Kirkcaldy Old Kirk Building

For over 760 years there has been Christian worship on the little hill where our Old Kirk building stands. Dip into its history

• Pre-1500, the Church of St. Brisse (Bryce)
• 1542-1627: Reformation Times in the Old Kirk
• George Gillespie and the Covenanters
• Building Alterations in the 17^th Century
• 1650-1712
• Dissensions in the 18^th Century
• 1795-1828: Repair and Renewal
• 1828: The Collapse of the Gallery 15^th June
• 1837: Cholera and an Early Road Accident
• 1882-1890: Church Improvements
• 1890-1914: Church Growth
• War Memorials and Major Renovations
• The Organ
• The Tower and Bell
• 1632: Kirk Prisoners With the Turks
• Kirkcaldy Old Kirk Ministers

The Old Kirk occupies a medieval town centre site off Kirk Wynd, on a hill overlooking the High Street. In the early days, the High Street was quite a short street with only a few wynds and closes leading down to the shore, and this site would be a most commanding position.

In those early days there were several Culdee establishments in Fife, probably small rude structures accommodating 30 or 40 worshippers, and there is a distinct possibility that such a structure stood at or near the site where our church now stands.

In 1075 AD the foundation charter of Dunfermline Church was granted by King Malcolm III, and amongst the possessions he bestowed on the church was the Shire of Kirkcaladinit, as Kirkcaldy was then known.

In 1240 AD, David, by divine permission, Bishop of St.Andrews, bestowed the Church of Kirkcaldy on the Abbey of Dunfermline, the Abbot and the brethren to provide the Vicars. This David was Bishop David de Bernham, Bishop of St.Andrews from 22 January 1240 until his death in 1253. During the period 1240 to 1249, he carried out the formal consecration of over 140 churches out of some 300 in his diocese which stretched from Berwick-on-Tweed to Deeside in Aberdeenshire. Twenty-eight of these churches were located in Fife. It is unlikely that all these churches had been undedicated prior to this time; possibly knowledge of their dedication was uncertain or lost, but certainly such activity was not merely ceremonial for the Bishop had to assure himself that each church was adequately constructed and properly furnished for church services.

In the National Library of Paris is the Pontificale of Bishop de Bernham of St.Andrews, which is the Service Book he used during the years in the consecration and dedication of the churches of his diocese. Entry No. 119 is Church of Kirkcaldy 21 March 1244. Dr Lockhart of Colinton in his History of the Church of Scotland in the 13th Century writes that churches were dedicated to the name of a saint or saints, and in the case of Kirkcaldy was dedicated to St.Patrick and St.Brisse. We can only speculate as to why these two names were chosen, but one argument in favour of St.Patrick is the fact that something akin to the Links Market may have existed in these days and was held in the spring close to the date of St.Patrick�s Day, 17 March. In olden times the Saint�s day was always a holiday and a market.

But who was St.Brisse or St.Bricius? He was in fact a famous man, a disciple and successor of the great St.Martin, Bishop of Tours. Bricius or Britius was said to be a British youth, who came to Martin of Tours and was converted in the monastery and installed as Martin�s successor as the Bishop of Tours in 397 AD. He subsequently left Tours for about 30 years but returned and governed with great sanctity until his death in 444 AD. Bricius after his death was commemorated in the religious House of Marmoutier. In the 12th century, French monks came to Canterbury and in turn monks from Canterbury were invited to Dunfermline, while immigrant Norman families came to reside in Fife. It is just possible some of them may have come from Marmoutier, and when the new church at Kirkcaldy was built they wished to perpetuate the memory of their Patron Saint St.Brisse. Thus a church building was consecrated on the site on 21 March 1244, and much as we would like to think that our old church tower dates from the 13th century, various historical authorities estimate that the oldest part of the tower is probably of mid-15th-century construction. Within the original church was an altar of St.Katherine. The church remained under control of the Abbey of Dunfermline until 1450, when the whole burgh, harbour, rents and petty customs were ceded to the Kirkcaldy Burgh Magistrates.

Reformation times in the Old Kirk:1542-1627  top

We have no records of the early church in Kirkcaldy until after the Reformation in 1560 when gradually some information can be gleaned from records, including old burgh records, in the latter part of the 16th and early 17th century, until we come to the earliest of the church session records dating from 1614.

Troubled times existed from 1542 following the death of James V, and Mary of Guise the Queen Regent had the support of French troops in Scotland. In 1559 French and English troops were in Kirkcaldy fighting the Scottish Army, but departed in 1560 following the death of the Queen Regent. The Scottish Parliament established the Church of Scotland, and in Kirkcaldy the Vicar of the Parish Church was retired, and George Scott, brother of Thomas Scott, Laird of Abbotshall, was appointed the first Protestant minister of the Old Kirk.

From the time of the Reformation and probably earlier, the Town Council appears to have been responsible for the care and maintenance of the church buildings, which for a number of decades were seriously neglected. The burgh records from time to time refer to the Council ordering the cleaning-out of the church, where the broad aisles were being used by various tradesmen, while for 30 years after the Reformation the Head Court held in the burgh ordered repairs to the kirk and kirk dykes. In 1604 the Council ordered the gathering of money from gentlemen of the Parish (probably the first Heritors) for repairing the kirk, and in 1606 money was to be gathered from the parishioners for the repair of the south aisle. At this period of time there were few seats in the church for the congregation, only a few private seats or �lafts� (gallery seats accessed by small staircases) for the better-off families, and of course the stool of repentance in front of the pulpit, where persons who had committed some offence in the judgement of the kirk session had to sit during the church service and serve their penance.

The first half of the 17th century was an important and developing period in the annals of the Old Kirk. The membership of the congregation was apparently on the increase, because in 1612 the Town Council saw fit to appoint a second minister, namely one John Gillespie known as �the thundering preacher� from Alva, his stipend being paid by the Council. From that date until 1749 the church had the services of two ministers.

In 1625 David Spens, who had been the minister since 15 78, was requested to demit his charge on account of �his gryt age and infirmities� and John Gillespie succeeded him, but occupied the post for only two years till his death in 1627.

About this time the population of Kirkcaldy had grown to about 3,150 and the session ordered that seats should be provided for the congregation, as up to then only the Burgesses and Heritors had seats, while a number of the craft guilds were allowed to build lafts.

The session also at this time placed a restriction on the number of persons to attend a baptism - only six women were allowed - while marriages were to be restricted to ordinary preaching days after the sermon during daylight, so that the couple to be married could be identified. In those days there were only candles to light the church and services often started at 8.00 a.m. The successor to John Gillespie was James Symsone who had originally been appointed to Kennoway, but with the consent of the Bishop of St.Andrews was allowed to come to Kirkcaldy.

George Gillespie and the Covenanters  top

In 1628 Robert Douglas was appointed second minister, but he departed in 1639 to an appointment in Edinburgh and later became one of the principal churchmen of his day, conducting the Coronation service of Charles II at Scone in 1651.

Meantime, his successor to the second charge in 1642 was Patrick Gillespie, younger son of John Gillespie, and he held this post till he left for Glasgow in 1648. He abandoned the cause of the Covenant and became a Remonstrant and chief supporter of Cromwell amongst the Scottish clergy for which he was rewarded by Cromwell, becoming the Principal of Glasgow University. John Gillespie�s other son, George, whose painted portraitis exhibited within our church, was to have a more illustrious career.

The uneasy peace which had existed between King Charles I and the Scottish clergy came to a head in 1637 when he tried to introduce Laud�s Prayer Book to the church services. Under the leadership of Alexander Henderson, minister of Leuchars, this led to the National Covenant signed by nearly all the churches in Scotland in April 1638. Henderson was, amongst others, ably assisted by George Gillespie who had been ordained by the Kirkcaldy Presbytery and inducted to the charge at Wemyss without the permission of the Bishop of St.Andrews. In 1639 General Leslie, an elder in Kirkcaldy Presbytery, was appointed to lead the Scottish Covenanting Army, and George Gillespie and other ministers were appointed to accompany the Army. In 1640 George Gillespie left the Army and he was one of the Commissioners who attended the Westminster Assembly in 1643 to negotiate the Solemn League and Covenant.

He later became Moderator of the General Assembly, but during his period of office died in 1648 at the comparatively young age of 36 years. He was buried in the Old Kirk graveyard on the south side of the church where a memorial stone was erected. Following the Restoration of Charles II, Episcopacy returned to the Church of Scotland and Archbishop Sharp was appointed Archbishop of St.Andrews in 1662. He was responsible for the memorial stone erected in the kirkyard to the memory of George Gillespie being destroyed, but in 1746 another memorial stone which now stands in the south porch of the church was erected by his grandson Mr George Gillespie, minister of Strathmiglo.

As a result of this return to Episcopacy, many Covenanting ministers were deprived of their charges, one being Robert Rule who had been appointed to the second charge at Kirkcaldy.

One of the decisive battles lost by the Covenanters was at Kilsyth in August 1645, where some 200 men from Kirkcaldy were killed and frequent collections were made in the church for the support of the widows and children of the deceased.

Prior to all this Covenanting activity, the Kirk Session was having a purge against witchcraft, and there is a unique series of Session minutes in the latter months of 1633 where one Alison Dick, who had appeared before the session on a number of occasions over a period of some 10 years accused of witchcraft, finally confesses and is proved guilty of witchcraft along with her husband William Coke. She was locked up in the church steeple for some weeks while Mr Robert Douglas, the second minister, went to the Archbishop of St.Andrews with the case proven and got his approval to carry out punishment. The executioner from Culross was sent for and the couple were executed and burnt for witchcraft on the Town Moor on 19 November 1633. A full account of the costs of this execution appear in the Session minutes, half the cost being met by the Session and the other half by the Town Council.

Building alterations 17^th Century  top

But what of the state of the church building itself during this period? Although the town population was increasing and appeared to be prospering with nearly 100 ships based on the harbour, the church building appears to have been in frequent need of repair which was the responsibility of the Town Council and Heritors who seemed to be reluctant to meet their obligation.

In March 1637, the minister and bailies went to Edinburgh to plead with the Lord of Traquair, the Lord High Treasurer, for money to repair the choir and roof. This visit was successful, and later Session minutes refer to the repair of the choir and roof. In June 1642 the Kirk Session decided that the church should be enlarged, and following a meeting of the elders and Heritors, John Milne who was the King�s Master Mason and Master of Works based in Edinburgh, was instructed to widen and extend the north aisle to accommodate an additional 16 rows of seats. They agreed to pay him �3,000, of which �1,000 was in hand, another �1,000 when he begins to lay the stonework, and the third �1,000 after he accomplished the work, to which the Town Council and parish are agreeable to paying this sum.

The Laird of Bogie reported that the Presbyterie would not consent that the monies which were in the kirk box be taken for enlarging the kirk.

The kirk box was where the church funds were kept; the minister had one key and the treasurer the other. At this time the box, which appeared to be checked on an annual basis, was in a healthy state, with bonds for loans to various gentlemen of over 1,000 merks on which the church obtained 10% interest each year, plus 600 merks in cash.

Now that the church was to be enlarged, there were a number of applications for new seats, or the enlargement of seats, My Lord Melville of Raith being the first to be allowed an enlargement of his seat in the new aisle. The work of enlarging the church was completed in the summer of 1644, because in September the Session consented to the enlargement of Lord Melville�s seat to the second pillar in the aisle. Payment for the work was apparently slow because in July 1645, Mr Patrick Gillespie had to speak to the Heritors regarding the renovations of the church.

1650-1712  top

The population of the town, despite the Covenanting wars, was still increasing because in 1649 the Presbytery agreed to an additional church being built in the Parish of Abbotshall. In 1650 Cromwell�s army invaded Scotland and marched into Fife, occupying Kirkcaldy and destroying many ships, while the Town Council�s money which had been sent to Dundee for safety was captured by General Monk. Thereafter for a period of some 30 years the town was impoverished and it was not until the end of the century that prosperity started to return. During this period the Church was mainly Episcopalian; Rev Robert Rule who had been deprived of the second charge in 1662 for his strong Covenanting principles was in 1672 compelled to leave the country by decree of the Privy Council. When toleration was declared in 1687, he along with many other deprived ministers returned to Scotland and was placed in the first charge in the parish church in 1688, replacing the incumbent James Williamson who was a strong Episcopalian.

In the second charge was an equally strong Episcopalian, Ludvic Gordon, who was deprived of his position in 1689 because he would not pray for King William and Queen Mary who had ascended the throne.

We are however indebted to these two gentlemen, as it was due to their efforts that we possess our four oldest Communion cups dated 1685.

In 1703 the Town Council showed their appreciation for the minister John Wilson, working without a colleague, by awarding him an annuity of 500 merks. However, in August 1704, Henry Dall was called by the Magistrates and Councillors to fill the vacant second charge. Later, in August 1708, Mr Wilson received a call to be minister of North Leith Church and, although in June 1709 the Magistrates and Session asked the Presbytery to appoint Mr Dall as first minister, it was not until October 1711 that his appointment was approved by Presbytery.

This early part of the century appeared to be a time of great activity; a major effort was made to put the church minutes and treasurer�s books in order. The funds in the kirk box were checked - an infrequent occurrence - and showed a substantial balance of �365 Scots. An inventory had been made of the church property and silverware, while the old pewter ware was sold by the Treasurer to augment the Poor funds. In those days, the Church collections and seat rents were mainly devoted to making payments to the poor of the parish.

In May 1706, the elders discovered thatthe kirk bell, which had originally been hung in 1553, was broken and it was sent to Edinburgh for recasting, but it was not until May the following year that the bell was returned and rehung. An argument ensued as to whether the Magistrates, the Heritors or the Church would meet the costs. The Town Council at this time appeared to be in financial difficulties and had a loan of 600 merks from the Church, and following the Union of Parliaments in 1707, trading and shipping in the town were badly depressed for a number of years. About the same time, repairs were necessary to the slated roof of the north aisle and choir area and, although a number of craft guilds had erected their own galleries or lafts in the church, there was a considerable waiting list of applicants for seats, including one request in 1714 by Adam Smith, Controller of Customs, father of THE Adam Smith.

In 1708 the Session sought to form a new door in the south wall of the church to give the minister easier access to the pulpit and relieve congestion in the aisle at this area. However this door was to be very close to >George Gillespie�s burial ground and where his monument once stood, and Mr George Gillespie, his grandson and minister in Strathmiglo, refused to give permission. Strangely enough, a few years later, this door was in fact formed in virtually the same place without any consultation.

In September 1715, a new seat was erected in the church for the Magistrates and Councillors, and the Council at their meeting agree that they should go and sit in the seat next Sunday morning - was this the first Kirkin� of the Council?

The Session had been active in school affairs and had drawn up rules for the conduct of the Burgh Grammar School while the elders reported on visits made to some 12 women�s schools in the burgh.

Dissensions in the 18^th century  top

Patronage was reintroduced to the Church of Scotland in 1712 and this was to lead to considerable dissension in the years ahead.

In 1724, in the Kirkcaldy Church, controversy arose over the filling of the first charge when the names of John Drysdale, who had been in the second charge since 1712, and Ebeneezer Erskine of Portmoak were submitted, and eventually the matter went to the General Assembly for decision. After a long delay, Erskine withdrew his name and the Heritors exercised their privilege of patronage and appeared before the Presbytery with a unanimous call for Drysdale who was eventually appointed in February 1726. Mr Erskine and Mr Nairn of Abbotshall Church later became two of the leaders of the Secession between 1733 and 1740.

At about the time of the Jacobite rebellion in 1745, the Secessioners quarrelled amongst themselves about the taking of the Burgess oath and split into Burghers and Anti-Burghers.

The Burghers remained in the Linktown Church which had been built near the site of the present Linktown Church in 1742, while the Anti-Burghers moved into a malt barn at the foot of the Path.

On our own doorstep however in the 1730s, in a hall opposite the kirk stairs in Kirk Wynd, a congregation of Sandemanians, so-called after Mr Sandeman, their founder in Perth, set up what was popularly known as the Kail Kirk because the congregation took lunch together between morning and afternoon services.

In 1754 the minister David Marshall came up with a detailed programme to help the poor. A house was purchased capable of accommodating some twelve poor people, who in return for their board and lodgings did spinning and knitting stockings and other work. This Poors House stood in front of the church adjoining the Old Trades Hall, now the Hendry Hall, and continued in existence until about 1806, when the experiment was abandoned and the building demolished. In 1759, the privilege of having a second minister came to an end. The Town Council had paid the stipend of this charge since 1612, but at this time they were very short of cash and refused to continue any further payments for a second minister.

In 1766, Adam Smith returned to Kirkcaldy to live with his mother and write The Wealth of Nations which was published in 1776.

Repair and Renewal 1795-1828  top

By this time a certain measure of prosperity had returned to the town, particularly in the adjoining parishes of Linktown and Pathhead, but in 1795 according to the Statistical Account the church was in indifferent repair, nor could it be otherwise because neither the Heritors nor the Council over the past 150 years had taken any responsibility for its maintenance. The various Secessions had profoundly weakened the Church of Scotland, and of the Kirkcaldy parish population of 2675, some one-in-four of them were dissenters.

With that background of neglect and indifference, it came as no surprise when it was reported at the Session meeting of 10 December 1805 that �On Saturday last, the day of preparation before the Sacrament when part of the slating of the church roof gave way and fell to the ground with a great noise during the time of Public Worship�.

The state of the roof had previously given cause for concern and now the congregation was thoroughly alarmed; some were afraid to attend Communion and others said they would not attend church again. The Session considered it their duty to report the matter to the Magistrates - as guardians of the safety and welfare of the community - and requested them to put the church in a proper state of repair.

As a result, a meeting of Magistrates and Heritors was called and from then onwards the matter seems to have been in the hands of the Heritors, as there is no further reference in the Session minutes.

About the same time, the Session decided that the Poor House was becoming too expensive to maintain and referred this matter to the Heritors who recommended the Poor House should be sold. The Town Council and Heritors met and decided the old building was beyond repair, and so a plan of a new building was prepared showing the pews which they decided to auction off to the highest bidders in order to raise the funds for a new building.

An Edinburgh firm of architects, J & A Elliot, prepared plans, articles of roup were drawn up by the Town Clerk, and Provost George Morgan was appointed judge of the sale which raised a total of �3,418 on 2 September 1806. Since the estimated cost of the building was �3,000, the Heritors immediately put the work out to tender and this was won by a firm Alexander McFarlane of Perth, for the sum of �2,740, which was almost �1,000 less than two tenders submitted by Kirkcaldy tradesmen.

MeFarlane intimated that he would be ready to start mid-January 1807, and he was given until August 1808 to complete the work. All this time there was no mention of the new church in either the Kirk Session or Presbytery minutes, but other people had been active.

The Masonic Lodge St.Brice had made arrangements for a masonic procession and ceremonial laying of the foundation stone of the New Kirk on Thursday 5 February 1807 and Provost John Ford who had succeeded George Morgan as Provost of the Burgh in September 1806 was hastily inducted a Master Mason on the day before the procession so that he could carry out the stone-laying ceremony. Thus somewhere in the church foundations is a stone enclosing a leaden case which contains a bottle within which are three gold coins, a guinea, a half-guinea and a seven-shilling piece, three silver and three copper coins, an almanac, newspapers and the names of the magistrates and masonic office-bearers.

Also officiating was Rev John Wemyss, Burntisland, Right Worshipful Master of the Lodge, and Rev John Martin. A full account of the ceremony is recorded in a minute of the Masonic Lodge of St.Brice.

At this time the church had no minister as Rev Dr Thomas Fleming (an uncle of Pet Marjory) who had been minister since 1788 had received a call in October 1806 to Lady Yesters Church, Edinburgh, and although the Rev John Martin of Strathmiglo was the person the Magistrates and Heritors wished to fill the vacancy, the formalities were not completed until June 1807, during which period various ministers including Rev John Wemyss had acted as Moderator at Session meetings.

In December 1807, the Session agreed to sell the Poor House to the Heritors for �90 so that a new entrance stair could be provided to the west door of the tower. The congregation appear to have taken occupancy of the new church about the end of October 1808, as a Communion service was held then and payment was made to the beadle of Abbotshall for his services while the congregation attended evening services in Abbotshall Church. The Session at this time had, under severe pressure from the Heritors, reluctantly agreed to purchase seats in the west gallery, behind the Magistrates� seats, at a cost of �205, for the benefit of the poorer parishioners.

The Collapse of the Gallery 15^th June 1828  top

By this time, unfortunately, the builder McFarlane had got into considerable financial difficulties, work on the beams for the galleries had not been properly carried out, and the roof had been poorly slated. A court case and litigation followed which resulted in McFarlane�s bankruptcy, and local contractors had to be called in to complete the work. There would appear to be no doubt that his shoddy workmanship led to the blackest day in the history of the Old Kirk when, on Sunday evening, 15 June 1828, the north gallery of the church collapsed, resulting in the deaths of 28 persons and some 150 people injured.

It was Communion Sunday and the Rev Edward Irving was to conduct the evening service. He had come to Kirkcaldy in 1812 and set up a school in Oswald�s Wynd with the grand name of the Academy. While a schoolmaster, he had also studied for the ministry, and was licensed by Kirkcaldy Presbytery in 1815. He became friendly with Thomas Carlyle, master of the Burgh School in Hill Street from 1816 to 1818 and both men were friendly with Dr Martin, minister of the Parish Church.

After leaving Kirkcaldy, Irving was for two years assistant to the famous preacher Dr Thomas Chalmers, then at St.John�s Church, Glasgow, but left in 1822 to go to the Caledonian Church in London. In 1823 he married Dr Martin�s daughter Isabella, and by 1828 he had become a sensational and fashionable preacher with a new Caledonian Chapel built for his congregation in Regent Square.

He had returned to Scotland not only to preach a series of lectures in Edinburgh during the Assembly, but principally to come to Kirkcaldy to see his wife who was shortly expecting a child, and to be present at the wedding of his sister-in-law at the manse. Irving was to assist Dr Martin at the Communion service and preach in the evening. Curiosity and interest in the now-famous preacher brought out a vast crowd for the evening service. It is said that as the hour of the service approached, a whisper went round the north gallery that Irving was entering the church by the vestry door and all the occupants rose and leaned forward to catch a glimpse of him.

Disaster struck, the beams supporting the gallery were pulled out from their inadequate support in the walls, and a great part of the north gallery collapsed. Panic arose and everyone started to rush from the building; those crowding down the stairs met with those in the passages from the body of the church, with the result that many fell on the stairs and passages and were trampled on or suffocated, so that in addition to two who were killed by the falling beams, a further 26 met their deaths in the panic-stricken stampede.

Amongst the congregation was Dr Thomas Chalmers, then occupying the Chair of Divinity at Edinburgh University, who was visiting his brother Sandy, a surgeon in Kirkcaldy, with whom his wife and children were on holiday.

Dr Sandy Chalmers had to be hoisted out of a window to attend to the seriously injured who were being laid out on the grass and tombstones of the churchyard. Killed by the falling beams was Mrs. Margaret Beveridge, widow of Michael Beveridge, clothier, who had attended with her two young sons who escaped uninjured, and she along with some 10 others who died are buried in the kirk graveyard.

Very full accounts of this tragic event are given in the book by Rev Dr J. Campbell, Church and Parish of Kirkcaldy, and also in a series of articles by Rev John G Sim which appeared in the Fife Free Press from July to November 1967.

Cholera and an Early Road Accident 1837  top

In 1832, the seven ministers of Kirkcaldy Presbytery set aside Thursday 23 February to be a day of humiliation and prayer �to avert the awful pestilence of cholera within the district� and the Session minutes reported that an unusual throng attended both afternoon and evening services. The church burial records for that year showed that from 11 August until 2 November, 37 burials of persons dying from cholera took place in the kirkyard, while in August 1833, Provost William Swan, agent of the Glasgow bank, also died from cholera and is buried in the same burial ground against the north wall of the churchyard as his more illustrious son Patrick Don Swan who was for 30 years Provost of Kirkcaldy. William Swan had been an elder of the Old Kirk since 1813 and the church was a customer of the Glasgow bank.

On 4 September 1837, Dr John Martin, who had been minister since 1807, died as a result of a tragic accident. He had been returning from the opening of a new church in Milton of Balgonie when the horse pulling his carriage bolted in Mid Street near the top of the Path. Dr Martin was thrown from his carriage against a wall and was so badly injured that he died two days later. At the time of his death, he was negotiating with the Town Council for an improvement to Kirk Wynd, which at that time was a street only up as far as the south stair to the church, beyond which it was merely a footpath winding up the hill past the manse.

Disruption

His successor John Alexander was introduced to the congregation on 18 March 1838, but just five years later came the Disruption, and Rev Alexander, eleven of his elders, including Patrick Don Swan who at that time was Provost of the Burgh, and some two-thirds of the congregation, left the Parish Church to form the Free Church, at first in Tolbooth Street and then in 1881 they moved to the new St.Brycedale Church.

It was reckoned that the Parish Church was left with fewer than 200 members. However in September 1843, Rev Mark Bryden was presented by Queen Victoria, with whom the patronage lay, and he commenced the work of rebuilding the congregation which continued throughout his ministry which lasted till 1880. During that time, in 1844, gas lighting was introduced to the Church and in 1855 coal-fired heating stoves were installed in the alcoves on each side of the church.

As the Church slowly recovered from the effects of the Disruption, the congregation gradually increased in numbers so that by 1871 when the Census population of Kirkcaldy Parish was 6,994, comprising 3,080 males and 3,914 females, the numbers on the Communion Roll in July 1871 totalled 709, being 240 males and 469 females. From this period onwards until the end of the 19th century, a lot seems to have happened in the development of the church. In 1875, there was a proposal to make improvements to the western approach to the church; the Presbytery took over responsibility and a plan was produced in 1876 which necessitated taking part of the manse garden to allow the new access driveway to be formed. The work was completed early in 1877 and, presumably at that time, the new staircase which had been formed in 1808 leading to the west tower door was built up.

In 1880, Rev Mark J Bryden died. He had been minister since 4 September 1843 following the Disruption, and his successor Rev John Campbell, appointed in April 1881, was the first Old Kirk minister to be appointed by the wishes of the congregation following the repeal of Patronage by the Act of 1874.

Church Improvements1882-87  top

In 1882, it was decided to prepare a scheme for the better heating and ventilation of the church. The following year, it was agreed to have an organ and eventually in November 1883 an Organ Improvement Committee was formed to carry the proposals through. In January 1884, sketch plans were submitted for proposed memorial windows by relatives of the late James Russell, writer and banker, who had died in 1877, and the minister submitted the plans for the new organ, new pulpit, heating system and other alterations. All the plans were submitted to the Heritors for their approval.

Some time between October 1884 and October 1885, the installation of the new heating system, pulpit and organ took place and, although no definite date appeared in the Session minutes, a very full account of the church improvements and the installation of an organ by the famous organ-builder, August Gern of London, was given in the local newspapers over the period August to October 1885. An inaugural organ recital by Joseph Bradley, organist with the Hall� orchestra, took place on Friday 1 October 1885. It had been intended that the Russell memorial windows, designed by a well-known stained-glass artist, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, would be introduced while the alterations were going on, but delays occurred and the two windows were not fitted into the east gable of the church until September 1886, replacing the old stained-glass windows which had been there since 1839. These old windows in turn were introduced into the west gable of the church.

In January 1886, Mr Campbell used at baptism a carved stone font, the work of Mr Galloway, a local sculptor - and the gift of the children of the congregation. This font now stands in the entrance vestibule of the church. The following year, Thomas Dodds, Session Clerk, donated a handsome carved oak Communion table, proof of his own artistic skill with wood.

The year 1888 saw the Session obtaining a three-year lease from John Hunter of his hall and adjoining rooms in Kirk Wynd, for use by the various church organisations.

In October 1889, there was only one surviving member of the Incorporation of Wrights and Masons who owned the Old Trades Hall next to the church stairs. Daniel Hendry of Forth Park, who along with Messrs Whyte and Strachan owned the National Floorcloth Works at the top of Carlyle Road, acquired the building and on the site built the Hendry Hall consisting of a Session House on the upper floor and a house on the ground floor for the beadle, which he donated to the church. The new hall was completed by the end of 1890 and inaugurated on 4 February 1891 by a meeting of Kirkcaldy Presbytery.

For the Communion service in November 1891, John Hunter donated four silver cups suitably inscribed as a memorial to his father and mother. His father William Hunter had been an elder from 1844 to 1862.

Thus in the short period of some five years, the church had been modernised internally, considerably enhanced with an organ,new stained-glass windows, a Communion table and new silver Communion cups and a baptismal font, while for organisational purposes the Hunter Hall had been leased and the Hendry Hall donated to the Session. However the Session were looking after their �bawbees� and two second-hand safes were acquired and installed in the tower, one to hold the minute-books and documents, the other to hold the church baptismal and Communion silver.

Church Growth 1890-1914  top

In 1893, 50 years after the Disruption, the Session invited the congregation of St.Brycedale Free Church to worship in the Parish Church while they were installing an organ and having some alterations carried out. By this time the town had grown north of the railway line and, over the next few years, a Church Extension Committee was involved in seeking a suitable site for a new church, from Mr Oswald of Dunnikier. Mr Campbell arranged for weekly services to be held in the hall of Caledonian Linen Mills in 1899 and these continued until our new daughter church, St.John�s, was opened in 1908.

In 1901 the original Kirk Wynd stairs were in need of repair and, after a protracted argument between the Heritors and the Session on the responsibility for costs, the work was eventually carried out in 1902, with the Session getting off with payment of one-third of the costs. By now, further repairs were required for both church and manse, and the Session having no money declined the invitation of the Heritors to bear part of the expense.

However, by February 1904, the work could be delayed no longer and it was decided to hold a sale of work to raise funds for cleaning and improving the church, installing electric light and replacing some of the organ pipes which had become dangerous. It was as part of this fund-raising exercise that the minister, the Rev John Campbell, produced his book, Church and Parish of Kirkcaldy, to which we are indebted for much of the historic information contained in this narrative. The church repair work was carried out in the months of July and August, during which time St.Brycedale graciously offered the use of their church for morning and evening worship, the church being re-dedicated on 2 October 1904.

The following year, Dr Mackay, the Town Medical Officer, declared the church officer�s house in the ground floor of the Hendry Hall to be so damp as to be unfit for human habitation, so he was re-housed and the house was converted into a small committee room in 1906.

In 1908 the ladies� work party held a sale of work to pay for improvements to the Hendry Hall, including the introduction of electric light.

War Memorials and Major Renovations  top

In 1920, following the Great War of 1914-18, the entrance vestibule of the church was clad in oak-panelling as a memorial of the men of the congregation who fell in the war. It contains the names of 43 members who gave their lives during the war. Following the 1939-45 war, the names of 21 members were added to this war memorial.

In October 1929, a memorable service was held in Kirkcaldy Old Parish Church when the Presbyteries of the Established and United Free Churches were joined in union. The service, attended by the Provost, Magistrates and members of the two Presbyteries, met at the church gate and proceeded in double file into the church. The service was conducted by Dr Fairweather, Minister Emeritus of Dunnikier Church, and Moderator Elect of the combined Presbyteries.

In 1961 a new Session House was added at the east end of the church, thanks to a legacy from the late Miss Georgina Little, and a plaque to her memory is on the wall of the Session House. In the same year, a decision was taken to renovate the church, and a fund-raising sale of work in the Adam Smith Halls in October 1962 raised what was at that time the outstanding sum of over �2,000 towards the cost of the renovations.

In 1964, because of a burst water tank above the organ loft, a further �3,000 was added to the renovation costs in having the organ repaired.

In 1968, the renovations of the interior of the church were completed after a year�s work, at a cost of some �25,000. The old horseshoe gallery was removed, the chancel area considerably enlarged to accommodate musical and drama productions, and the seating capacity reduced to about 450. A new pulpit, communion table and font have been provided and the organ console relocated.

The re-dedication service was conducted by the Rev Henry C Whitley, PhD DD, minister of the High Church of St.Giles, Edinburgh, and former Moderator of the General Assembly, on Sunday 30 June 1968.

On 6 May 1973, the last Kirkin� of Kirkcaldy Town Council, led by Provost John B Kay, took place. This had been a tradition for many years following the election of the new Council, and so the very close links between the Magistrates, Burgh Council and the Old Kirk which had existed certainly from the time of the Reformation in 1560 were finally broken due to the impending local government reorganisation.

On 21 July 1986, the church was extensively damaged internally by a fire started by vandals who had broken into the church early on Monday morning. The heat was so intense that several of the church organ pipes melted, while the leadwork and glass of the two oldest stained-glass windows in the west gable were damaged to such an extent that both windows required replacement.

A year later, on 14 June 1987, following the repair and refurbishment of the fire-damaged church at a cost of some �150,000, the re-dedication service was conducted by Rev John G Sim, MA, who had served the church for 27 years and who, due to ill-health, retired on 30 June 1987 after 42 years in the ministry.

On 19 June 1988, the introductory service was held for the new minister, Rev John Ferguson, BD, and both he and the congregation were pleased to welcome back Rev John Sim on 11 September 1988 to carry out the dedication service for the new stained-glass windows replacing those damaged in the fire. The windows commemorate the restoration of the church building following the fire and are the work of John Clark, a Scottish stained-glass artist.

The congregation of the Old Kirk has shown extreme resilience during the long history of the church, and this has been particularly the case during the past eventful and traumatic 30 years. This short guide has been prepared for the benefit of church members and visitors alike to provide information about the long and chequered history of this church and to mark the momentous celebration in 1994 of 750 years� worship on this sacred site since 21 March 1244.

THE CHURCH ORGAN top

Part of the improvement to the church carried out during the summer of 1885 was the provision of a church organ. The organ was built and installed by August Gern of London. He was a Frenchman who came to Britain to build one organ and stayed on to build many more, only about ten of which were built in Scotland. The organ, which was constructed on a new tubular pneumatic system blown by a new patent hydraulic engine, is contained in a handsome case situated behind the pulpit, while the console is located within the body of the church.

In 1885, the church was being equipped with a new oak pulpit which had to be brought forward to allow the organ to be located behind it and between theBurne-Jones memorial windows.

The organ was inaugurated on Friday 2 October 1885 with a recital by Mr Joseph Bradley, organist with the Hall� orchestra in Manchester. The large audience included representatives from the Presbytery, the Provost, Magistrates and Councillors, and prominent businessmen of the town and their ladies.

The organ during its lifetime has had an unfortunate history of defects and repairs. In 1889, the organ engine had to be replaced and in 1896 Mr Grant, a church elder, had to raise with Mr Gern the question of organ repairs when he visited London. The repairs were duly completed in 1897 which necessitated a new engine being fitted at a cost of �200.

However, in December 1898, the organ was seriously damaged by damp penetration of the east gable during a severe storm which required expensive repair work on the organ in 1899.

In 1903, the Session had to meet Mr Gern regarding the dangerous condition of the centre tier of organ pipes and, in 1904, during improvements to the church including the installation of electric light, the dangerous organ pipes were replaced.

In 1907, Mr Gern, while re-tuning the organ, reported a defect in the blowing action which was repaired, and in 1911 new organ machinery had to be installed. In 1963, just when church renovations were under consideration, a burst water tank flooded the organ chamber and it cost �3,000 to have the organ rebuilt by Jardine & Co, Manchester.

During the renovations of the church in 1968, the organ console was moved to the side of the church, its present location.

Finally, during the fire in 1986, several of the organ pipes were melted due to the intense heat and the organ was damaged to such an extent that it cost around �17,000 to repair by Messrs Rushford & Draper, organ builders, who for insurance purposes valued the church organ at �175,000. It is considered by organists to be one of the best instruments in the district.

THE TOWER AND BELL  top

The tower is all that remains of the pre-Reformation church and was probably built in the mid or late 15th century. An architectural description states that it is of middle or second pointed period, of rough ashlar sandstone blocks divided in two stages by a slight string course, rectangular in shape, measuring 28 feet by 24 feet, the lower walls being five feet thick. A plan shows the height to the top of the parapet wall as 55 feet, and the overall height to the roof of the bell tower as 66 feet.

Inside the tower a stone stair leads from the ground floor to a room on the first floor, which was formerly the Magistrates� robing room, with a door which gave access to their special pews in the post-1807 church. This door now gives access to the small balcony over the entrance vestibule. It is from this first floor level that the church bell is tolled by means of a bell rope. A wooden stair leads to a second floor level and the start of a stone newel stair, built within the south-west corner of the church tower, leading up to the parapet walkway which surrounds the bell tower. It is from this walkway that the church choir have traditionally �sung in� the May morning over very many years.

The original church bell which was made in 1553 and weighed 28 stone 11 pounds (403 pounds or 183kg), is our oldest church possession. In May 1706 the elders reported that the kirk bell was broken, so it was taken down and transported over to Edinburgh by William Baxter who had arranged with Patrick Kilgour, watchmaker and founder at the Abbey of Holyrood House, to recast the bell to a weight not exceeding 500 pounds. Eventually, after Kilgour had to be threatened with a fine of �100 Scots, the bell was returned and rehung in May 1707 and Kilgour was paid �402.10s.8d Scots for his labours, which on the basis of the price agreement would mean the bell now weighed some 620 pounds (281kg) The tongue of the bell had been hung in leather, and to make it ring better William Baxter was instructed to have a new tongue made of iron. At last, in December 1707, a new six-pound (3kg) iron tongue was fitted to the bell. This bell continued to give good service until the occasion of the King�s birthday in November 1754 when the bell met with an accident which was never adequately explained by the beadle.

Mr John Milne, founder in Edinburgh, was recommended to the Session and it was agreed with Milne to recast a considerably larger bell of between 950 pounds and 1,000 pounds in weight. In May 1755, when the Kirk Session representative returned with the new bell weighing only 887 pounds (403kg), the Session was disposed to reject it as being too small to be heard throughout the parish. The founder maintained he had fulfilled his contract, as the suggested weight of 1,000 pounds had been conveyed to him only as an afterthought, after the recasting work had made considerable progress. He discussed with the Session the possibility of a new contract to make a bell of between 1,200 and 1,400 pounds but agreement could not be reached on the allowance to be made for the bell which had been received.

Finally it was decided to keep this bell and, in order to make it effective, to heighten the bell-tower by adding on the present box-like structure. This structure was described by Rev Thomas Fleming, a former minister, in the Statistical Account of Scotland of 1799, as being raised above the original height of the tower by the addition of a smaller and very disproportionate tower terminating in a pyramid. One has to go to the Heritors� records following the collapse of the gallery to find any further reference to the condition of the church tower.

In 1831 the belfry roof was reported to be dangerous, and a temporary repair with sarking and new slates was carried out. An architect was instructed to provide a plan and specification for a permanent improvement. In January 1833, a plan was submitted for a two-floor addition built of Cullalo stone on top of the existing tower with a lead-covered turret. The building contractors, on examining the foundations of the tower, considered them to be too shallow and narrow to bear this additional weight. It was decided then to build a completely new tower; a plan was produced and a public meeting approved the plans subject to whether the necessary funds could be raised by public subscription, to which the Town Council were prepared to contribute �150. Unfortunately the response to the public subscription fell short of the sum required and the matter seems to have been dropped until 1836 when it was reported that the temporary roof on the tower was unsafe.

In September 1836, Mr Angus, architect, submitted a modified plan which would cost more than the sum subscribed, and in October 1836 an estimate was submitted by William Leslie for repairing the spire and heightening it by 30 feet so as to put it in a state similar to what it formerly was, at a cost of �333 if covered in lead or �230 if covered in slates. This apparently proved too costly for the Heritors and eventually in May 1838 Provost Ferrier reported that the steeple had been put in a state of safety. Further repairs were reported in 1843 and 1861, and it is assumed that at this stage the belfry roof was flat, as a painting exists in the art gallery dated approximately 1860 of the Old Kirk Tower with a flat roof.

In 1857 there was a report of the clock falling off the tower, and it is estimated that the clock dates back to 1833, although there is a Session minute of 3 August 1708 agreeing to pay Francis Henderson �20 Scots to paint the �dyall of the kirk clock�. On 20 December 1900, a severe storm caused serious damage to the parish church. The roof of the tower, consisting of joisting and flooring covered with zinc estimated to weigh about five tons, was lifted off by the wind and blown along the roof of the church, displacing 40 square yards of slates, destroying one of the east stone pinnacles and about 20 linear feet of crow-stepped cornice, which fell into the graveyard, damaging a number of stones. It is recorded that this is the second occasion within 40 years that the roof of the tower had been carried away by the wind. Because the roof was considered to be too light to resist the pressure of wind blowing up through the belfry, it was recommended that the tower should be roofed with four iron beams 6 inches by four and covered with concrete 9 inches thick. After some discussion at a Heritors� meeting in March 1901, it was agreed to carry out this work. They had to bear the full cost as a letter to the Session in October 1902 evoked a response that �the Session regret they cannot see their way to contribute�. In December 1915, the church bell was found to have a crack at the point where the hammer strikes the bell, and Messrs J C Wilson, Gorbals Bell Foundry, Glasgow, reported that the bell would need to be recast. The bell was duly taken down and dispatched to Glasgow, but because this firm was heavily engaged in war work it was not until January 1917 that the bell was recast and rehung at a cost of �30.19s.

Late in 1949 there was a report of deterioration in the belfry timbers, and it was decided to remove all existing timber, struts, supporting beams and flooring and replace them with steel girders and a concrete servicing platform. In March 1950, having consulted Messrs Taylor & Co, bell-founders, Loughborough, it was found that the bell required to be fitted with new swinging mechanism and decided to recast the bell at its present weight would improve the tone. In December 1950 when the bell was returned and rehung, it was found to be ringing a tone higher and could not be heard over the same distance as previously. However, after some consultation and adjustments to the height at which the bell was hung, the bell-founders� account of �135.10s was paid. Mr Lewis Grant, convener of the works committee, had at his own expense arranged for all the construction work and the takingdown, transportation and rehanging of the bell.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  top

The original brochure was produced to mark 750 years of worship and witness in Kirkcaldy Old Parish Church. Kirkcaldy Old has a rich and varied history and has come through many challenges. The anniversary is not only about the past, but is concerned with a future and is celebrated in the hope that we will continue to move forward in the years to come in the service of Jesus Christ. In so doing, we can gain inspiration from those who have gone before us.

I am deeply indebted to Mr John Irvine who carried out the research and wrote the narrative. I would also like to thank Mr Ian McLeod who took the present-day photographs and Mrs Ella Ritchie who typed the manuscript. The original brochure was sponsored by Scottish Power and the Clydesdale Bank and the paper for it was very kindly donated by Tullis Russell.

I hope that you enjoyed reading our story and that you will have discovered something new about Kirkcaldy and the church which has witnessed to Jesus Christ for 750 years.

Rev John A. Ferguson

July 1993

1632: Kirk Prisoners With the Turks  top

�Prisoners With The Turks� (and Spaniards)

On 5 April 1632, there is an entry in the records of the Church of Kirkcaldy, about ALEXANDER LATHRICE and DAVID KIRKCALDIE, of Kinghorn. They had been taken prisoner by the Turks in 1621 and forced to row as galley slaves. After 3 years on the Turkish galleys, they were captured by Spaniards, but this made no difference � they continued as galley slaves.

The Church records of 22 June 1632 state:

�A pitiful letter from David Kirkcaldie was read out to the Ministers. They all thought that they must try to do something to persuade the Spaniards to get the two men free.�

It was a short letter but very much to the point.

�Honoured Sirs

I languish here in a galley cruelly treated by the evil Spaniards. Please help me. I have been a good Christian.

Your Obedient Servant

It was agreed that money should be raised to help with the release of the two men.

On 5 July 1632, we know that MICHAEL LATHRICE, father of Alexander, reminded the ministers about the collection. The ministers promised to do something about it.

On 9 August 1632 Michael, who was from Dysart, spoke again to the ministers and again the ministers promised to do something.

On 23 August 1632 Michael begged the ministers to hurry with the collection and this time they promised to do something very soon, even making a special note.

n 27 September 1632, THOMAS BIGGAR, told the ministers that an Edinburgh merchant, ROBERT SANDELANDS was going to Spain and North Africa. Sandelands promised to find the prisoners and pay the Spaniards to let them go. This was approved by the ministers.

In October 1632, the ministers promised that all money collected for Alexander and David will be used to help them get free or for their use when they get home.

This is the end of the matter for 2 years and there is no mention in the Kirkcaldy Church records until on 10 July 1634, the matter reappears, thanks to a request from DAVID LEITCH, minister of Dundrennan in Galloway, asking the Kirkcaldy ministers for financial help after his house burned down. He is told it has to wait until the matter of Lathrice and Kirkcaldie is dealt with.

On 21 August 1634, the churches around Kirkcaldy promised to collect �16.00 to help free the two men and by September 1634 it was decided how much each church should pay. Money at last began to be collected and on 26 May 1636, Thomas Biggar told the ministers how the money had been spent on the release of Alexander Lathrice and David Kirkcaldie.

We do know the Spaniards released the two men, but we do not know whether they ever returned to Kirkcaldy.

It is interesting to note that at this time, there were a number of Kirkcaldy men �Prisoners with the Turks� and that collections were also made for them.

Information from: �Presbytrie Book of Kirkcaldy�

 top

The second charge was suppressed in 1749 because the Town Council refused to continue paying the stipend