Flett Ancestry, Paisley, Scotland

This evening, I a posting information on Flett family history as sourced from a newspaper report coupled with a memorial at Woodside Paisley Cemetery.

Flett is an Orkney name, probably of Scandinavian origin. The Fletts were one of the main landed families in Orkney towards the end of the Norse period with the surname well entrenched by end of the 15th century. Not surprisingly, the Rev O. Flett reported on below was born on one of the Orkney Islands, Sanday.


The Paisley Daily Express of Nov 8th 2010 carried an article by Derek Parker on Dr. Oliver Flett, a distinguished Paisley preacher active in the 19th century. A summary of the Derek Parker article is provided below:

• Died on a beach between Corrie and Sannox on Isle of Arran on August 20th 1894, probably of a heart attack. Beach location because Dr Flett and friends had just finished a night fishing trip on Firth of Clyde.
•  Dr. Flett preached at one of the three inaugural services at Coast Memorial (Baptist) Church on May 13th. 1894.
• Prior to ordination, Dr Flett was a keen oarsman, fisherman and shoe-maker.
• Prior to induction at Coats Memorial, Dr Flett was pastor of Paisley Storie Street Baptist Church which was replaced by the Coats Memorial Church aka 'Baptist Cathedral'

 As will be noted from the inscription reported below, Dr Flett married a member of the powerful Coats textile family.




The inscription on the memorial stone reads:
" Rev Oliver Flett DD, 34 years Minister of the Baptist Church in Storie Street and afterward in Thomas Coats Memorial Church. Born on island of Sanday, Orkney July 16th 1830. Died at Sannox, Arran on Aug 20th 1894.

Wife, Mary Wilson Coats, born Paisley March 7th 1840. Died at Strone, Argyleshire on April 21st, 1901."

Image below is of the Thomas Coats Memorial Church

This is a video clip of the memorial stone.