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Torphichen Preceptory: a Footnote to the Published Descriptions1

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Torphichen Preceptory: a Footnote to the Published Descriptions1 TORPHICHEN PRECEPTORY: A FOOTNOTE TO THE PUBLISHED DESCRIPTIONS1 . MACKAYR . H . bP y , F.S.A.SCOT. As readers will know, McGibbo Rosd nan s include Preceptore dth Torphichef yo n botn i Ecclesiasticae hth l Architectur Domestie th Scotlanf o e n i Castel d d an c dan - tributa lated.thoroughnese s i th t o I et 2 theif so r work that, withi limite nth s they set themselves, their account stile sar l authoritative e onlTh y. subsequent descrip- tio importancf no Inventore thath s ei n i t Ancienf yo t MonumentWesd an td Mi r sfo Lothian, which gives a much more detailed account of the stages in the development survivine ofth g building somf o theif d eo san r feature interestf so authoe Th . thi f o r s account was doubto n , , greatly assiste wore th restoratiof ky o d b n carried through by the Ministry of Public Building and Works in the late 19205 to which we also owe almos l tha studene knositee e al t w th tTh follow .o f w o twh s eithe r botro thesf ho e authorities should not go far wrong in his attempt to reconstruct the pre-Reformation Church. The purpose of the present article is to supplement these accounts by draw- ing attention to certain papers among the Torphichen Muniments, and to two drawing Preceptore th f so y included amon e Gouggth h Collectio e f Mapno th n i s Bodleian Library particulan i d frese 3;an th ho t revidenc e which they offer regarding some details of the pre-Reformation buildings. Amon e paperth g s deposite y Lorb d d Torphichen wite Keepee th hth f o r Records is a small bundle, No. XI in the Catalogue of Templar or Torphichen Writs, containing thirty-three items. The first eight refer to Temple Lands in Linlithgow, Churce relat3 th 3 t Noso o et t Torphichebu f ho 9 . belond twelve nan th o gt e years from the beginning of May 1762 to the end of May 1774. The occasion of all these documents was a Court of Session Case in which Walter, 8th Lord Torphichen, fought John Gillon of Wallhouse for the right to occupy the chief seat in the recently reconstructed parish church. The most important documents for our present purpose are: No. 12 Plans of the old and new Kirk lodged by Lord Torphichen. No. 16 A Narrative in answer to false information emitted by John Gillon. Gillon'2 2 . No s Answersd an , Question3 2 . No Lorn so d Torphichen' seatd ol s , with answers. The plan of the old Kirk (No. 12) shows a rectangular building—the internal r o . ft 0 3 measurement r thereby, o S. o in frod t 6 . an m. , N ft 2 6 s , areW. , o frot . mE thereby; a line of piers divides the building into two sections, one 20 ft. across, the 1 1968 mark octocentenare sth parise th f yho Kir Torphichenf ko earliese th , t referenc churca o et h there bein agreemene gth t thaChapee th t t Torphichea l n shall ranparisa s ka h churc recognisd han t Michael'S e s Linlithgo r Mothehe s wa r Church (St . LibA . 319, Bannatyne Club, 1841) date th whicf , eo generalls hi y accepted as 1168. 2 McGibbo d Rossan n : Ecclesiastical Architecture of Scotland, in, 139 ff. Domestic Castellatedd an Architecturef o Scotland, v, 130 ff. 3 Bodleian Library: Gough Map . 27rf 9 .s3 l67 l68 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , 1966-67 other i o ft. If the plan is exact in detail, the piers are octagonal, measuring 4 ft. intervalsin in6 t e othe. 1thicknessa 5ft t Th . rse featured e dooa an th , e n i rar s . wall . wallS centrN e pulpicentra e ,e th , th th f Lor eo f n i eto d Torphichen's Loft across the W. end of the 20 ft. section and a door and a window in the back of the Loftd threan , e pew grounn so d level e pulpit fronn th i , withid f o tan , e . 10ft nth section. From No. 16 we learn that 'by virtue of these (i.e. Crown Grants) Lord Torphi- chen became sole proprietor of all the edifices he enjoyed as Preceptor. Out of which His Lordship set apart for Public Worship the west part of the old Church. The east side wal Lorf o l d Torphichen's Great Hall serve gabla , throug it r do fo et h which dooa ther s ronle ewa whicth ys entrhwa Loro yt d Torphichen's Loft whics hHi Lordshi Churche pth f erecte o d wes e famild n ha ,th t allenerlten i n d ow i s ys a hi r yfo no entry but through His Lordship's own dwelling house, and was no part of the divisible Kirk.' Later, having described Gillon's determination to build what was virtuall Kirkw documene ne th ,y a t continues, 'all handworo t t pulo kt sse l downa statelf o magnificend w yan ro t pillar arched san greaf so t strength beautifus a d an , l they da y e werasth e finished. Likewis wale eLorth f o l d Torphichen's house pulled down, and a great number of dead were raised and cast in heaps.' From No. 13 we d alreadha y learned that 'In ancient time a magnificen thers wa e t buildinn gi Torphichen, being the residence of the Preceptor, who was chief of the Order of the Knights of St John in Scotland, and which became the Mansion House of the Family of Torphiche manr nfo y years' leare w . n3 Fro 2 tha . mtNo Lord Torphichen claimed that, at the time of the rebuilding, the Heritors, without authority, had taken down the W. gable of the Kirk, which was also the side wall of the Mansion House, and built up the new gable and had encroached 14 in. on the House for making a support bele foth rl housKirke th f e.o Takin evidence gth thesf eo e documents, together witn hplane ca thath e f w ,o t confidently state that the Preceptor had a private house, or apartments, that these e Kirkth f ,immediately o approximatella . W e presene th th site f o yt th o e tn yo vestry of the parish church, and that they probably extended northwards along the furthecloistern e . sidth ca f W e o r W .stat e that whatever elshouse eth e consiste, dof it contained on the first floor a Great Hall, that when this house was erected one of two things happened—either the existing W. gable of the nave was incorporated into house gable w sidtakee s th walne th w r eewa e o ; nwal ne lth buildowa f o ld o t n an serv double eth e purpos providinf eo . gW . sid E bote ehouse e th walhth th d f eo lan navegable thad th f ean ,o t this wall transept. gable ,N th lik e f epierceo s e th wa , y db a window and a door, the door opening presumably on a stairway at the W. end of the nave. These document know s preseni e s th a o sr nt arefa t o writers , onle th , y surviving evidence for the existence of this house, and the only reference to the particular use buildingse pary th mad f an o t f eo , other tha churche nth secone Th . d great contri- bution of Documents No. 12 and No. 16, in which No. 22 (John Gillon's Answers) supports them, is to establish beyond all doubt that for approximately two hundred year parise sth hpre-Reformatio e nave churcth th f es o hwa n church, altered onln yi TORPHICHEN PRECEPTORY 169 r & £s s I- o c s o o o '5 J u I7O PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1966-67 respectso tw beiny b t of) —gfcu (a from those place d buildingsan s which remained the property of Lord Torphichen and (A) by being furnished to meet the needs of Reformed Worship: and further to establish that this section of the pre-Reformation church consisted of a nave approximately 20 ft. wide and, on the south side an aisle approximatel . widyft i o e - nav aisld ean e being divide piea y rdb arcad fouf eo r bays. GilloAnswers hi whay n nhavi e wa w ts n e(No confirmlearne) ow s 22 . hi dn i s from Torphichen about the nave of the pre-Reformation church. He writes, 'This building, which is properly called the Choir, is in reality the only standing part of Greae th t Cathedral which when entireJohn't shap e S bee d th a f f ha ,sne o o Cross. pullew pointno ease o wesd de th tw an tfoundationse dow ar to st e th o nTh t d An . pare th tshor o standin tw sout e t e nortlegd th th ho an s gt i h wit nave h th centrer eo . This like the popish churches at the Reformation still continued to be the place of worship. It appears that the Church lately pulled down had been the west leg of the Cross, whice probabls hth i o t pillarf o t i f w eo s ro fro whicd e m en th fro n e hra m on other.' Ecclesiastical architecture obviously was not his strong subject, and he would like to claim the whole pre-Reformation church for the parish; but he very definitely concede supersedew s no tha Crosse e th thatth d f o dan , t g parisle .
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