List of Ministers of Ballantrae Parish
April 1571 – 1574 John Cunninghame, reader, styled “Vicar”
1st May 1575 – 1585 Alexander Kennedy, reader.
1608-1642 James Hall, M.A
1642-1658 Robert Hamilton.
1658- 1661 John Crooks, M.A
1662-1672 William Caldwell, M.A
6th June 1673 – 1682 George Pollock
1684-1687 Robert Keith.
5th Feb. 1687 – 1689 John White.
26th Feb. 1690 – May 1730 Thomas Kennedy, M.A.
19th Aug. 1731 – 16th Jan. 1770 Hamilton Kennedy (grandson of Wm. Caldwell above).
2nd May 1771 – 28th July 1841 William Donaldson
11th May 1815 – 9th April 1824 Robert MacNair.
9th Sept. 1824 – 22ndSept. 1825 Thomas Hill
13th April 1826 – 18th May 1830 Thomas Bums (nephew of the poet, Robert Burns)
He came out at the Disruption, and was for some time minister of Portobello Free Church. In conjunction with Captain Cargill and others, he projected a Free Church settlement in Otago, New Zealand, and sailed from Greenock in the end of 1847 as minister of the first body of settlers. He afterwards became minister of the Scottish Church in Dunedin, and died there in the 75th year of his age, on the 23rd January, 1871, leaving a widow with one son and six daughters
23rd Sept. 1830 – 20th Nov. 1869 John Milroy
31st March 1870 – 22nd Oct. 1874 Simon (Simeon) Little, M.A.,B.D
8th April 1875 – 17thJune 1913 Fergus John Williamson
2nd Oct. 1913 – 11th Feb. 1921 Rollo Russell Grant Sutherland, M.A
21st July 1921 -10thNov. 1922 John Houston Baxter, M.A.,
Appointed to Chair of Ecclesiastical History, St. Andrews
5th April 1923 – 13thDec. 1928 Munro Somerville.
2nd May 1929 – 26th April 1944 John Chisholm Cockburn, M.A., B.D., Minister of united charge, former parish (Innertig & U.F. Ardstinchar).
29th Sept. 1944 – 29th Sept. 1957 John William Foster Anderson, M.A.
2nd May 1958 – 29th Sept. 1965 Alexander M. A. Pitt
24th Feb. 1966 – April 1972 H. Miles Leith, TD., M.A.
21st Sep. 1972 – Feb. 1982 G. Dudley Fox
The Rev G D A Fox was ordained at Ballantrae on 21 September 1972 and left for Kelso Old Parish in February 1982 A full account of Rev Fox’s life can be found in his Autobiography “Pit Polo Pulpit” published by Ogilvie Dickson MPD. ISBN 0-9530924-00
12th Jan. 1983 – June 1986 Tom Lind
24th March 1987-10th Sept 1997 Isobel J. Brain, M.A.
20th January 1998 – 3rd Feb 2007 Robert P Bell, B.Sc
The Reverend Robert P Bell came to Ballantre on 20th January 1998 .He and his wife Irene soon settled in and became a part of village life Bob enjoyed an excellent ministry at Ballantrae and he retired to live in Prestwick in February 2007 Bob Bell passed away on Saturday 22 March 2008
27th Jan 09 – 16th Aug 2017 Stephen Ogston M.Phys. M.Sc. B.D(Min)
Stephen and his family came to the village in 2009 to become the minister of the recently created charge of Ballantrae Parish Church linked with St Colmon Parish Church. He was very active in the churches and communities, and enjoyed his time with us. They moved to Luce Valley Church in August 2017