Many notable people are buried in Fenwick Cemetery, just outside the village. These include:
Matthew Fowlds, the last surviving weaver, died at the age of 100 years and 47 days. Matthew was born in 1807 and joined the Society on his 20th birthday. He worked as a weaver all his life, and when the Society closed, he inherited all the records of the Society, which remained in the family until 1965. He is buried alongside his wife.
Sir George Fowlds, the youngest of Matthew’s children, who became a draper in Glasgow but emigrated to South Africa, where he married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Ann Fulton, the niece of John Fulton. He then moved to Auckland, New Zealand where, after building a very successful drapery business, he went into and became very successful in politics.
He joined the Government as Minister for Education and Public Health, and served in various other Ministerial posts before resigning in 1911 to pursue other interests. George was knighted in 1928 and, after his death in 1934, his ashes were brought back to Fenwick to be interred with his parents.
Thomas Godfrey Polson Corbett, Lord Rowallan, who was born in 1895 and served in the Ayrshire Yeomanry and the Grenadier Guards in World War 1 where he was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry. After the war he turned to farming in Ayrshire and became involved in the Scout Movement. He also served during the Second World War and in 1945 he accepted the appointment of Chief Scout of the British Commonwealth and Empire serving the movement with great distinction until 1959.
In 1959 he became Governor of Tasmania and served until 1963, when he retired to his family estate at Rowallan near Fenwick. On his death in 1977, he was interred in Fenwick Cemetery.
Rev James Barr MP
James Barr was a United Free Church Minister, who was elected as Member of Parliament for Motherwell from 1924 – 31 and for Coatbridge from 1935 – 1945. He campaigned tirelessly for home rule, a minimum wage and temperance.
On retiring in 1945, he remained active in the Church, opposing any reunion with the Church of Scotland. He died in 1949.