Witherspoon & the USA Declaration of Independence

**cessna152towser** · 26th January 08, 04:19 AM

This is the statue of John Witherspoon (1723-1794), a presbyterian Church of Scotland minister who emigrated from Scotland to America in 1768 and, as the representative for the state of New Jersey, was the only clergyman who was a signatory to the USofA Declaration of Independence. The statue is at the entrance to the University of the West of Scotland in Paisley.

John Witherspoon preached here at the Laigh Kirk in Paisley from 1758 to 1768. This building is now an arts centre but the Laigh Kirk survives as a congregation in a more modern church building.

As part of Paisley's traffic management scheme, a new road has been cut through at an angle from New Street, at its junction with Shuttle Street, opposite the old Laigh Kirk, to Storie Street. Appropriately this has been named Witherspoon Street. The old Laigh Kirk is behind me in this view and a gable end in the surviving section of Shuttle Street can be sign behind the sign.

**rickmac15** · 26th January 08, 04:22 AM

Nice pictures

Rick

**Arlen** · 26th January 08, 04:25 AM

Nice pictures.
It's been a long time since I was in Paisley.

**McMurdo** · 26th January 08, 10:24 AM

More wonderful pictures Alex, thanks for them.

**SFCRick** · 26th January 08, 04:44 PM

nice photos, thanks

**GMan** · 26th January 08, 08:23 PM

Beautiful!!

**James MacMillan** · 4th February 08, 08:51 AM

As always Alex - Thanks for posting the photos! I always enjoy them.

**BoldHighlander** · 4th February 08, 09:36 AM

Great photos -- and one more wonderful reminder of the link between Scotland & America!
Thanks for posting

**McFarkus** · 4th February 08, 12:05 PM

Interesting also that Witherspoon is a descendant of John Knox the famous Reformation preacher whose movement led to the formation of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian).

**mexpiper** · 5th February 08, 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by cessna152towser

[IMG]the representative for the state of New Jersey, was the only clergyman who was a signatory to the USofA Declaration of Independence.

Actually that is incorrect. He was ordained as a Congregationalist Minister, as was his grandfather and uncle. There is some record that he may have been "defrocked" later due to his moral conduct....

Robert G. Ferris (editor), Signers of the Declaration: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, published by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service: Washington, D.C. (revised edition 1975), pages 65-67:" Lyman Hall was one of the four signers [of the Declaration of Independence] originally trained as ministers."

Hall, was also a physician, and eventually Judge and Governor of Georgia