Notes on the Churchyards of Currie, Kirknewton, and the Calders
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CHUECHYARD F CURRIEO S , KIRKNEWTON E CALDERSTH 7 D 21 AN ., I. NOTES ON THE CHURCHYARDS OF CURRIE, KIRKNEWTON, AND THE CALDERS. BY ALAN REID, F.S.A. SCOT. (Wmi PHOTOGRAPH JAMEY B S S MOFFAT.) CURRIE. e earliesTh t recore ancienth f do t churc f Killeitho h dates from 1296. than I t year, William, Archdeaco Lothianf no parsod e churcan th , f no h of Keldeleth, swore fealty to Edward I. ; and, from a tascatio of that monarch's reign leare w , n that this church, whic s dedicatewa ht S o t d Kentigern marks0 rates 5 pertainet d wa ,d a an , Priore th Coldingo f dt yo - ham. Till the Reformation, Killeith was regarded as the appropriate benefice of the Archdeaconry of Lothian, changing its status with its name, when, in 1584, James VI. granted to the newly founded college of Edinburgh the vicarage of Currie, with all its endowments. Through this transference the Town Council of Edinburgh became the patrons of the parish, which during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was variously styled Killeith and Currie. Erro arises ha r n fro assumptioe mth n thae ancienth t t Killeith—now Kinleith—an e lateth d r Currie were distinc d separatan t e places. There is not the slightest foundation for that opinion, and within the churchyar f Currido e there remain s clearessit t refutation. e Herth e ear picturesque n ecclesiasticaruina f o s l building, interesting historically architecturallyd an venerabld an , e enoug o determinht e th e sit f th eo e church which, though it changed its name, can only most unreasonably be charged with changing its local habitation. This mediaeval fragment undoubtedly forme e anciene choith dth f o r t churc f Killeitho h r Fo . many generation bees ha n t si a placuse s s historf buriala it do e d yan , shows that at a dark period it was the reputed haunt of witches, serving at another time as the school of Currie parish. Its vaulted roof was a source of trouble to the heritors, who were repeatedly charged for its repair. In 1778, they appointed "the upper arch of the Quire to be taken down by day's wages, and the lower arch to stand as it is." Further, that " the lower arch of the Quire be covered by the flag stones, 218 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , MARC , 190612 H . wit propeha r gate int e Quire,oth a "deliveranc e whic n onlca hy mean tha buildine th t originalls gwa y coveren oute a innen a d ry an rdb vault - ing, .the latter roofed with slabs, as at Corstorphine. Presumably the inner arch proved unfi carro t t burdee yth n thus imposedd upoan , nit soon the structure became the roofless ruin which now we see. From instructions give buildere 178n ni th e presen o th 4t f so t parish Fig. 1. Remains of ancient Church at Currie. church gathee w , r tha e ancienth t t sanctuar n exceptionalla s ywa y long d narroan w structure e ruineTh . d choir measure 1 fee 3 n lengthsi t , 23 feet in breadth, the ivy-clad walls being 9 feet in height and inche3 3 thicknessn si . Repairs have obliterated nearly every detaif o l ancient work, but the exterior of the south wall shows two remarkable features, a door and a window, built up, but clearly traceable. These have arched lintels hewn from single stones s e showmeasurea ,th n i n d CHURCHYARDS OF CURRIE, KIRKNEWTON, AND THE CALDKRS. 219 drawing (fig ) prepare1 . r JohM ny d b Watson , F.S.A. Scot. assigno wh , s wore perioa th o kt t late dno r tha fifteente nth h centurye th sile f lo Th . window is now level with the ground outside, and only 3 feet 6 inches of doorwae th thers yi e visible. Investigatio difficuls ni t through elaborate pointing and the growth of ivy, but it is fairly obvious that the window was splayed towards the interior, and quite clear that both openings are chamfered round ther exterior angles. Mr . RLangwillB . contributeo wh , d interesting annals father'hi f o s s parish to the local supplement of Life and Worlc, observes : " Under- neath the pathway to the west of the ' quire,' are traces of masonry showing that the north and south walls are continued in that direction." These foundations point to transeptal buildings, and regarding the built- up door and window Mr Langwill speculates: "Adjoining the 'quire' on the south side, and communicating with it by means of the little doorway already mentioned, there may have been a small chapel or confessional." The idea is attractive, but it is not supported by constructive evidences. The chamfering of the angles points not to interior but to exterior condi- tions, and the splaying of the window further supports that view. Thus windoe e choith th simplf s ro e doo w'lightswa e th meana ryon d an , f so entranc exi d thosr ean fo t offician ei l positions casey an , n thiI .s remnant is of remarkable interest, and worthy of attention, study, and preservation. Within this enclosure are a number of mural tombstones, the most important of which dates from 1670, and bears the following inscription in Latin:— HIC SEPVLTVE G T SES NEROSVS IUVENIS KOBE RTVS CLYHILLEVS FILIV S PRIMOGENITVS DOMI NI DE INNERGOWRIE QVI HgC ACCEDEN AVT SV U NCVLVM INVISEREV TH LOCS JV I PASTOREM FATALV EEBRE CORREPTVS 13 AGUSTI ANNO SALVTIS 167C 0A ETATIS SV. OCCVBUI1 E2 T 220 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 12, 1906. Kobert Clayhills, eldest son of the Laird of Invergowrie, near Dundee, is commemorated here. He died of fever in his 21st year, while on a visit to his uncle, the minister of Currie. Some of the details of this mural monument (fig ) havn goo2 i . e mais ei d th sufferedt i nn i t bu , Invergowrie Th Fig . 2 . e Tombstone. preservation, and of pleasing character. The winged cherub head is particularly good, and the mouldings are excellently wrought. This tablet shows the only armorial bearings to be seen at Currie, most of the neighbouring estates having place f familso y burial. The most imposing monument in this churchyard is that of the Rev. Matthew Leighton, an old minister of the parish, and the son of its first CHURCHYARD F CURRIEO S , KIRKNEWTON E CALDERSTH 1 D 22 AN ., post-Keformation cleric. It is a lofty structure of classic style, and also bear Latisa n inscription well worth record:f yo — MATTILEUS LIGHTONIUS SEPULTVS EST EVANGELI QUI PR^DICANDI MUNERE .ESTATIBUS 1UAMPLURAMIS PERFUNCTUS EST FIDELITER NUNC VITA 1TJOD PR^ECONIO RESPONDERIT FRUISCITUR QUAM PR^EDICABAT GLORIAM Freoly translated, this epitaph records that Matthew Leightos i n buried here, who performed faithfully the duty of preaching the Gospel, fomans a r y summer possibles sa enjoye h life thad w th esan , no t which preachins hi n i promised,e gh glore th yd whican proclaimede hh . Very evidently this tomb was originally more elegant than now appears, for it collapsed during repairs, consequent on the removal of the old southern wall to which it was attached, and was rebuilt from memory by a local mason. Nearly in the centre of the ground, and in line with the east gable of e Leightoe churcth th d an h n monument, stand a smemoria f 170o l 0 (fig, whic3) . h shows several quain unusuad an t l features. Whimsicalf i , not humorous in feeling, are the lines disposed round an initialled oval panel r thefo , y serve admirabl s d legarma devica y an so t s e whose effec crownes i t e whiskereth y db d face, presumably e tenane th th f f o ,o t tomb. Under this shield, which is on the west face of the stone, is the inscription—" Heir Lyes John Ingles Husban Jeao t d n Moubrao yWh f Novembeo 0 Dye1 years. 9 e 6 ease dth e rTh t 170"ag fac s 0ehi shows the cherub-head winged and crowned, a scroll with inscription in Latin, hour-glassn a , skull cross-boned an , usuae th f lso type. Seven paces eastwards is the memorial of George Ferrier, who died in 1721 t showI . wingesa d cherub-hea a moulde n o d d pediment, single d crossean d e spadefouth r n i spanel f boto s h flat pilasters n hour-a , ' CHURCHYARD F CURRIEO S , KIRKNEWTON E CALDERSTH 3 D 22 AN ., glass death-headso tw , Mementoe th d an , Mori legend. Ther severae ear l stones of this class, which, though they differ in details, do not call for special remar r reproductionko . In .design, proportions, and execution, the memorial of Andrew Aken a wor f 1708o k s realli , y admirable e easTh t . face show a skulls , cross-bones, a star, an inscription, and the initials A. A., a cable mould- ing being effectively placed on the lower portion of the sloping sides. e uppeth n rO portioe westh f t o nface , show fign , i appearn4 . largsa e winged cherub-head, wit hcoupla f cinque-foilseo e inscriptioth , n rilling lowee th r panel, which uppeshowe th t rsa corner faceo tw n profilesi s . The date, 1708, is cut over the cherub-head, the Memento Mori legend appearing unde inscriptione th r . Very striking monumenalsa s oi f 175o t 0 , situate(figs6) , 5 .