The name Renfrew comes from the
Old British '''' meaning "point at the current"; the
River Cart enters the
Clyde by the town. Renfrew's recorded history began with the granting of land in the area to
Walter fitz Alan, the
High Steward of Scotland by
King David I in the 12th century. The strategic location of this castle was to prevent the eastern expansion of the lordship belonging to
Somerled, the
Lord of the Isles, and to protect western Scotland from Norse invaders.
Renfrew Castle was situated in what is now part of the well-known Braehead shopping complex. It was located on the King's inch or King's Island. Later in the 12th century,
King Malcolm IV, grandson of David, finally demanded Somerled's
fealty. In 1164, Somerled sailed to Renfrew and attacked an assembling Scottish army in a conflict known as the
Battle of Renfrew. The outcome was a defeat of the Lordship of the Isles and the death of Somerled. The Lords of the Isles were eventually stripped of their lands and titles in 1493, as a consequence of conspiring with an earlier
King of England (
Edward IV) to overthrow the Scottish monarchy. Since that time, "Lord of the Isles" - as with "Baron of Renfrew" - has been a courtesy title of the heir to the throne and both are currently held by
William, Duke of Rothesay. The role of the Stewarts continued to grow and in 1315
Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward married
Marjorie, daughter of King
Robert the Bruce. Their son succeeded to the throne as
Robert II of Scotland. During the
Monmouth Rebellion of 1685,
Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll was injured and captured at Renfrew before being transported to
Edinburgh and executed for his role in attempting to overthrow the Crown. The Argyle Stones in the town mark the site where his capture took place. During the night of 13 March 1941, three Polish airmen saved Renfrew's Roman Catholic church of Saint James. Lance Corporal Pawel Radke, Aircraftman Antoni Ptaszkowski, and Aircraftman Zygmunt Sokolowski were at the church and at great risk were extinguishing incendiaries. These had caused a number of fires in the church. Two of the airmen were killed by a bomb and the third died in Alexandria Hospital the following day. They were in their twenties. When 309 Squadron transferred to
Dunino in
Fife in May 1941, it presented to the church a portrait of Our Lady as a token of their appreciation to the people of Renfrew. Parishioners never forgot the sacrifice and in October 1982 at a special Mass, a silver plaque in memory of the airmen and the portrait of the Black Madonna was blessed and dedicated by Bishop McGill. The plaque was crafted by a local Polish jeweler, Eugeniusz Waclawski. At the
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2013, the
Rev Lorna Hood, minister at Renfrew North Parish Church and a
Chaplain to The Queen, became
Moderator of the Assembly for the subsequent annual term. Renfrew Old Parish Church, in the town centre, closed as a place of worship in 2013, due to building maintenance costs. Renfrew also has two
Masonic Lodges: Prince of Wales and Lodge Moorpark, numbers 426 and 1263 respectively, of the Roll of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. ==Governance==