The Alloway Auld Kirk, which dates back to the 16th Century, is a ruin in

Alloway Alloway ( gd, Allmhaigh, ) is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland, located on the River Doon. It is best known as the birthplace of Robert Burns and the setting for his poem "Tam o' Shanter". Tobias Bachope, the mason responsible for the cons ...

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 June 2 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, celebrated as the scene of the witches' dance in the poem " Tam o' Shanter" by

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

Robert Burns

William Burnes William Burnes or William Burness (11 November 1721 – 13 February 1784) was the father of the poet Robert Burns. He was born at either Upper Kinmonth or Clochnahill Farm, Dunnottar, Kincardineshire, and trained as a gardener at Inverugie Cast ...

, father of the poet, is buried in the graveyard together with his wife Agnes and daughter

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

as well as two of his nieces. Alloway was where he and his wife had first raised their family before moving to Mount Oliphant and Lochlea, and William had attempted to maintain the grounds of the Kirk, which was already a ruin at the time. The original memorial stone has eroded and the present day stone differs in wording, memorializing both of Burns's parents, and includes an epitaph the poet wrote for his father. Burns's sister, Isabella Burns Begg, is also buried in the Kirkyard, along with other notable figures such as David Cathcart, Lord Alloway. Robert Burns presented his friend John Richmond with a silver mounted snuffbox made with wood taken from the rafters of the Auld Alloway Kirk. The snuffbox bears the inscription; A David Auld removed the remaining rafters and used them to make chairs and other souvenirs, making a considerable profit from the sales.

Restoration and conservation

Following restoration work, the Kirk and graveyard were reopened to the public by Scottish First Minister

Alex Salmond Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (; born 31 December 1954) is a Scottish politician and economist who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure on the Scottish nationalist movement, he has served as leader ...

in April 2008. The church itself is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

and the churchyard a Category B listed building.

References

External links

Alloway Parish ChurchView of Alloway Kirk and surrounding CemeteryChurch Graves photoVideo footage of St Mungo's Holy Well, Alloway, AyrshireVideo footage of the kirk and some insights into the Tam o' Shanter poemThe Masonic Friendship that created Tam O’Shanter
Churches in South Ayrshire Church of Scotland churches in Scotland Category A listed buildings in South Ayrshire Listed churches in Scotland Robert Burns Scheduled Ancient Monuments in South Ayrshire Buildings and structures in Ayr {{Scotland-church-stub

Robert Burns

Restoration and conservation

See also

References

External links