Chapter XIII: Part 13

The tower itself is plain with simple pointed lights, those of the upper story being double, so as to be suitable for the belfry. In the west wall there occurs a small window with peculiarly shaped head, and below it the string course is studded with square shaped flowers.

In the present church is preserved a good recumbent effigy (Fig. 1519) of one of the Fernies of Fernie, but it is without date. The arms over

the monument--a fesse between 3 lions’ heads erased--are those of Fernie of that Ilk. Several members of this family were Constables of Cupar in

ancient times. The lands of Fernie lie a few miles to the west of the town.

ST. BRIDGET’S CHURCH, DALGETY, FIFESHIRE.

A remarkable structure, which stands near the Forth at the head of a small bay about two miles south-west from Aberdour, the road to it passing through the beautiful grounds of St. Colm House.

The old church (Fig. 1520) forms the eastern part of the structure, while to the west has been erected a two-story building, containing on the ground floor a burial vault, and on the upper floor a “laird’s loft” or room for the Lord of the Manor, from which access was obtained to a gallery in the church.

The ancient church was dedicated to St. Bridget in 1244. It retains a simple pointed doorway at the south-west angle, a number of altered and square-headed windows in the south wall, and a piscina at the east end of the same wall, but there are scarcely any of the old details preserved to indicate the date of the building. It has evidently been greatly altered, to make it suitable for Presbyterian worship after the Reformation. There are two projecting buildings on the north side and one on the south

side, all much ruined, but the mouldings of the jambs of the northern projections at the openings into the church are preserved and indicate Renaissance work. These outside structures were probably burial vaults.

The house at the west end is undoubtedly post-Reformation. In the vault is buried the celebrated Chancellor Seaton, and the building, to judge

Plan of First Floor.]

from its style (Fig. 1521), was probably erected by him about the beginning of the seventeenth century. The upper floor is reached by a projecting octagonal stair turret on the north side. The interior of the walls of the principal room on the first floor (Fig. 1522) is built with ashlar work, and the walls are divided into moulded panels in stone work and a stone cornice runs round the room.

A wide aperture in the east wall of the room opens into the church at a high level, and no doubt gave access to a gallery at the west end. The belfry is placed on the west gable of this room and still contains a small bell, the chain for ringing which has cut a deep groove in the wall outside. The small room at the south-west angle contains a fireplace. There has been another gallery at the east end of the church. The outside staircase for access to it still remains. A good monumental slab is built into the north wall of the church, bearing date 1540.

ST. JOHN’S CHURCH, DALRY, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.[229]

The village of Dalry or St. John’s Town stands on the east bank of the Dee, in the northern or Glenkens district of Kirkcudbrightshire, and is about ten miles north from Parton Railway Station. The old parish church was removed in 1829-31, when a new church was erected on the old site.

An old burial vault formerly attached to the church, and known as the Kenmure burial aisle, has, however, been preserved, which (Fig. 1523), with its crow-stepped gable and large antiquely grilled window and panelled coat of arms, forms an interesting relic of the seventeenth century.

This adjunct to the old church formed a projection on its south side, and measures internally 17 feet in length by 14 feet 2 inches in width (Fig. 1524). The entrance from the church, which was about 7 feet wide, was by a plain rubble archway, which is now built up. The doorway in the west wall is square-lintelled, and 2 feet 8 inches wide. The window in the south wall is also square-lintelled, and the iron grill appears to have been built in along with the wall. The coat of arms in the panel over the window is divided in pale, having the three boars’ heads of the Gordons on the dexter side, and a lion rampant on the sinister side. These, Mr. Galloway suggests, may be the arms of John Gordon of Kenmure, who was Justiciar of the Stewartry in 1555, and died in 1604, and who here combines the provincial with the family arms--the lion rampant being the heraldic emblem of the province of Galloway.

There is an ambry in the south-west angle 1 foot 7 inches wide by 1 foot 9 inches high, and 1 foot 3 inches deep.

On the outside of the north-east angle there is an interesting relic of the south wall of the old church, a portion of one rybat of a window having been preserved. Three courses of freestone yet remain, having a bold splay externally, a groove for glass, and a splayed ingoing. This shows that the chancel of the old church must have extended some distance to the eastward.

Some of the dressed granite stones of the old church have been reused in the modern building.

DRAINIE CHURCH AND MICHAEL KIRK, MORAYSHIRE.

These two churches are examples of the revived Gothic architecture of post-Reformation times. The parish of Drainie was formed by the union of the two old parishes of Kineddar and Ogstown. They both lie on the Morayshire coast, about five to six miles north of Elgin, and fully two miles from Lossiemouth. The country is low lying, and used in former times to be marshy. Kineddar was a seat of the Bishopric of Moray before it was moved to Spynie, and ultimately to Elgin. There too stood a large fortified castle (of the first period), consisting of a great wall of enceinte surrounded by a deep ditch, but it has now been taken down, and the plough passes over the site. This castle formed the residence of some of the Bishops of Moray before Spynie Palace was erected.

The Church of Drainie was built in 1666, and is a good example of the period. It has evidently been designed to meet the requirements of the Presbyterian service of the time (Fig. 1525). The pulpit would be in the centre of the south wall, with a window placed on each side of it. Beyond these, on either hand, are two doors, each admitting to a short passage, which would give access to a central one. The main body of the church is 62 feet in length by 24 feet in width, and in the centre of the north side is a wing 24 feet by 18 feet. This wing or “aisle” is spanned by a stone arch, which may have carried a gallery above, to light which a small window is introduced in the north gable. The ground floor of the north wing would be seated in the usual manner, and is provided with an entrance door and two windows. Similar arrangements of plan are common in the Scottish churches of post-Reformation times.

The windows and doors (Fig. 1526) have pointed arches, and the windows are each divided by one mullion, which branches into two in the arch-head. These door and window dressings are all chamfered on the edges. The cornice is of classic form, and the gables are crow-stepped. The west gable is finished on top with an ornamental belfry in the Renaissance style of the period, in which some revival of Gothic features was attempted.

* * * * *

MICHAEL KIRK.--About half a mile west from Drainie stood the ancient church of Ogstown, the site of which is now occupied by the remarkable specimen of revived Gothic shown in Fig. 1527. This edifice was erected as a mausoleum for his family by Lodvic Gordon of Gordonston, an estate in the vicinity. Mr. Gordon belonged to a branch of the

Sutherland family, the first baronet being Sir Robert Gordon, the author of the _History of Sutherland_.

Ornaments in East Window.]

The edifice (Fig. 1528) is 45 feet in length by 20 feet in width externally. It has large pointed and traceried windows in the east and west gables, and the south wall contains a central door and a two-light window at each side of it. The openings are all pointed, and the windows have a kind of tracery. The north wall has no openings, being apparently designed to receive monuments, of which it already contains several. This structure bears the date of 1703, and is a remarkable product of that period. The forms of the tracery (Fig. 1530) indicate a very slight acquaintance with Gothic, and the mouldings have all more of a

classic than a Gothic character. The ornaments introduced in the transoms are peculiar. Those in the east window consist of a series of Cupids’ heads

Ornaments in West Window.]

(Fig. 1527), while those of the west window show a variety of flower patterns (Fig. 1529) carved with considerable spirit. The urns which act as finials on the gables betray the Renaissance feeling of the period. In the architrave-like moulding which surrounds the door and windows are introduced a series of alternating stars and roses.

It may be thought astonishing to find a revival of Gothic so prominent in this northern region; but it must be borne in mind that the Episcopal form of Church government encouraged by royalty in the seventeenth century found considerable favour in this part of Scotland.

DURNESS CHURCH, SUTHERLANDSHIRE.[230]

It is interesting to find in the neighbourhood of Cape Wrath a specimen of ecclesiastical architecture, even though of the seventeenth century. The old parish church, which is now a ruin, occupies the site of a cell of Dornoch monastery. It was built in 1619. The Plan (Fig. 1531) is somewhat irregular, but not unlike, in general form, to many of the churches of Scotland at the same period, having the pulpit placed in the centre of the long side wall, and facing the wing.

In a recess is the grave of Duncan MacMorroch, a relation of the chief of the clan, believed to have been very serviceable in getting rid quietly of

troublesome hindrances. This gentleman was desirous to be buried in the sacred edifice, but as some doubts existed as to his sanctity, it was resolved

not to admit his body quite into the church, so he was buried under the wall. His tomb is dated 1619, and his epitaph hands down his name to posterity in the following words:--

“Duncan MacMorroch here lies low
Was ill to his friend, waur to his foe
True to his master in weird and wo.”

The adjoining gable has crowsteps and is topped with a belfry (Fig. 1532). The lintel of the doorway in the wing bears the letters and figures 16 · HMK · A. In the gable of the wing there is a two-light window with a pointed arch, a central mullion dividing into two small arches at the head (the space between being left solid), and a transom.

An old font lies in the main part of the church.

EAST CALDER CHURCH, MID-LOTHIAN.

This edifice was the parish church of East Calder till 1750, when a new church was erected at Kirknewton, and East Calder was united with that parish. These two parishes lie about ten miles west from Edinburgh.

The Church of East Calder was dedicated to St. Cuthbert. At the accession of William the Lion the church was granted to the monks of Kelso. This parish was formerly called Calder-Clere, to distinguish it from

Mid-Calder, which lies about one mile west of it, on the opposite side of the river Almond. The church, which is now a ruin, stands in its old churchyard. It is a simple oblong (Fig. 1533), internally 56 feet in length by 17 feet in width. The north wall has been removed, and the interior divided into burial-places, separated by walls and railings. The doorways and windows have been built up, and few of the wall openings can now be seen. One window is still partly preserved in the east end (Fig. 1534). It has evidently been divided into two lights by a mullion, which is removed, and each light has had a round-arched head. Another window in the south wall, near the east end, is of similar form. The mullion and round heads of the opening have been preserved by being built up. A doorway, also built up, adjoins the window in the south wall on the west.

There may be other built up openings, but the wall is so thickly covered with ivy that they cannot be identified. The belfry on the west gable is plain, and evidently late in date. The few details which survive indicate a post-Reformation style, probably of about 1600.

EASSIE AND NEVAY, FORFARSHIRE.

Two ruined parish churches, each in its churchyard, situated within two miles of each other and about nine miles south-west of Forfar. They are small buildings, measuring respectively 56 feet 6 inches by 15 feet 6 inches, and 53 feet 6 inches by 18 feet 6 inches within the walls (Fig. 1535). Neither church has any openings in the north wall. At Eassie (Fig. 1536) all the doors and windows are square-headed, and at Nevay they are the same, except that the west doorway is round-headed, but not arched, being cut out of one stone. At Eassie the westmost doorway on the south side is of eighteenth century work, but the eastmost one is original. An ivy-mantled belfry crowns the west end of each edifice.

On the lintel of the south door at Nevay there is the date 1695, with the initials D. N. between the first two and last two figures. These are

doubtless the initials of David of Nevay, whose father, a Senator of the College of Justice, died shortly before this date. The church, however,

appears to be of earlier date, as a tombstone of 1597 is built into its walls.

These churches were in the diocese of St. Andrews, and in 1309 “Robert I. gave the advocation and donation of the Kirk of Eassie to the Monks of Newbottle.[231]”

St. Neveth, martyr, to whom the church was dedicated, and from whom it received its name, was a bishop “in the north,” who was slain by the Saxons and the Picts, and Bishop Forbes[232] suggests that the martyr was buried at Nevay.

Eassie was dedicated to St. Brandon.

At Eassie Church there is one of the finest of the Scottish sculptured stones.

PULPIT FROM ST. CUTHBERT’S CHURCH, EDINBURGH.

The annexed sketch (Fig. 1537) shows the old pulpit of St. Cuthbert’s Church as it stood in St. Cuthbert’s Poorhouse, Lothian Road, Edinburgh, before that building was removed in 1868. It appears[233] that when St. Cuthbert’s Church was demolished in 1773, the pulpit was transferred to the Poorhouse. Its date can be pretty well ascertained. From a minute of the kirk-session of 15th August 1651, we find that Cromwell’s soldiers had so completely sacked the church that there was “nayther pulpit, loft, nor seat left therein,” all doors and windows having been broken, and the roof by cannon shot completely ruined. Steps were immediately taken to repair the damage, and in April 1652 the church was reopened for public worship. This pulpit was doubtless made between the above dates, and its style is characteristic of the time. It is of oak, and probably in the old church it stood on a loftier base than is shown in the sketch.

FETTERESSO CHURCH, KINCARDINESHIRE.

The parish of Fetteresso included a considerable part of the town of Stonehaven on the east coast of Kincardineshire. The old church, the ruins of which stand in a large churchyard, is situated near the Carron Water, about one mile and a half south-west from Stonehaven. The structure probably occupies the site of a very ancient church, dedicated to St. Cavan, which stood at the Hamlet of Fetteresso. It is beautifully situated amongst fine old trees.

The existing edifice, which is roofless, appears, from the style of its architecture, to be chiefly post-Reformation. The walls and gables are well preserved and much covered with ivy.

The church (Fig. 1538) is, internally, 81 feet in length from east to west by 17 feet 6 inches in width from north to south. It has a wing

thrown out to the north, which is about 17 feet square, and bears the date of 1720. A small adjunct to the west of the wing carries the date of 1857. The wall openings are almost entirely in the south wall, in which there are three doorways and six windows. There is one window in the east end and one pointed doorway in the north wall. The north wing contains a north doorway and two windows in the east wall. This wing, doubtless, contained a gallery. The openings in the south wall are all built up, and the interior is converted into a private burial-ground. The details have all the character of eighteenth century work. The belfry (Fig. 1539) stands on the top of the west gable and still retains its bell, which is used on the occasion of funerals. The church and its surroundings are very picturesque.

FORDEL CHAPEL, FIFESHIRE.

This is a private chapel in the beautiful grounds of Fordel Castle,[234] about two miles north from Inverkeithing. It bears the date of 1650, and tradition has it that the works were interrupted by Cromwell’s soldiers.

The edifice is now used as a mortuary chapel by the proprietors of Fordel House.

The structure bears the mark of the period when it was erected in the mixed style of its architecture, being partly an imitation of Gothic and partly Renaissance. It measures (Fig. 1540) about 40 feet in length by 16 feet in width internally, and is a simple oblong in plan, with a doorway in the centre of the south side. It is lighted (Fig. 1541) by four symmetrically arranged windows in the south side, one in the centre of the north side, and a large three-light window at each end. The windows are divided by mullions, and have a species of tracery in the round arch-heads.

The west gable is crowned with a belfry having a small spire. The stone cresting on the ridge has the small ornaments common at the period.

Over the doorway (Fig. 1542) are the quaintly carved arms of J. Henderson and his wife, M. Monteath (the Hendersons being the ancient

proprietors of the domain), with their initials and the date 1650. The same initials are repeated on tablets both on the exterior and interior of the chapel.

GARVALD CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.

Situated about five miles south-east from Haddington, in the secluded valley of the Papana Water, stands the rebuilt Church of Garvald. Only a very few fragments remain (Fig. 1543) of the ornament of the ancient

Norman structure which formerly existed. These are built into the walls of the church, which was restored and enlarged in 1829.

GAMRIE CHURCH, BANFFSHIRE.

This church, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, has a splendid situation, standing high above the cliffs overlooking the sea, and having a small fishing village on the beach immediately below. The building is now a ruin, only the walls remaining. It is a curious looking structure and

has been built at two periods. The east end is the earliest part. The total length of the church internally (Fig. 1544) is about 94 feet 4 inches by 15 feet 6 inches wide. The later part of the structure is about 10 inches wider than the earlier, the walls being thinner. The external dimensions are 96 feet long by 21 feet 8 inches wide. The chancel or east end was probably heightened at the time when the west end was built. The east gable has a sett-off at the level of what was apparently the original height (Fig. 1545). There are two doors on the south side, that in the chancel being lintelled and having a hole for a sliding bar, while the other in the nave is round arched, as is also a door in the opposite wall. These doors have all beaded mouldings. There is only one window on the north side. On the south side the windows are of various sizes, and are scattered about in an irregular way. Two of them, which are placed high in the wall, are checked for outside shutters; the others have all simple splays.

There is a plain ambry in the east wall at a high level, and adjoining it in the north wall there is a recess, probably a _credence_, as suggested by the Rev. Dr. Pratt.[235] This part of the building is in a neglected condition, being fitted up as a toolhouse for the gravedigger’s implements. There is built into the interior of the east gable a memorial tablet, with very quaintly carved letters and mouldings, to the memory of Patricius Barclay dominus de Tolly, and his wife, Joneta Ogilvy, who died in 1547.[236] There were other interesting memorials connected with the church which are referred to by Dr. Pratt, but of these only mutilated fragments remain. The indignant remonstrance of the Rev. Dr. against the condition of the building, written thirty years ago, backed up by a poem by Principal Geddes, has not availed to secure any respect for the old walls.

The Church of Gamrie is frequently referred to in the twelfth and following centuries. It was granted by William the Lion to Arbroath between 1189 and 1198,[237] and in 1513 Mr. Henry Preston was presented to the Church of Gamrie by the Abbot of Arbroath. Probably the existing walls were erected about the latter date, but the details indicate that great alterations have been made on the building, which convert it into a seventeenth century structure.

GLADSMUIR CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.

A ruin near the village of Longniddry.

The parish of Gladsmuir was formed out of several other parishes in 1695, at which time this church (Fig. 1546), now in ruins, was erected.

It was an oblong structure, and measures about 71 feet long by 25 feet

Gladsmuir Church.

Sundial.]

6 inches wide outside. There was, as frequently happens, an aisle on the north side about 24 feet square, opening into the church by the wide and lofty arch seen in the view. This arch, which is simply splayed on both faces, has two of its voussoirs projected about 6 inches beyond the others. These may have been rests for diagonal pieces to carry the continuation of the roof at the arch. A sundial (Fig. 1547), bearing the date 1700, stands in the usual place at the south-west corner.

The district was formerly served by a chapel which stood a mile or so to the south of Gladsmuir, of which all traces having been recently removed, only its site can be pointed out.

THE TRON STEEPLE, GLASGOW.

This tower, with its spire, stands in the Trongate, the most crowded thoroughfare of the city of Glasgow, and, as will be seen (Fig. 1548), it projects on to the street. It is believed that it is in contemplation to remove it; and as the old college buildings were got rid of a few years ago without much regret being expressed, the removal of a small steeple like this will, doubtless, be regarded as a very simple matter. Yet its destruction will deprive us of a very interesting example of a genuine seventeenth century spire, of which few were erected or now survive in Scotland. This steeple was erected in 1637. It has clearly been built in imitation of that of the cathedral, having similar features translated into the style of its time, and with rather a happy effect.

The steeple was attached to a church of older date, which was burned down in 1793. This was the Collegiate Church of St. Thenaw, which was erected in 1525, with the consent of the archbishop, Gavin Dunbar.

From the proximity of the public weighing machine or Tron to the church, it gradually came to be known as the Tron Church, and latterly the instrument itself stood in the ground floor of the steeple, which was then enclosed with solid walls. About forty years ago the Tron was removed, and the ground floor of the building was opened up to form an open passage along the street pavement. The wide arches on the street floor are thus modern.

GRANDTULLY CHAPEL, PERTHSHIRE.[238]

This chapel stands a little to the east of Grandtully Castle at a place called Pitcairn (anciently Petquharne), about three miles from Aberfeldy. It is situated at a considerable height above the valley of Strathtay, and commands an extensive view of mountain scenery. Any one seeing the chapel for the first time, and unacquainted with its existence, might easily mistake it for part of the adjoining farm buildings, it is so plain and humble in appearance. Only the presence of the churchyard surrounding it, and a very small cross on the east gable, serve to call attention to the fact that it is a sacred edifice, which on inspection is found to possess features of considerable interest.

The building (Fig. 1549) may be said to be entire in walls and roof. It measures on the outside about 79 feet long by about 23 feet 3 inches wide, and is at present divided into two parts by a stone partition.

There are two doors and several small windows on the south side. These openings are all straight lintelled and quite unadorned. A door on the north side is probably modern. There is a small locker, 14 or 15 inches square, in the usual position in the north wall near the east end. This ambry, which is about four feet from the floor, is of great interest, as it is quite entire, having a wooden door and hinges, an almost unknown condition in Scotland. There is another small recess about 17 inches square and about 3 feet from the ground in the east wall. But the principal feature of the chapel, and what renders it almost unique, is the

painted ceiling at the east end. This ceiling is constructed, as shown on the sketch (Fig. 1550), at the west end of the eastern division. The roof consists of rafters and ties, on which, at the east end, boards are fixed so as to present a circular form, in the same way as in several of the other painted ceilings of Scottish castles and mansions, such as Pinkie, Culross, and Earl’s Hall. It is not known whether this painted roof extended the whole length of the chapel or was confined, as it now is, to the east end. The painting presents four rows of circular discs, each containing six circles, which are variously ornamented. Four of them are occupied with the four Evangelists, and others with coats of arms, including the royal arms--1st and 4th, Scotland; 2nd, England; 3rd, Ireland, with an inner-escutcheon. The arms of England and Scotland also occur on separate shields, as well as those of the Earls of Athole and of the Laird of Grandtully and his wife, Dame Agnes Moncrieff. The paintings were rather exposed for some years to damp, and in many places the subjects and inscriptions, which are numerous, are considerably effaced; but further decay is arrested by the roof having recently been put in good order. Amongst the paintings there are complicated monograms, and a large panel in the centre contains an elaborate composition showing buildings with quaint figures.

This chapel is first noticed in a “Notarial instrument, recording sasine given by Alexander Steuart of Garntulye, from devotion and with the view of promoting divine worship” of certain lands, “in terms of a charter to be made, to Alexander Young, sub-prior of St. Andrews, as representing the curate who is to officiate at the chapel built near the manor-place of Petquharne, and to be consecrated to God, the Virgin Mary, St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Adamnanus and St. Beanus. Dated 9th May 1533.”

Following this, in the 3rd June of the same year, is the charter referred to conveying the land and privileges to the church and to a chaplain, “who was to be a suitable curate, personally residing and celebrating divine worship and the sacraments irreproachably in the Church of St. Mary of Grantulye.” The church was “to be held for prayers to be made by the

said chaplain for the universal church, the prosperity of King James V. and his kingdom, the granter’s own soul, and the souls of certain of his relatives,” &c.

This gives us the period of the erection of the church, but the painting is later, being shown by the style and by the arms to have been done by Sir William Steuart about the year 1636. Sir William was an intimate friend from childhood of King James VI., and was by him greatly beloved. He married Agnes Moncrieff, daughter of Sir John of that Ilk, and, as already mentioned, their arms are on the ceiling, and their initials are also carved over a small window in the east gable.

GREENLAW CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.

This church, with its venerable tower, overlooks, in a very prominent manner, the small county town of Greenlaw. The present building occupies the site of an early church, and probably dates from the

beginning of last century. It is a very simple structure, and harmonises well with the ancient tower. The latter (Fig. 1551), which is a part of an earlier church, is an interesting example of a Scottish church tower. It is quite plain in its lower stages, and has a corbelled out parapet at the top, which is reached by a stair in the projecting turret, seen in the sketch. The tower is a place of considerable strength, being vaulted on the ground floor, and is probably a building of the fifteenth century.

The manor of Greenlaw belonged to the Earls of Dunbar and Gospatrick, and the third Earl granted the church, in 1159, to the Abbey of Kelso. Greenlaw was one of the churches dedicated by Bishop David de Bernham.

INSCH CHURCH, ABERDEENSHIRE.

The town of Insch is a station on the Great North of Scotland Railway between Aberdeen and Huntly. The old parish church, which is

abandoned, stands in the churchyard. The west wall, crowned with its belfry, is almost all that now survives. The belfry (Fig. 1552) is ornate, and is a good specimen of the Scottish Renaissance designs erected in the beginning of the seventeenth century. It bears the date of 1613, when it is believed the church was erected. On the south side the tympanum carries a shield with the Leslie arms and the initials M. I. L.

KEMBACK CHURCH, FIFESHIRE.[239]

Situated at the entrance to Duraden, near Dairsie Railway Station, are the ivy-covered ruins of the sixteenth century church of Kemback, surrounded with its ancient burial-ground. The building (Fig. 1553)

retains the Gothic feeling in the external splays on the square-headed doors and windows, but the Renaissance influence is apparent in the east window. Contrary to the usual practice, the door and windows are in the north wall.

About half a mile distant the site of an older church is pointed out, but all that remains of it is the late headless effigy of a lady.

THE GLENCAIRN MONUMENT, KILMAURS, AYRSHIRE.

The Church of Kilmaurs, situated near the village of that name about two and a half miles north-west from Kilmarnock, was formerly collegiate, having a provost and six prebendaries. It has been rebuilt, and the

burial aisle of the Earls of Glencairn, which no doubt was formerly attached to it, now stands apart. The aisle was erected by the seventh Earl in 1600, and contains the fine monument (Fig. 1554) of William, ninth Earl, who was Lord High Chancellor of Scotland. He died in 1664, and was buried in St. Giles’, Edinburgh.

The monument is of a classic design, somewhat resembling some others in the south of Scotland, such as that of the Kennedies at Ballantrae and M‘Lellan at Kirkcudbright,[240] having shafts at each side, and an entablature crowned with a panel containing the family arms.

Within the frame formed by the pillars and entablature are half-length figures of the Earl and his lady, with open books in front of them, and a panel between which contained a long inscription, now illegible. A row of small figures beneath doubtless represents the family of the deceased.

KINNEIL CHURCH, LINLITHGOWSHIRE.

The ruins of this old parish church are situated a few yards to the west of the ancient mansion house of Kinneil, near Bo’ness. The church

was abandoned about 1636, at which time a new one was built at Bo’ness, about one mile distant. What remains of the old church is the west wall, crowned with a double belfry (Fig. 1555), and the returns of the side walls. The end wall measures 26 feet wide outside, and is 3 feet 9 inches thick. The length of the church cannot now be traced, but there are indications of buildings at a distance eastwards of about 64 feet.[241] From indications on the north side of the church, there appear to have been some attached buildings. The ruins are quite overgrown with ivy, and nothing definite can be said further regarding them.

ST. BEAN’S CHURCH, KINKELL, PERTHSHIRE.

Situated on the right bank of the Earn about two miles south from Auchterarder, this church, which is a post-Reformation one, stands in the centre of a small churchyard on a hillock overlooking the river, and

is entire, but roofless (Fig. 1556). It is now divided by cross walls into three burial-places. The building (Fig. 1557) measures about 65 feet 2 inches in length by 23 feet wide externally. Like most of the early Presbyterian churches it has a considerable resemblance, in plan, to those of the Gothic period, being long and narrow, with a south door near the west end, south windows, and an end window high up in each gable. All the openings are lintelled and splayed. There was a belfry on the west gable.

The church was probably built about the end of the sixteenth century. It was repaired about the year 1680 at the instigation of the Bishop and Synod of Dunblane, and shortly afterwards the parish of Kinkell was absorbed into that of Trinity Gask, when the building was allowed to fall into ruin.

The Church of Kinkell was dedicated to St. Bean, and was a cell of Inchaffray.

MONUMENT IN KINNOULL CHURCH, PERTHSHIRE.

The old church of Kinnoull stood on the east side of the Tay opposite Perth. It may be said to have entirely disappeared with the exception of an aisle which was attached to the church, and now contains a seventeenth century monument to the Earl of Kinnoull (Fig. 1558). The monument is of a pompous kind, and inspires none of those feelings of reverence begotten by the monuments of the Middle Ages. It occupies the full width and height of the aisle, and has a high dado richly sculptured on the pedestals and sides with arms and insignia of power, and contains an ornate central panel. From the dado there rise three columns resting on pedestals. The columns themselves are twisted and carved. The capitals, which are in imitation of Corinthian, are very debased. The two end columns are backed by projecting pilasters at the wall. Above the columns there runs a carved entablature with cornice, supporting, by way of finish, a heraldic slab in the centre, with various separate figures on each side of it.

The principal feature of the monument, to which all the above are accessories, is the life-sized statue of George, first Earl of Kinnoull and Chancellor of Scotland. His history will be found in Crawford’s _Lives of the Officers of State_. The monument was erected in 1635.

KIRKOSWALD CHURCH, AYRSHIRE.

Kirkoswald is a village on the road between Girvan and Maybole in Carrick, containing an old church and churchyard. The church (Fig. 1559) is a simple oblong measuring about 93 feet 6 inches in length by 28 feet 4 inches in width over the walls. It seems originally to have consisted of plain walls without buttresses, but within modern times the

structure has been converted into a mausoleum by building up all the windows, and by adding buttresses along the south side. The pointed blank windows and the large pointed doorway in the south wall are also modern additions. The modern applied buttress at the south-west angle is now falling away.

At first sight the building presents an ancient appearance, but closer examination shows that it has been modernised beyond recognition.

LAUDER CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.

The small town of Lauder stands in the wide and fertile vale of the Leader Water, about six miles (over a high hill) from the nearest railway station at Stow. The ancient parish church of Lauder was bestowed, in the reign of David i., on Sir Hugh Morville, Constable of Scotland. It was afterwards given by Devorgilla, wife of John Baliol, to Dryburgh Abbey, to which it remained attached till the Reformation. It appears that there were two chapels connected with the parish church in different parts of the parish.

The existing parish church (Fig. 1560) stands in the ancient churchyard. It has apparently been entirely rebuilt in 1673, which date is carved on the north gable. Chalmers, however, says that the ancient church was relinquished in 1617, when a new church was erected. The present structure, although very late, shows some reminiscences of Gothic forms, both in its plan and elevations.

The plan is a Greek cross having four equal arms extending from a central crossing. The latter is 14 feet square, and each arm is 28 feet 6 inches in length by 16 feet in width internally. The crossing is surmounted by four pointed arches, which spring from a massive pier at each angle, and carry the central tower. In the north-west and south-east angles of the arms there are introduced two entrance lobbies, giving access to the four arms and to staircases, leading to a gallery in each arm. The space on the ground floor below the galleries is low, and is lighted by two square windows in the end wall of each arm (Fig. 1561), with moulded jambs and lintel, while each upper floor or gallery is lighted by means of a large pointed window in the gable, filled with plain intersecting tracery, with mullions and transoms.

The entrance doorways have round arches with hood moulding, and the side windows of the staircases are pointed. The external angles of the building and the outline of the windows are all finished with a broad fillet, projected so as to receive rough casting. The skews of the gables are plain and do not project, and the joints are horizontal. Each skew has a large projecting stone at bottom. These appear to have carried small pyramidal ornaments, two of which are still preserved.

The central tower is square till it reaches the ridge of the main roofs, above which point it becomes octagonal, and is finished with a slated roof. A small round-headed window of a late style is inserted in four sides of the octagonal part or belfry.

The staircase buildings in the two angles do not appear to be parts of the original structure, or at least would seem to have been a good deal altered.

In the neighbourhood of Lauder is Thirlestane Castle,[242] the residence of the Duke of Lauder, well known in connection with the attempted introduction in the seventeenth century of Episcopacy into Scotland. It seems not unlikely that the quasi-Gothic character of the church may have been the result of his influence.

LESWALT CHURCH,[243] WIGTONSHIRE.

A ruined church, the predecessor of the present one, which was built early in this century. It stands about four miles west from Stranraer. All the dressed stones of the wall openings have been taken out, so that nothing remains to tell the date of the structure. In the seventeenth century a wing (Fig. 1562) has been erected against the north wall, which probably contained a gallery above and a burial-place below, as was frequently the case in similar erections about that time. The wall between the wing and the church is still standing several feet high.

The wing has been entered by a plain flat lintelled door in the north wall (Fig. 1563), over which is a window divided into four compartments by a moulded mullion and transom. This window would light the private room or gallery on the upper floor. A panel (Fig. 1564) below the window shows that the place was used as a burial vault, as it contains an inscription and two coats of arms. The inscription states that it is in memory of Patritus Agnew of Lochnaw, Earl of Wigton, and Margaret Kennedy, his spouse; A.D. 1644. The arms on the shields beneath are those of Agnew and Kennedy.

Panel over Door.]

After the new church was erected the old one was used as the parish school, which accounts for a fireplace still visible in the east wall of the church.

Fig. 1565 shows its present ruined condition.

Before the Reformation the Church of Leswalt belonged to the Monks of Tungland, and in Episcopal times to the Bishop of Galloway.

ST. COLM’S CHURCH, LONMAY, ABERDEENSHIRE.

Only the merest fragment of this church now remains. Its dimensions can be determined as having been 62 feet in length by 15 feet 3 inches wide inside. Part of the west gable survives for a height of about 10 or 12 feet, with a small square-headed window. Nothing else is left but grass-covered ruins and fallen pieces of masonry.

LOUDOUN CHURCH, GALSTON, AYRSHIRE.[244]

This was originally a structure of the first pointed period, but it is now in a state of complete ruin, except the choir, which has been fitted up in the seventeenth century as a burial vault.

The west gable stands nearly entire, but the side walls are completely demolished, except at the choir (Fig. 1566). The building is externally

64 feet long by 27 feet wide. The choir is about 14 feet 9 inches long, and is separated from the nave by a plain round arch 15 feet 6 inches wide (Fig. 1567). In the east wall (Fig. 1568) there are two pointed windows about 10 inches wide, with slight splays on the outside, and widely splayed inside (Fig. 1569), where they are finished with round arches. There are two set-offs on the east wall, and the same occur on the west wall. The structure has been greatly modified in the seventeenth century. The south doorway into the choir and the window, with

Chancel Arch.]

Elevation of East End.]

panels and arms (Fig. 1570), are probably all insertions of that period, as also is the vault seen in the drawings. The ground has accumulated

Section, looking East.]

South Doorway, &c.]

round the church so that the splayed base seen in Mr. Schultz’s drawings is now buried to the extent of about 2 feet.

The masonry of the ruin is of fine ashlar, in regular courses.

LYNE CHURCH, PEEBLESSHIRE.

This building, which is still used as the parish church, is situated on the Lyne Water, near the Tweed, about three miles above Peebles. It stands on the summit of a mound, which is occupied as the churchyard.

The building (Fig. 1571) is a tiny one, measuring internally only about 34 feet by 11 feet. The windows and doorway are on the

south side (Fig. 1572) and in each gable, there being no opening in the north wall. The windows have simple tracery of a late type, and the jambs have backfillets (a late feature) round the openings. There are angle buttresses at the west end, and a modern belfry on the apex of the west gable.

Some good fragments of old woodwork survive in the church, particularly a pulpit (Fig. 1573), which, it is usually stated, was made in Holland. Lyne is distant from the sea and must have been difficult of access; for which reason, amongst others, we doubt whether there is any truth in the tradition. The pulpit, which is circular in plan, is quite simple in design, and its construction would not present a formidable task to a Scottish country wright, judging by other examples of woodwork made in Scotland about this time. Some of the other woodwork bears the date 1644, and one of the pews, now removed, was dated 1606.[245] The church has been frequently repaired, which accounts for the loss of such examples.

“The district was, in the twelfth century, a chapelry dependent on Stobo.”[246] Robert, the chaplain of Lyne, is a witness to a charter in the Register of Glasgow, between 1208 and 1213; but of the early church then existing nothing now remains, the present structure probably dating from the beginning of the seventeenth century.

MORHAM CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.

A retired parish church about four miles east from Haddington. It is stated to have been built in 1724, but some portions of ornamental carving built into the south wall (Fig. 1574) would seem to indicate that they had formed part of an earlier structure.

The only architectural feature connected with the church is the elevation of the north wing or aisle (Fig. 1575), which, although it corresponds well with the date of the building, is in a somewhat unusual style for a Scottish church of the period.

CHURCH OF ST. FIACRE OR FITTACK, NIGG, KINCARDINESHIRE.

A ruined church standing in the centre of an ancient churchyard, situated about three miles south-east from Aberdeen. The church is probably one of those built during the short period of Episcopal government in the seventeenth century. It consists (Fig. 1576) of a single chamber, but there are indications of an arch across from side to side, where shown by dotted lines on the Plan, which may have marked a chancel. The building is 48 feet 6 inches in length by 20 feet 6 inches in width internally, and has been roofless for more than half a century.

The lintelled door is on the south side, and there are two other doors on the north side, one of them being in the supposed chancel.

The belfry (Fig. 1577) appears to have been rebuilt in 1703. A row of projecting corbels, which probably supported a previous belfry, are left projecting under the new one.

Immediately adjoining the ruin there is a stately seventeenth century house, formerly the manse, now occupied by an agricultural tenant and farm labourers.

The building is on the site of an early church, which was granted by William the Lion to his favourite Abbey of Arbroath, and it remained as one of its dependaries till the Reformation.

OLDHAMSTOCKS CHURCH, BERWICKSHIRE.

The main portion of this church, although its walls may in part be old, is not of much architectural merit, but the chancel (Fig. 1578) is not without interest as a specimen of late Gothic work. It is now used as a burial vault, and is completely ivy clad. It measures about 18 or 20 feet square, and is of modest height, being some 10 or 12 feet to the eaves.

The chief feature is the east window, with its rude tracery. The latter, which is of a different stone from the jambs and sills, is probably a restoration of late in the sixteenth century, while the chancel itself may be a little earlier. The building is vaulted with a barrel vault, and is covered on the exterior with overlapping stone slabs. It is impossible to say whether it contains any features of pre-Reformation times. The door seen on the south side of the choir is dated 1701.

Of the panels half concealed in the ivy, the one on the right contains the arms of Thomas Hepburn, incumbent of Oldhamstocks, and of his wife, Margaret Sinclair, who died in 1581. This Thomas Hepburn was admitted Master of Requests to Queen Mary two days after her marriage with Bothwell, and he was tried and convicted for aiding the Queen in her escape from Lochleven.[247]

This church is of an old foundation. In 1127 Aldulph, the presbyter of Aldehamstoc, witnessed a charter of Robert, the Bishop of St. Andrews, and the church is rated in the ancient _Taxatio_ and in _Bagimond’s Roll_. It is also recorded as an existing rectory in the Archbishop’s Roll of 1547.

There is a peculiar sundial on the south-west corner of the church, which is illustrated.[248] It may be mentioned that in the centre of the west end of the church there is a tower which is finished at the top with a modern belfry. This tower or turret is probably of pre-Reformation date.

ORMISTON CHURCH, HADDINGTONSHIRE.

Only a small portion of the old church of Ormiston, in which Wishart and Knox more than once officiated, has been preserved. It stands close to the mansion house of Ormiston Hall, about one mile south from the village of Ormiston. A new church having been erected about a quarter of a mile distant, the old church has been allowed to go to decay. The surviving fragment of the latter appears to have been the east end. There are several stones built into the walls which must have belonged to a Norman church, being carved with the chevron ornament.

The Church of Ormiston was dedicated to St. Giles. It was granted to the Hospital of Soltre, founded by Malcolm IV., which was confirmed by the Bishop of St. Andrews in the thirteenth century.

This church was subsequently made a prebend of the Church of the Holy Trinity at Edinburgh, founded by Mary of Gueldres.

The building (Fig. 1579) has been enclosed at the west end with a modern wall, and measures, within the enclosure, 16 feet 6 inches in length by 13 feet 6 inches in width. It contains in the south wall the outlines of two windows, now built up, and of one window in the north wall. These have apparently been altered at some time and made square-headed. An archway of considerable height (Fig. 1580) stands in the continuation of the south wall westwards. It is in two orders, the outer order square and the inner order splayed. This doorway has apparently entered into the church, which, judging from the height of the archway, must have had side walls of considerable height. They are now reduced as shown, and a roof was put upon the east portion during this century, which renders the interior very dark.

In the north wall of the chancel there is a monument of some importance (Fig. 1581), as it contains one of the few brasses which exist in Scotland. The brass consists of an engraved plate containing an inscription to the memory of Alexander Cockburn, one of the members of the family to whom the adjoining mansion house belonged. He died, as the inscription tells, at an early age. The upper part of the inscription is metrical, and was composed by the learned George Buchanan, and

appears in his published works. Alexander Cockburn was a pupil of John Knox, and in 1547 sought refuge in the Castle of St. Andrews. On the dexter base of the brass are engraved the Cockburn arms, and on the sinister base the arms of Sandilands, for the mother of a Cockburn, who was of the family of Sandilands of Calder. These arms are quartered with the arms of Douglas, and show the ancient relationship between that family and the Sandilands.[249]

The barony of Ormiston was the property of the Cockburns from the middle of the fourteenth century, when they acquired it by marriage.

The monument was no doubt erected not long after the death of the person commemorated, or towards the end of the sixteenth century. It corresponds in style with that of the Regent Murray, in St. Giles’ Cathedral,

Edinburgh[250] (1570), the inscription on which was also composed by George Buchanan. That at Ormiston is as follows:--

Omnia quæ longa indulget mortalibus ætas
Haec tibi Alexander prima juventa dedit
Cum genere et forma generoso sanguine digna
Ingenium velox, ingenuumque animum
Excolint virtus animum ingeniumque Camenae
Successu studio consilioque pari
His ducibus primum Peragrata Britannia deinde
Gallia ad armiferos qua patet Helvetios
Doctus ibi linguas quas Roma Sionet Athenae
Quas cum Germano Gallia docta sonat
Te licet in prima rapuerunt fata juventa
Nonimmaturo funera raptus obis
Omnibus officiis vitae qui functus obivit
Non fas nunc vitae est de brevitate queri
Hic conditur Mr. Alexander Cokburn
primogenitua Joannis domini Ormiston
et Alisonae Sandilands ex preclara
familia Calder, qui natus 13 Januarii 1535
post insignem linguarum professionem
Obiit anno ætatis suae 28 Calen. Septe.[251]

PITTENWEEM PRIORY, FIFESHIRE.

Of the old monastery of Pittenweem, which was connected with that on the Isle of May in the Frith of Forth, only some altered fragments survive. The priory seems to have derived its name from its being built close to a cave or “weem” on the shore of the Frith of Forth, with which it had communication by a vaulted chamber in the garden and a long straight staircase. The monastic buildings surrounded a courtyard. On the south side was the prior’s mansion (now restored and occupied by the Episcopal clergyman of the place). On the west side was the refectory, now converted into the Town Hall, and to the north of it the dormitories.