History of
St Joseph’s Church, Peebles
1850-2010
Contents
Introduction p2
First 50 Years p4
Expanding Town p10
St Joseph’s School p12
Early Parish Priests p14
War Years p16
Parish Life p19
Centenary 1958 p22
Past 50 Years p26
Moving Towards
the Millennium
p30
St Joseph’s Church
150th Birthday
p34
The Jubilee Banner p40
Church Groups p42
Parish Priests p44
Thanks to our sponsors p45
Photo: View to Rosetta Road and beyond from Venlaw Hill (1879).
On 29th December 2008, the Roman Catholic
Church of St Joseph’s, Peebles celebrated 150
years of worship in Rosetta Road.
This booklet is an attempt
by Elizabeth Brown, Mary
Hudson and Lina Patterson
to present some of the
background and journey of
the priests and parishioners
who have passed through
the doors of this building
during this period.
We would like to thank the following:
The Scottish Catholic Archives,
Edinburgh
National Library
Peebles Museum
The Hub, Hawick
Peeblesshire News
Local people who shared their
memories and provided photographs;
Eric Stevenson; Leonard Grandison for
permission to erect the 150th Jubilee
Plaque on his property; Iain MacFadyen
for all his assistance with the Jubilee
Plaque; Andrew Patterson for erecting
the Plaque; Eleanor Hudson for proof
reading www.bulantra.com.
We would like to take this opportunity to
say a huge thank you to Michael Smith,
since without his competence, skills,
patience and perseverance this booklet
would not have been possible.