Colinton Parish Church is a congregation of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

. The church building is located in Dell Road,

Colinton Colinton ( gd, Baile Cholgain) is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated south-west of the city centre. Up until the late 18th century it appears on maps as Collington. It is bordered by Dreghorn to the south and Craiglockhart to the north ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

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 ...

next to the

Water of Leith The Water of Leith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Uisge Lìte'') is the main river flowing near central Edinburgh, Scotland, and flows into the port of Leith where it flows into the sea via the Firth of Forth. Name The name ''Leith'' may be of Britt ...

History

St Cuthbert's Church, originally called the parish of Hailes, was founded in 1095 by Ethelred, Earl of Fife, son of

King Malcolm III Malcolm III ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, label= Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh; died 13 November 1093) was King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" ("ceann mòr", Gaelic, literally "big head ...

. The church came under the authority of

Dunfermline Abbey Dunfermline Abbey is a Church of Scotland Parish Church in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. The church occupies the site of the ancient chancel and transepts of a large medieval Benedictine abbey, which was sacked in 1560 during the Scottish Reforma ...

and in 1234 this was confirmed in a Papal Bull from Pope Gregory. In 1248 a rebuilt church was dedicated by David De Bernham but is thought to have been destroyed during the English invasion of 1544. The present church site has existed since 1636 and was rebuilt in 1771 and 1907. A church has stood on the site for approximately 1000 years, but the current building was constructed and opened in 1908. Later, a new adjacent church hall was added in the 1990s. The current church was redesigned in 1907-8 by the architect Sydney Mitchell. The church incorporates the tower from the old church, which had been designed by

David Bryce David Bryce FRSE FRIBA RSA (3 April 1803 – 7 May 1876) was a Scottish architect. Life Bryce was born at 5 South College Street in Edinburgh, the son of David Bryce (1763–1816) a grocer with a successful side interest in buildi ...

and built in 1837. The interior has a neo-Byzantine design, with pink sandstone columns. In 2001 the congregation had a roll of 1175 members, making it one of the largest church congregations by membership in the Church of Scotland.Church of Scotland Yearbook 2002-2003,

Ministers

Several former ministers have served as

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

, most recently the Very Reverend Dr

William Bryce Johnston William Bryce Johnston, (16 September 1921 – 22 May 2005) was a Church of Scotland Minister (Christianity), minister, most notably Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1980 until 1981. He was Executive Committee ...

(in 1980). The minister is currently the Rev. Rolf Billes. The previous minister was the Reverend Dr George Whyte, who demitted the charge (resigned) in September 2008 to become Clerk to the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Edinburg

* Peter Hewat MA from 1596 to 1598 * James Thomson MA (d.1635) from 1598 to 1634 * William Ogston MA, formerly regent of

Marischal College Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has acted as the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. However, the building was constructed for and is on long- ...

from 1635 to 1639 * Thomas Garvine from 1639 to 1649 * Alexander Livingston (d.1660) from 1650 to 1659 * Robert Bennet (d.1709) from 1659 to 1681 * Thomas Murray from 1682 to 1685 * Samuel Nimmo MA (d.1717) from 1686 to 1691 * James Thomson from 1694 to 1696 then translated to Elgin * Thomas Paterson from 1697 to 1699 then translated to St Cuthbert's in Edinburgh * Walter Allan MA (d.1732) from 1700 to 1732 * George Gibson (1706-1746) from 1733 to 1746 * John Hyndman from 1746 to 1752 when he translated to St Cuthbert's (Moderator in 1761) * Rev Robert Fisher (1715-1782) from 1752 to 1782 * Rev Prof John Walker FRSE (1731-1803) from 1783 to 1803, Moderator in 1790 * John Fleming of Craigs (1750-1824) from 1804 to 1824 * Rev

Lewis Balfour Lewis Balfour (1777–1860) was a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland. He was a pivotal figure in the family life of Robert Louis Stevenson. Life He was born on 30 August 1777 at Pilrig House between Edinburgh and Leith, the son of ...

(1777-1860) from 1824 to 1860 * Rev William Lockhart DD (1825-1902) from 1861 to 1902, his will paid for the Lockhart Memorial Church in the Grange, Edinburgh * Norman MacLean MA from 1902 to 1910 * Thomas Marjoribanks (1871-1947) from 1910 to 1947, chief of

Clan Marjoribanks Clan Marjoribanks is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. History Origins The story often told of the origins of the surname Marjoribanks, and even supported by respectable authorities, is that Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce ...

* Very Rev William Bryce Johnston (1921-2005) from 1964 to 1991

Notable burials

*Dr

George William Balfour George William Balfour FRSE (2 June 1823 – 9 August 1903) was a Scottish physician, known as a heart specialist. Early life and education Born at the manse of Sorn, Ayrshire, on 2 June 1823, he was the sixth son and eighth of the thirteen c ...

*Rev

(1777-1860) minister of Colinton and

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

's grandfather *Edward Burton (engraver) and his great uncle

Mungo Burton Mungo may refer to: People * Mungo (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Mungo people, an ethnic group in Cameroon Places * Mungo, Angola, a town and municipality * Mungo National Park, Australia * Lake Mungo, Australia ...

ARSA *

Alexander Lorne Campbell Alexander Lorne Campbell (1871–1944) was a Scottish architect, who practised across Scotland. He was founder of the successful firm of Scott & Campbell. Early life He was born in Edinburgh the son of Archibald Campbell, deputy city clerk of ...

architect *Rev Cpt Marcell William Townend Conran, author *

John Gibson (chemist) John Gibson may refer to: Sports * John Gibson (Nottingham cricketer), English cricketer *John Gibson (cricketer, born 1833) (1833–1892), English priest and cricketer * John Gibson (footballer, born 1967), Scottish football player * John Gibson ...

James Gillespie (philanthropist) James Gillespie (1726–1797) was a Scottish snuff and tobacco merchant in Edinburgh in the 18th century. He never married, and upon his death left a fortune with the request that a hospital and school for the poor should be built, now known ...

* Admiral John Inglis *Very Rev

Moderator of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Asse ...

1980-1 *Sir

Matthew Ochterlony Sir Matthew Montgomery Ochterlony FRIBA (28 February 1880 – 4 October 1946) was a 20th century Scottish baronet and architect. He largely received commissions for large villas for monied friends, but in later years did much work for the Ep ...

, 4th baronet Ochterlony and architect, and his daughter, Gertrude Row-Fogo (d.1917 serving as a nurse) *Prof James Scott Robson (1921-2010) *

Ramsay Heatley Traquair Ramsay Heatley Traquair FRSE FRS (30 July 1840 – 22 November 1912) was a Scottish naturalist and palaeontologist who became a leading expert on fossil fish. Traquair trained as a medical doctor, but his thesis was on aspects of fish anatom ...

* Phoebe Traquair (1840-1912) artist

Colinton Cemetery

A cemetery was added in the late 19th century, to the south of the historic graveyard. This area contains the village

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

. A relatively rare Norwegian war grave lies in the southern section towards the centre. The

standing in the centre of the small cemetery, was designed by

Pilkington Jackson Charles d’Orville Pilkington Jackson RSA, FRBS, FRSA (11 October 1887 – 20 September 1973) was a British sculptor prominent in Scotland in the 20th Century. Throughout his career he worked closely with the architect Sir Robert Lorimer. He ...

References

External links