St Patrick's Rock & Light, River Clyde - low tide

St Patrick's Rock or St Patrick's Stone is located in the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

(NS461724) close to the

Erskine Bridge The Erskine Bridge is a multi span cable-stayed box girder bridge spanning the River Clyde in west central Scotland. The bridge connects West Dunbartonshire with Renfrewshire and can be used by all types of motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrian ...

and the old

Erskine Ferry Erskine Ferry sailed across the River Clyde from Erskine to Old Kilpatrick. The ferry was also referred to as ''East Ferry of Erskine'' as there was another ferry to Dumbarton a few miles down river, known as ''West Ferry''. It is reputed to be ...

on the

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Re ...

side of the river. It is reputedly the location from which the 16 year old Saint Patrick was kidnapped by Irish pirates whilst he was fishing. The rock is covered at high tide and it is also the location of a navigation light known as St Patrick's Light.

History

Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain in a place as yet unidentified with certainty. His father, Calpurnius, was a decurion. At the age of 16, Saint Patrick was kidnapped by Irish pirates whilst he was fishing and taken to Ireland where he remained as a captive for six years. He eventually returned to Ireland where he had a major role in converting the Irish to Christianity. The legend is said to have arisen or was first recorded in the 19th century. The

Old Kilpatrick Old Kilpatrick ( sco, Auld Kilpaitrick, gd, Cille Phàdraig meaning "Patrick's church"), is a village in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It has an estimated population of 4,820. It belonged to the parish of Old Kilpatrick which itself was only a ...

area began to be associated with

St Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron sai ...

in the 10th century. His home was at a place known as 'Bannavem Taberniae' which the

etymologists Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words and ...

John Irving identifies with the local place name of Bonnaughton.

Description

St Patrick's Light on the River Clyde, Erskine

This small rock is exposed towards low tide and is partly covered by the navigation aid known as St Patrick's Light. Running down to the rock from the

shore is the remnants of the old North Jetty. It at present lies on the edge of the deeper waters of the River Clyde at this point that remain inundated even at low tide.

St Patrick's Light

St Patrick’s Light (NS 46109 72428) is of 20th century, post WWII origin and stands atop a large cast iron gas cylinder which once fuelled the light until solar panels were added as an alternative power source.

The North Jetty

This ruinous jetty is around 60m in length and ends at St Patrick's Rock. It was constructed with a rubble core and once entirely surfaced by facing blocks. A narrow culvert once ran along the median line. The jetty once extended a further 20m and also had another navigation beacon at its terminus. The second beacon and jetty extension no longer exist. The jetty was one of a pair with the remnants of the other lying on the northern side of the Erskine Bridge.

Micro-history

Saint Patrick's church at Old Kilpatrick is said to have been built on a bed of Irish soil and the near by St Patrick's Well or the Trees Well provided water to the people of the town for many years, however it is now covered over.

References

;Notes ;Sources # Bruce, John (1893). ''History of the Parish of West or Old Kilpatrick''. John Smith & Son. # Moore, John (2017). ''The Clyde. Mapping the River''. Edinburgh : Birlinn. .

External links

Video footage of St Patrick's Rock.
{{DEFAULTSORT:St Patrick's Rock Christian folklore Christian missionaries in Ireland Medieval legends Northern Brythonic saints Romano-British saints Landforms of Renfrewshire Erskine, Renfrewshire