Scottish Post-Reformation Church Furniture. 47
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SCOTTISH POST-REFORMATION CHURCH FURNITURE. 47 V. SCOTTISH POST-REFORMATION CHURCH FURNITURE. BY GEORGE HAY, A.R.I.B.A., F.S.A.ScoT. GrENEBAL. e ratheTh r meagre remain f Scotland'o s s pre-Reformation church furnitur e fairlar e y well e knownsamth t e bu canno, e sai b f ttha do f o t e Reformeth d period Scottiss A . h churche t enjo no e protectio o th yd s n of Ancient Monuments legislation or of effective ecclesiastical measures, a considerable destructio f post-Reformatioo n n fitting furniturd an s s eha taken place, and what survives bids fair to become as scanty as the work of the preceding period. The present situation would appear to call for somethin nature th n gsystematif i e o c stud protectivd yan e attention. This paper, which make pretenco sn finalito et r exhaustivenessyo presentes i , d abriesa f introductio subjecte th coverd o nt an , perioe sth d betweee nth Reformation of 1560 and the Disruption of 1843. Though it is not our purpose to ponder the many diverse elements which contribute religioue th o dt s revolutio 1560f n o usefus i t , i recalo t l l some facts of the situation. With the adoption of the Reformed theology, ecclesiastical system and mode of worship, many items of church furnishing characteristic of medieval Christendom cease relevante b o dt . Again, leaving aside eth changed though not altogether new attitude to religious art, it has to be remembered tha Reformee th t d Kirk inherited neithe economie th r c power noadministrative th r e organisation whic enabled hha s predecessoit d o t r becom echiea embellisfo t patroarte d th s an f no s principah it l buildings with sumptuous fittings and decoration. In short, post-Reformation church furniture has to be studied against the gieatly altered circumstances of the religious, economi sociad can l background. COMMUNION TABLES. The liturgical altar of the Roman mass gave way to the long communion tableReformee th f so d rite flanke benchey db s upon whic communicante hth s sat. At first, such tables were temporary structures, consisting of boards and trestles which were erected for the administration of the Sacrament and were thereafter dismantled stils i s l a ,norma l practic Netherlandse th n ei . Frequently the tables -were enclosed by a temporary rail or fence, and in 48 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1954-56. addition to the main table (or tables) there was often a small "head table," t whica h ministe d assistantan r s communicated. Later s fixea , d seating became more general, long table pews were devised, so constructed that, movablf o e us e haffitth y b s fitting between fillets, they coul convertee db d into a series of short box pews at times other than communion services. The Statistical Accounts and other records note that such table pews were ofte poorne th give f .o e nThoug rent-freus e lesw th shr no obviou efo s than hitherto t wili ,apparen e b l t thae dispositioth t lone th g f no communio n tables and their pews was a prime factor in church planning and, save for brief interruptions, this was true under both episcopalian and presbyterian establishment. s 2) (PI , X . Good examples of long communion tables exist at Ceres, Durisdeer, Lochbroom, Newburn (PI. X, 1) and North Bute. Others, some of which have been considerably altered, survive at. Ardchattan, Bracadale, Cars- phairn, Kilmodan, Newland parliamentare th n Reayd i sd an an , y kirkf so Plockto Quarffd nan . An early 19th century expedient sometimes adopted for the administra- Lord'e tioth f no s Suppehavo t s ebloca rwa seatinf ko g with hinged backs movabld an e benche eacn si h alternate row designeo s , d tha adjustiny b t g boltw fe a snumbe a f lono r g table d flankinan s g benche s quicklwa s y achieved. Example thif so s arrangement still exis t Dunfermlina t e North Kirk, TingwaU d Torphichenan . untid di ld recentl an ,e 184th 4n yi Fre e Kirk of Livingston. PULPITS. With communion tables, baptismal basi belld nan pulpia , deemes wa t d by the first Book of Discipline (1560) to be indispensable to every parish kirk. Apart from developments in architectural style, early post-Reforma- tion pulpits followed the general form of those of the preceding period and, like them, they were invariably provided wit hpanellea d backboara d dan sounding boar canopyr do onle yTh .survivin g example 16tf so h century date appea thosChapee e b th Partof f o eo o t r l d Royalnan , Stirling formee th , r of which is preserved in the National Museum and the latter in Stirling Castle. Both are of oak. The Parton pulpit, dated 1598, is fairly complete, illustrated an s that tardy transition from Gothi Renaissanco ct e forms which was characteristic of north-west Europe. The Stirling pulpit is of the same general form without carved muc w enrichmentsno h s i dilapidate t i t bu , d and lack soundins sit g board t formeI . doriginae parth f o t l plenishingf so 159e th 4 Chapel Royal. An almost invariable adjunc Scottise th o t t h pulpit dowt leasa e o nt th middle of the 19th century was the reader's "lattron" or desk. Situated in e pulpifronth f o tt properreadersy la wero e , th wh s useethi, y wa sb d SCOTTISH POST-REFORMATION CHURCH FURNITURE. 49 prominent during early Reformed times whe e numbeth n f ordaineo r d ministers was limited, and by the precentors who led the singing. These offices were usually, thoug t invariablyhno persone , helon y db , normalle yth parish schoolmaster. The characteristic feature of many late 16th and early 17th century pulpits was a panelled enclosure with the reader's desk in the centre flanke eldersy db ' seats. Pulpit thif so s typ stile ear l commoe th n i Netherlands, wher enclosure eth know s edoophek,i e th s na t beini place gth e of baptis Scotlandn i t alss i baptismae ms owa a Th . l basi n hels a n dwa i iron brackee pulpith n to t onl e sideTh y . surviving Scottish examplf eo such a pulpit is that at Ayr (PI. XI, 1), which has been restored after being dismantled and partially destroyed in 1887. It was built in 1655 by John Hunter, who was paid 600 pounds Scots, and who probably built a very similar specimen formerly extant at Fenwick and recorded in a drawing by Messrs Macgibbo Ross.d nan 1 The Ayr pulpit with its straight sides, bowed front and low relief enrich- ment typicas si greate e th f lo r17te parth hf o tcentur y work, thougw fe ha examples like that at Pencaitland were of polygonal plan. The rather fragmentary Bo'ness s panepulpiit s l ha tenrichment inlayn si f variouso s woods. Other 17th century pulpits, mos whicf o t h have suffered modifica- tion, exis (daten t CuLrosa t Du , d 4) 1615) s, AbbeXI , L Falklany(P d Palace (from the former parish kirk), Glasgow Cathedral, Lyne (c. 1645), Newbattle, Stirling (Holy Rude), St Andrews (St Salvator's) and Tester. In addition, ther detachee ear d fragment t Abercorsa n (1637), Abbotsfor Kirkwald an d l Cathedral, the last of which is unlike the others 2 , being of pine and bearing e painteth d dat et Mary' S 1689 t A s. Gaelic Kirk, Inverness, thera s ei curiou t mucbu s h altered pulpit, dated 166d enriche8an d with profuse carved detail of Flemish type, and in Elgin there is a fine example, dated 1684 and of more advanced Renaissance design than any of those above mentioned. This Renaissance character is most marked in 18th century pulpits, which are usually of polygonal plan—most commonly hexagonal—with backboards flanke pilastery db r columnso soundind san g boards either flat on top r ogivao , l wit hcarvea d dove finiaturnea r o l d "three e urnTh . - decker" pulpit, so characteristic a feature of England, was less common in Scotland, but interesting examples survive at Dyke (1781), Fort George Garrison Chape 184e th l 8(1767),n i Fre d ean Kir Ardgaf ko Ross-shiren yi . Others formerly existed3 at Fintray, Inverkeithny, Sanquhar and Yarrow. As previously, oak was often employed, and was used in such examples as the pulpits of Spott, Golspie (1738), Aberdeen (St Nicholas West, 1755) , Kilman3) , (PLXI y (1786), Mochrum , For(1795)2) t, t QuivoS ,XI L x(P 1 Cast. Arch., V, 161. 2 This example, built in 1634 for Dunfermline Abbey, was presented by the heritors to Sir Walter Scot 1822n ti , afte completioe th r nee th w f nAbbeo y Kirk. This pulpit has been moved from its original central site and its domical canopy detached. 3 VOL. LXXXVIII. 4 50 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1954-56. George, Hamilton (1732) Dumfried ,an t Michael's(S s 1745). c , lasoe o f th , ttw which are reconstructions incorporating only the original backboards and sounding boards. On the other hand pine was the timber most commonly used, intended for painting or graining, but at St Andrew's, Glasgow (1756), e prosperouth s "tobacco lords" imported fine Spanish mahogane th r yfo pulpit, which has carved details of rococo type and touches of gold leaf.