John Flynt bc 1535 and ruins of his church in Ayton, Scotland

This image is of the most notable antiquity in the village of Ayton: the ruins of the pre-reformation church in Ayton churchyard.  This church is thought to date back to the middle of the 12th century.  It was granted to the monks of Coldingham by Scottish Edgar and thus became the property of the Priory of Coldingham. It was dedicated to St. Dionysius. In the year 1380 John of Gaunt met the commissioners of King Robert II to arrange the renewal of the truce between the two countries, in 1384 a similar meeting was held in the church and, finally, on September 30th 1497 the truce was agreed. It was signed in Ayton Church, on behalf of King James, by one Andrew Forman and others and was to last for seven years. It is in this church that our ancestor, John Flynt served.  Many thanks to Cathy McPherson for taking this photograph on her recent trip to Scotland.

JOHN FLYNT, Ayton, Burickshire [Berwickshire], Scotland, lecturer (reader) of Church in Cambridge 1555, and Ayton 1555-85. The Festa Ecclesiae Scotticanae records him as pricen of Diocese of St. Andrews, 1597-8, when he was charged in Ecclesiastical Communion with "improper administration of holy communion," apparently mixing water with wine…but was not convicted. The church served by John stands in ruins behind the Church of Scotland in Ayton, Scotland, the new church built ca.1856.  From Vol. 2, Flint Family History of the Adventuresome Seven.

This image is of Ayton Castle and although we Flynts had nothing to with it, what web site concerning Scottish ancestry is complete without a castle!  I thought you'd enjoy seeing its beautiful structure.  Built in the mid 19th century, it was designed by Gillespie Graham, a noted Scottish architect.  The red sandstone used to build the castle came from a quarry near Chirnside and the whole construction was completed within two years.  In 1888, the castle was sold by the original owners to the Liddell-Grainger family and has continued in this ownership ever since.  Thanks to Cathy McPherson for providing this image.

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This page was last updated on 01/31/99.