also involved in trying to resolve the protracted problem of finding a home for the art treasures presented to Glasgow in 1944 by Sir William Burrell. After his death, his daughter gave Pollok House, a substantial proportion of the estate and her father's art collection to the Glasgow Corporation. This gift of land eventually allowed the Glasgow city fathers to erect a building to hold the Burrell Collection.
In 1929 he was appointed a Knight of the Thistle. He held the honorary degree of LLD from the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and Edinburgh University. Hon. RSA; Hon. RIBA; Hon. RWS; Hon. RSW and a DL. Sir John and Lady Stirling-Maxwell were both elected Fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1902.
In 1938 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Sir John Stirling-Maxwell died at Pollok House on 30 May 1956.
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The Maxwells are the oldest proprietors in all of Renfrewshire, having owned land in the area since the 1200’s. It is believed that the Maxwell name came from the son of a Saxon lord – Maccus, son of Unwin. Maccus was bestowed lands near the castle of Roxburgh by Alexander 1, and he also had a salmon pool near Kelso Bridge, and it was called Maccus’s wiel, (‘Wiel’ meaning a deep pool in a river). His descendants took the name ‘de Maccuswel which was later changed to Maxwell. In Dumfriesshire, the de Maccuswel’s built a church, castle and village mill, hence the name Maxwelltown as it is known today.
The generosity and kindness of the Stirling Maxwell family towards the local community of Pollokshaws is legendary and unsurpassed and has been continuous through centuries.
The late Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Bart., of Pollok, made available in 1893 some of the magnificent parkland with mature trees which now forms what has become Pollok Golf Club. The debt of gratitude of the local community included the provision, to what became the Pollok Curling Club, of the finest outdoor curling rink and pavilions in the Province. It extended to two other golf courses, recreation grounds, a school, a place of worship, allotments a cricket ground, a magnificent park, and the planning of Pollokshields (which received a European Award.) Finally, Sir John’s daughter and her children gifted Pollok House, its magnificent furnishings and a very valuable collection of paintings, including works by many masters, plus the ground to build the Burrell Museum, greatly enriching Glasgow’s culture and establishing one of Scotland’s biggest tourist attractions.
The history of the connection of the curling club to its Patron is as follows:
On 28th September, 1883 the following letter was sent to Sir John Stirling Maxwell Bart at Keir House, Dunblane:-
46 Pollok Street, Pollokshaws,
28th Sept. 1883
Sir,
The Members of the Eastwood Curling Club desire me respectfully to request that you will do them the honour to accept the position of Patron of their Club. Hitherto no one has been formally designated to as Patron of the Club but the Royal Caledonian Curling Club with which the Eastwood Curling Club is associated seem to require that a Patron be wanted and the Members of this Club have ventured to hope that as they reside and have their pond on your Estate you might not be indisposed to bestow your patronage upon them and accept the honorary position they wish you to accept. In the hope that you will give their request your best consideration,
I Am respectfully
Sir Your most obedient servant
Thomas Wilson Secy.
It is not recorded if this invitation was accepted and there is no record in the Minutes of the Club of any reply being received from Sir John to this effect (He would have been barely 17 years of age).
A further Approach, 4 years later…. -
At a Meeting of the Club held on 9th September 1887 the Members decided after discussion that the Secretary should write to the Heir of Pollok now that he had reached his ”one score and one years”, graciously asking him to become honorary member or patron of the Club. This received some support but was subsequently overruled by the motion that a deputation consisting of Messrs John Dalglish, Robert Smith and William McGregor Adam should wait upon Sir John Stirling Maxwell. After some days reflection it was deemed a better course of action to write to him, the Secretary having learnt in the interval “that the young man was being deluged with deputations, the nature of which would make all sensitive men blush”.
The letter written and reply received were as follows:
Pollokshaws 19th September 1887
Sir John Stirling Maxwell Bart. Of Nether Pollok
Sir,
At a General Meeting of the Members of Eastwood Curling Club held on Friday Evening the 9th inst. for the election of Office Bearers & New Members it was unanimously resolved to ask you to become an Honorary Member of our Club. We curl at Cowglen Pond which is sublet to us for the Winter Season only from your tenant Mr Smith there. We have been fairly successful in our Local & Parish Matches in the past. Our funds are healthier now than what they have been in recent more depressed times, but to imbue the Members with that Spirit of emulation which would give them equal interest in practising so that they might excel as other Parish Clubs doing that they have a Medal or Cup worth striving for, presented to them by some local gentleman for annual competition at Points or games confined to their respective Clubs. We would fain hope that, while congratulating you, and wishing you a long and honourable career on your having attained the command of your ancient and Historical Family Possessions, now that you have had breathing space after the recent rejoicings your deliberation will be favourable to our desires.
I am Yours Faithfully
Pro Eastwood Curling Club
Wm. McGregor Adam
To which the following reply was received…..
Keir, Dunblane
October 12th 1887
Dear Sir,
I shall be very glad to become a Member of the Eastwood Curling Club. Being so closely connected with the Parish it will be a great pleasure to me to give a cup to be curled for. I do not quite gather from your letter whether you are anxious to get some gentleman to present a cup every year or whether you wish for a cup which might be curled for annually and held by the winner for a year only. If the former is the case shall be very glad to give a cup to be curled for this winter. If the latter is the case (and this seems to be the best plan) I shall be glad to give a cup that could be curled for every year and held over the Season by the winner. Please let me know your wishes, as, if the cup is the one that is to be curled for annually, I shall take more trouble about getting it than I should do if it was only to be curled for once.
I am Yours Truly
John Stirling Maxwell
See what happened to the Cup offer in Chapter 13 – The Sir John Stirling Maxwell Tankard….
AGM 10th October 1929: Proposed by J Duncanson, Seconded by E Pickwell that Sir John Stirling Maxwell Bart, be made a Life Member of the Club. Agreed.
1903 - THE PATRONESS
Oct 1st 1903 ..
Lady Stirling Maxwell, Corrour Lodge, Inverness shire.
My Lady,
It is quite a customary thing for Curling Clubs to have a Patroness or Patronesses who in all probability have not got beyond seeing a game played. Your Ladyship has actually taken part in a game therefore I trust I am not presuming too much in asking you to do the Club the honour to allow your name to be added to our list as Patroness.
I am., My Lady, Yours
John Boyd, Honorary Secretary.
Oct 3 1903 Corrour, Invernessshire
I shall be very glad to become Patroness of Pollok Curling Club. I only hope we shall have some (good) ice in this year.
Yours truly,
Anne Christian Stirling Maxwell.
1887 - THE PATRON
Sir John Maxwell Stirling-Maxwell, 10th Baronet, KT, DL, FRSE (6 June 1866 – 30 May 1956)
The eldest son of Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, 9th Baronet and Lady Anna Maria Leslie-Melville, second daughter of David Leslie-Melville, 8th Earl of Leven and Elizabeth Anne Campbell, he was educated at Eton College and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He succeeded his father to the baronetcy in 1878.
He was Conservative Member of Parliament for the College Division of Glasgow between 1895 and 1906, and later served as Chairman of the Forestry Commission from 1929–1932. He was also Chairman of the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland, and a Trustee of the National Galleries of Scotland, and Chairman of Ancient Monuments Board. He was a Lieutenant in the Royal Company of Archers and an active Freemason, being a member of The Pollokshaws Royal Arch Lodge No. 153, a founding member of Lodge Blythswood No. 817, and an honorary member of Lodge Pollok, Pollokshields No. 772.
He was a founder member of the National Trust for Scotland (1931), becoming one of its first Vice-Presidents and President from 1943 until his death. He realised the importance of green spaces within a city. In this context, he was determined to protect the Pollok Estate and give the people of Glasgow access to it, which he undertook in 1911.
Stirling Maxwell was also involved in trying to resolve the protracted problem of finding a home for the art treasures presented to Glasgow in 1944 by Sir William Burrell. After his death, his daughter gave Pollok House, a substantial proportion of the estate and her father's art collection to the Glasgow Corporation. This gift of land eventually allowed the Glasgow city fathers to erect a building to hold the Burrell Collection.
In 1929 he was appointed a Knight of the Thistle. He held the honorary degree of LLD from the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and Edinburgh University. Hon. RSA; Hon. RIBA; Hon. RWS; Hon. RSW and a DL. Sir John and Lady Stirling-Maxwell were both elected Fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1902.
In 1938 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Sir John Stirling-Maxwell died at Pollok House on 30 May 1956.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The Maxwells are the oldest proprietors in all of Renfrewshire, having owned land in the area since the 1200’s. It is believed that the Maxwell name came from the son of a Saxon lord – Maccus, son of Unwin. Maccus was bestowed lands near the castle of Roxburgh by Alexander 1, and he also had a salmon pool near Kelso Bridge, and it was called Maccus’s wiel, (‘Wiel’ meaning a deep pool in a river). His descendants took the name ‘de Maccuswel which was later changed to Maxwell. In Dumfriesshire, the de Maccuswel’s built a church, castle and village mill, hence the name Maxwelltown as it is known today.
The generosity and kindness of the Stirling Maxwell family towards the local community of Pollokshaws is legendary and unsurpassed and has been continuous through centuries.
The late Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Bart., of Pollok, made available in 1893 some of the magnificent parkland with mature trees which now forms what has become Pollok Golf Club. The debt of gratitude of the local community included the provision, to what became the Pollok Curling Club, of the finest outdoor curling rink and pavilions in the Province. It extended to two other golf courses, recreation grounds, a school, a place of worship, allotments a cricket ground, a magnificent park, and the planning of Pollokshields (which received a European Award.) Finally, Sir John’s daughter and her children gifted Pollok House, its magnificent furnishings and a very valuable collection of paintings, including works by many masters, plus the ground to build the Burrell Museum, greatly enriching Glasgow’s culture and establishing one of Scotland’s biggest tourist attractions.
The history of the connection of the curling club to its Patron is as follows:
On 28th September, 1883 the following letter was sent to Sir John Stirling Maxwell Bart at Keir House, Dunblane:-
46 Pollok Street, Pollokshaws,
28th Sept. 1883
Sir,
The Members of the Eastwood Curling Club desire me respectfully to request that you will do them the honour to accept the position of Patron of their Club. Hitherto no one has been formally designated to as Patron of the Club but the Royal Caledonian Curling Club with which the Eastwood Curling Club is associated seem to require that a Patron be wanted and the Members of this Club have ventured to hope that as they reside and have their pond on your Estate you might not be indisposed to bestow your patronage upon them and accept the honorary position they wish you to accept. In the hope that you will give their request your best consideration,
I Am respectfully
Sir Your most obedient servant
Thomas Wilson Secy.
It is not recorded if this invitation was accepted and there is no record in the Minutes of the Club of any reply being received from Sir John to this effect (He would have been barely 17 years of age).
A further Approach, 4 years later…. -
At a Meeting of the Club held on 9th September 1887 the Members decided after discussion that the Secretary should write to the Heir of Pollok now that he had reached his ”one score and one years”, graciously asking him to become honorary member or patron of the Club. This received some support but was subsequently overruled by the motion that a deputation consisting of Messrs John Dalglish, Robert Smith and William McGregor Adam should wait upon Sir John Stirling Maxwell. After some days reflection it was deemed a better course of action to write to him, the Secretary having learnt in the interval “that the young man was being deluged with deputations, the nature of which would make all sensitive men blush”.
The letter written and reply received were as follows:
Pollokshaws 19th September 1887
Sir John Stirling Maxwell Bart. Of Nether Pollok
Sir,
At a General Meeting of the Members of Eastwood Curling Club held on Friday Evening the 9th inst. for the election of Office Bearers & New Members it was unanimously resolved to ask you to become an Honorary Member of our Club. We curl at Cowglen Pond which is sublet to us for the Winter Season only from your tenant Mr Smith there. We have been fairly successful in our Local & Parish Matches in the past. Our funds are healthier now than what they have been in recent more depressed times, but to imbue the Members with that Spirit of emulation which would give them equal interest in practising so that they might excel as other Parish Clubs doing that they have a Medal or Cup worth striving for, presented to them by some local gentleman for annual competition at Points or games confined to their respective Clubs. We would fain hope that, while congratulating you, and wishing you a long and honourable career on your having attained the command of your ancient and Historical Family Possessions, now that you have had breathing space after the recent rejoicings your deliberation will be favourable to our desires.
I am Yours Faithfully
Pro Eastwood Curling Club
Wm. McGregor Adam
To which the following reply was received…..
Keir, Dunblane
October 12th 1887
Dear Sir,
I shall be very glad to become a Member of the Eastwood Curling Club. Being so closely connected with the Parish it will be a great pleasure to me to give a cup to be curled for. I do not quite gather from your letter whether you are anxious to get some gentleman to present a cup every year or whether you wish for a cup which might be curled for annually and held by the winner for a year only. If the former is the case shall be very glad to give a cup to be curled for this winter. If the latter is the case (and this seems to be the best plan) I shall be glad to give a cup that could be curled for every year and held over the Season by the winner. Please let me know your wishes, as, if the cup is the one that is to be curled for annually, I shall take more trouble about getting it than I should do if it was only to be curled for once.
I am Yours Truly
John Stirling Maxwell
See what happened to the Cup offer in Chapter 13 – The Sir John Stirling Maxwell Tankard….
AGM 10th October 1929: Proposed by J Duncanson, Seconded by E Pickwell that Sir John Stirling Maxwell Bart, be made a Life Member of the Club. Agreed.
1903 - THE PATRONESS
Oct 1st 1903 ..
Lady Stirling Maxwell, Corrour Lodge, Inverness shire.
My Lady,
It is quite a customary thing for Curling Clubs to have a Patroness or Patronesses who in all probability have not got beyond seeing a game played. Your Ladyship has actually taken part in a game therefore I trust I am not presuming too much in asking you to do the Club the honour to allow your name to be added to our list as Patroness.
I am., My Lady, Yours
John Boyd, Honorary Secretary.
Oct 3 1903 Corrour, Invernessshire
I shall be very glad to become Patroness of Pollok Curling Club. I only hope we shall have some (good) ice in this year.
Yours truly,
Anne Christian Stirling Maxwell.