Reverend William Cuthbert Aitken

1834 - 1913  (79 years)

• Name	William Cuthbert Aitken
  Prefix	Reverend
  Birth	28 Feb 1834	Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland
  Gender	Male
  Death	13 Dec 1913	Newcastle, Northumberland, New Brunswick, Canada
  Burial	St Andrew’s Presbyterian Cemetery, Maple, York County, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I4943	OrwinMillar
  Last Modified	30 Jul 2022

  
  

  Father	Robert Aitken,   b. 15 Dec 1805, Torphichen, West Lothian, Scotland d. 17 Oct 1874, Silvermines Farm, Torphicen, West Lothian, Scotland (Age 68 years)
  Mother	Ann Henderson,   b. 3 Oct 1809, Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland d. 18 Jun 1880, Wester Tartraven, Torphicen, West Lothian, Scotland (Age 70 years)
  Marriage	3 Oct 1828	Torphichen, Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland   [1]
  Family ID	F1588	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Jane Noble,   b. 8 May 1846, Ontario, Canada d. 6 Aug 1927, Newcastle, Northumberland, England (Age 81 years)
  Marriage	8 May 1867	Vaughan, York, Ontatio, Canada
  	Name Jane Noble Spouse Rev. William Aitken Mother Sarah Macquarry Father Joseph Birth 1846 - Vaughan Township Marriage 8 May 1867 - York Residence Vaughan Township
  Children	1. Sarah Noble Aitken,   b. 1 Mar 1868, Maple, Ontario, Canada d. 18 Jun 1945, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (Age 77 years)   2. Annie Anderson Aitken,   b. 19 Apr 1870, Vaughan, York, Ontatio, Canada d. 25 Apr 1942, Newcastle, Northumberland, New Brunswick, Canada (Age 72 years)   3. Major Robert Traven Donaldson Aitken,   b. 23 Apr 1873, Maple, Ontario, Canada d. 22 Feb 1939, Newcastle, Northumberland, New Brunswick, Canada (Age 65 years)   4. Rebecca Catherine Aitken,   b. 10 Oct 1874, Silvermines Farm, Torphicen, West Lothian, Scotland d. 13 Dec 1881, Maple, Vaughan, York County, Ontario, Canada (Age 7 years)   5. Capt Joseph Magnus Aitken,   b. 26 Feb 1878, Maple, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada d. 20 Feb 1950, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Age 71 years)   6. Baron William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Lord Beaverbrook,   b. 26 May 1879, Maple, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada d. 9 Jun 1964, Cherkley Court, Leatherhead, Surrey, England (Age 85 years)   7. Dr. Arthur Noble Aitken,   b. 26 Jul 1883, Newcastle, Northumberland, New Brunswick, Canada d. 14 Sep 1964, Champaigne, Illinois, USA (Age 81 years)   8. Jean Noble Aitken,   b. 11 Sep 1885, Newcastle, Northumberland, New Brunswick, Canada d. 20 Jan 1972, Newcastle, Northumberland, New Brunswick, Canada (Age 86 years)   9. Allan Anderson Aitken,   b. 15 Sep 1889, Newcastle, Northumberland, New Brunswick, Canada d. 23 Jan 1959, Ontario, Canada (Age 69 years)   10. Laura Katherine Aitken, B.A.,   b. 24 Feb 1892, Newcastle, Northumberland, New Brunswick, Canada d. 4 Aug 1954, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Age 62 years)
  Family ID	F2605	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	9 Dec 2016

  
  

• Notes

  Between 1842 and 1850 he attended Bathgate Academy. After graduating from there he attended Edinburgh University, to study Arts, from 1850 to 1854. For the following four years he studied Divinity until he was licensed to preach the gospel, in the Church of Scotland, on 21 Sep. 1858. On 2 Aug 1864 he was appointed to be minister of the Church of Scotland at Coburg, Toronto, Canada. Sailing for the USA, in October 1864, on-board the ship "Canada" he arrived in Boston, MA, on a Saturday having taken 14 days to sail from the UK. The next three days were spent in Boston, sightseeing. He obviously liked his food and drink making special comment of this in a letter to a friend, in March 1865. He also had an eye for the ladies of which he commented in the same letter. From Boston he travelled to Coburg, via Niagara Falls and Toronto, in November 1864. The church at Coburg fell under the control of Toronto. When he arrived at Coburg, William encountered considerable difficulties. The previous minister, the Church Officers and the congregation at Coburg had transferred their allegiances to the Free Church of Scotland. The Church Officers refused to open the church for him and so litigation was taken. William could not afford servants so he brought out his sister Ann to look after him. Before the year was out he was offered the Parish of Vaughan in Maple. Here he stayed for 15 years. Soon after the move he met Jane Noble, when she was 18. According to William "she was like a little Dresden doll." In 1879 William received the call from St James Church, Newcastle, NB. Newcastle was one of the best-endowed churches in New Brunswick. The post carried an annual salary of $1200.00, a free house and the use of a Glebe Lot. Candidates, for the position of Minister, had to conduct a divine service whereupon the congregation would vote on slips of paper as to who would be their minister. William won with 129 votes. The next closest candidate received 10 votes. The Glebe Lot became the site of the Sinclair ice rink, built by Lord Beaverbrook. William and his family were counted in the 1881 Census of Newcastle, NB. William remained the Minister of St James for 23 years. Beaverbrook donated a grand pipe organ to the church at a cost of $6000.00. It bears a brass plaque "IN MEMORY OF THE REV. WILLIAM AITKEN." He also later paid for the organ to be fitted with an electro-pneumatic action, so the organ did not need to be pumped by hand. Perhaps remembering when he was the one that used to have to do the pumping of the old organ. He also donated eleven new church bells to the church. 'The Rev. William certainly looked the part with his grim expression and long white beard. Beaverbrook was later to say that "When my father stood up to read the Scriptures and to preach it was as if God Almighty was speaking." His congregation found him reserved but he was well respected especially for his sermons. Sometimes he preached anti-Catholic sermons; sometimes he mocked the Baptist doctrine of total submission. Once, in his fervour, he beat the sides of the pulpit with such emphasis that a section fell off. He preached hell and damnation with a Calvinistic fervour.' A.J.P.Taylor Orthodox Presbyterian standards were maintained at home, prayers, no cards etc. But he was indulgent towards dancing. He played chess but more surprisingly he played with the local Roman Catholic priest. He continued to live in Newcastle, apart from holidays paid for by his son, until he died. His monumental inscription, at St Andrew's Presbyterian Cemetery, Maple, Ontario, reads "Aitken. In loving Memory of Rev. William Aitken, Minister of St. Andrew's and St. Paul's Churches, Vaughan, for 15 years. Born Linlithgowshire, Scotland, Died Newcastle, New Brunswick, Dec. 13th, 1913. And his wife, Jane Noble, born Maple, Ontario, died Newcastle, England, Aug. 6th, 1927. Katie, third daughter of Rev. William Aitken, died Dec. 13th, 1881, aged 7 years and 2 months." Beaverbrook is quoted as saying; "Looking back, it is difficult to recollect any evidence of warmth in the relations of my parents and yet there is no occasion when a quarrel comes to my memory. My mother invariably spoke of her husband and to him as Mr Aitken. And I cannot recall any time when my mother was called Jane. One recollection of them, however, always remains clearly before me. An interesting ceremony was performed before church on Sunday morning. My father's collar was buttoned by my mother and his bands were carefully adjusted. He always managed to button his collar on other days, so the ceremony must have had some emotional meaning rather after the manner of the loving wife who buckles on the soldier's sword when he is about to go into battle." "My Early Life" by Lord Beaverbrook The Reverend retired and went on holiday to Florida, at his son's expense, but continued to live in Newcastle until he died. His monumental inscription, at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Cemetery, Maple, Ontario, #103, reads "Aitken. In loving Memory of Rev. William Aitken, Minister of St. Andrew's and St. Paul's Churches, Vaughan, for 15 years. Born Linlithgowshire, Scotland, Died Newcastle, New Brunswick, Dec. 13th, 1913. And his wife, Jane Noble, born Maple, Ontario, died Newcastle, England, Aug. 6th, 1927. Katie, third daughter of Rev. William Aitken, died Dec. 13th, 1881, aged 7 yrs. and 2 mos."

  
  

• Sources

  [S77] Terry Stewart (Reliability: 3).