Tombstone Tourism: St. Columba Roman Catholic Cemetery, Bornish

On Victoria Day weekend, I visited Bornish, Ontario. That's the intersection of Centre Road (Hwy 81) and Bornish Road, in western Middlesex County. Historian Nick Corrie and I were making the grand tour of rural hamlets and graveyards. What better way to spend a spring holiday? 

Just last fall, Nick visited St. Columba Roman Catholic Church at this intersection, so it was a bit disturbing to discover it's gone. Demolished. All that remains is its cemetery and a lonely walkway leading to nothing. 

Not that it's very surprising, of course. Unused churches are being demolished a lot these days. It's just a pity that St. Columba couldn't have been converted into a home or other use. A variety of church-to-home renovations can be seen here. Some purchasers, like this couple, are even willing to take on the role of graveyard caretakers when their new home is surrounded by a cemetery. Still, it's possible there were no takers for this out-of-the-way location. 

The church was built in 1902, replacing a frame church, which in turn replaced one of logs. The congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary on the weekend of July 29-30, 1949, when a special mass included an historical overview given by Father J. C. Cody, coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of London.

St. Columba Church ca. 2000

For pictures and a short tour of the interior, see here. Wonder what happened to all that stained glass and furnishings? Reused? Sold? Destroyed? 

But the cemetery, still in use, is a nice place for a stroll. First, we stopped at this monument to the first settlers in the area. It states the first burial at St. Columba was in about 1857. I've read elsewhere that the first burial was that of Malcolm McLeod, who drowned in Spring Creek. His body was carried for miles through a partially cut forest trail on a crude stretcher borne on men's shoulders. In true Scottish tradition, a piper marched ahead of this sad procession.*

The farther one walks from the road, the older the gravestones get. The stones there are in memory of McDonalds, McLellans, McLeans, McLeods, McCormicks ... Well, you get the idea. This was a very Scottish part of the world. 

Apparently, some restoration work is in order. Hope someone remembers where these piled stones came from. If not, could they all be installed into one group cairn?

On the south side of the cemetery, we located a veteran's grave, partially covered with leaves and encroaching grass. The stone is for SFC John  A. Morrison, 50 AERO SQ, World War I, 1892-1965. 

A little research by Nick determined that Morrison flew with the American Air Force. He was a Sergeant First Class in their 50th Aero Squadron, formed in August 1917. If he was a local boy, why did he join the Americans?

Bornish was founded by settlers from Bornish, Scotland, located on the west shore of the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. These settlers were fleeing religious persecution and the "clearances," when, to put it simply, large numbers of tenants were evicted from their homes and left with no choice but emigration.

In the 1800s, a few businesses were located in the vicinity, such as L. C. McIntyre's store and Joseph Kincaide's tavern. A post office named Bornish opened in 1874, mail being delivered by a stagecoach operating between Strathroy and Parkhill. It closed in 1901. 

Along Bornish Road to the west, this steep flight of stairs rises from the road. It leads to an earlier community cemetery used from 1850 to 1860, where at least 15 individuals are buried.

This monument was erected on the site of the first cemetery in 1977. Otherwise, there are no gravestones at this spot. The text:

In blessed memory of fifteen Scottish pioneers buried here, 1850 to 1860, from among the 125 families exiled from the Hebrides because of religious persecution who settled here in 1849. Three are known, Alexander McMullen, his wife Margaret McIntyre, and Donald MacDonald, donor of the Bornish church acreage. 

May they rest in peace.

Another site with information about the Bornish settlers is Symbols of Perspiration.

* Looking Over Western Ontario, London Free Press, February 18, 1922. Mind you, by the 1850s, the concession roads should have been a bit better than "trails." And couldn't they find a wagon to use as a hearse? Perhaps the story is romanticized. But the bagpipe is a nice touch. 

Update, August 2025: A committee has built a memorial to the church on the site where it once stood, even incorporating some materials saved from the deconstruction. Note the bell at right.

Our Lady, in stained glass, resized to an isosceles triangle from an equilateral one over the church's original front door. The geometrical change is because there is a single door in the memorial, as opposed to the double doors on the church. 

Donated to the early log church by Captain Allan McIntyre in 1853.

Update, September 7, 2025: Today, at 11:30, a large gathering attended the blessing of this memorial to St. Columba's Church. Many in the crowd had participated in the church or were descended from individuals buried in its graveyard. While newer families are often of Dutch, Italian, or German descent, some attendees were related to the early Scottish settlers. 

Alice Facchina, one of the organizers of this event, gave Nick and me a tour of the cemetery. She pointed out the grave of Capt. Allan McIntyre, below, who donated the crucifixion picture above. McIntyre operated boats on the Great Lakes. Perhaps he's the Capt. McIntyre in this article?

In the past year, some of the broken and misplaced stones have been repaired and placed here:

At the far right, a monument to Donald McDonald, who donated the land for the church and cemetery.

This monument to members of the McIsaac family is a poignant reminder of the days before vaccines: Angus died Sept. 4, aged 5, Neil died Dec. 14, aged 8, Margaret died Dec. 17, aged 1, and their mother Matilda died Dec. 22, aged 35. Smallpox, typhus, influenza, or cholera?