In the churchyard at Terregles there is a gravestone (#249) commemorating George Milligan, who died, according to the engraving, 21st February 1833, aged 88 years. He resided at Glenmill. His wife, Mary McMin, had died in 1801, aged 50 years. The stone also commemorates various members of his family. The following note respecting George Milligan is found in a book entitled The Biblical Assistant, and Book of Practical Piety, published in 1840.
George Milligan of Glen Mill, Terregles.
A wise, good man, contented to be poor.
GEORGE MILLIGAN, long a farm-servant, and latterly the most celebrated thatcher and thrasher in the whole district, died at the Glen Mill, a few years since, (1832,) in the 89th year of his age. He was born in Lochrutton, in 1743, but removed about the age of manhood to the parish of Terregles, where he resided more than sixty years. His cottage stood by the side of a wood, within hearing of a murmuring stream; and not even the small birds, or the rooks themselves, darting from the highest bough to arrest the dew-worm in his evanescent course, could be more regular in their hours of labour, recreation, and rest, than the subject of this brief memoir.
At Terraughty, where he worked for many years, the sound of his flail was the first thing that intimated to other portions of the household that it was time to rise; and wherever he went, his movements were regulated with all the accuracy of the clock itself. He wore the same watch for more than sixty years, never forgot to wind it up, and never had occasion to replace the original glass, — a circumstance he sometimes mentioned while recommending carefulness and economy to others; neither was he ever touched with liquor, known to utter an oath, or wittingly commit a breach of the truth. His piety was remarkable, free from ostentation and unnecessary austerity; and for many years he visited the poor and sick, praying with them, and administering spiritual consolation.
The pastor of the parish felt the value of his services, and during the funeral ceremony paid a merited tribute of respect to his memory. Frequently the deceased said, "I was trained to live well in my youth, and that makes me a fresh auld man the day." His wedding garments he retained to the last, though his wife had long predeceased him, and his cravat was put into the coffin, according to the custom of the olden time. Their fashion was most peculiar; and as often as "Patie and Roger" was enacted by amateurs for the benefit of the poor, recourse was had to the wardrobe of honest George Milligan. Humble as his station in life was, he adorned it by the sterling worth and integrity of his character; and we may quote in his case, the words which Mr. Murdoch, the instructor of Burns, so happily applied to the poet's father; "O for a world of men of such dispositions! I have often wished for the good of mankind, that it was as customary to honour and perpetuate the memory of those who excel in moral rectitude, as it is to extol what are called heroic actions; then would the mausoleum of the friend of my youth overtop and surpass most of those we see in Westminster Abbey."
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