![Cramond Kirk](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Cramond_Kirk.jpg)
Cramond Kirk is a church situated in the middle area
Cramond
Cramond Village (; gd, Cathair Amain) is a village and suburb in the north-west of Edinburgh, Scotland, at the mouth of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth.
The Cramond area has evidence of Mesolithic, Bronze Age and Roman ac ...
parish, in the north west of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, Scotland. Built on the site of an old
Roman fort, parts of the Cramond Kirk building date back to the fourteenth century and the
church tower is considered to be the oldest part.
Next door to the Kirk there is the Manse which has been a home for the Minister of Cramond Kirk for centuries. The existing Manse was constructed in three parts, as extensions were needed to the original building.
History
The pre-Reformation church was dedicated to
St Columba and fell under the control of the Bishop of
Dunkeld
Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...
rather than the much closer religious centres of
Holyrood Abbey or St Cuthberts (both in Edinburgh.
The existing church mainly dates from 1656 but incorporates a 15th-century tower and stands on the site of a medieval church which had become ruinous by 1500. It was used from 1573 onwards. However, it is noteworthy that the said medieval church stood on the site of the temple within the former Roman fort at Cramond. The latter (probably built around 100AD) was abandoned by the Romans around 300AD, however, all evidence would point to the Roman structure surviving and being rededicated to Christian worship at some point. Although not having a claim to "continuous use for Christian worship" it has had broken use as a place of worship for 1900 years making it one of the most significant religious sites in Scotland.
[Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh by Gifford, McWilliam and Walker]
The church was enlarged in 1701, partly to incorporate the Barnton burial vault to the east. A castellated entrance porch was added in 1811 and a major remodelling was undertaken in 1828 by Edinburgh architect
William Burn
William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred ...
. A further remodelling took place in 1851 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 ...
. In 1911 the church was lengthened and most of the internal structures of galleries etc. were rebuilt.
Ministers
*1573 to 1575 - William Cornwall, reader
*1575 to 1577 - George Lundie
*1580 to 1581 - John Spottiswood
*1582 to 1590 - Patrick Simson
*1592 to 1631 - Michael Cranstoun, involved in the
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns ( gd, Aonadh nan Crùintean; sco, Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas dip ...
1606
*1631 to 1632 - William King MA (d.1632)
*1635 to 1639 - William Colvill MA, translated to
Trinity College Church
Trinity College Kirk was a royal collegiate church in Edinburgh, Scotland. The kirk and its adjacent almshouse, Trinity Hospital, were founded in 1460 by Mary of Gueldres in memory of her husband, King James II who had been killed at th ...
*1639 to 1662 - William Dalgleish (1599-1676)
*1663 (briefly) -
John Hamilton of Blair
John Hamilton of Blair (c.1638–1690)was a 17th-century Church of Scotland minister and bishop. He was a descendant of John Hamilton, Archbishop of St Andrews.
Life
He was born the son of John Hamilton of Blair in Fife and his wife Barbara ...
MA translated to
South Leith Parish Church
South Leith Parish Church, originally the Kirk of Our Lady, St Mary, is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. It is the principal church and congregation in Leith, in Edinburgh. Its kirkyard is the burial place for John Home (author of ''Do ...
*1664 to 1666 -
Alexander Young Alexander Young may refer to:
* Alexander Young (bishop) (died 1684), 17th century Scottish prelate
*Alexander Young (engineer) (1833–1910), Scottish engineer and businessman who became a citizen of the Kingdom of Hawaii
*Alexander Young (musicia ...
translated to
St Andrews,
Bishop of Edinburgh
The Bishop of Edinburgh, or sometimes the Lord Bishop of Edinburgh is the ordinary of the Scottish Episcopal Diocese of Edinburgh.
Prior to the Reformation, Edinburgh was part of the Diocese of St Andrews, under the Archbishop of St Andrews ...
in 1671
*1666 to 1674 - David Falconer MA, later Professor of Divinity at
St Andrews University
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
*1675 to 1689 - John Somervill(e) (d.1692)
*1689 to 1692 - John Hamilton MA
*1694 to 1709 -
William Hamilton became Professor of Divinity then Principal of
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted ...
*1712 to 1730 - James Smith, translated to New North (St Giles) in 1730 and Moderator for that year
*1731 to 1736 - Robert Hamilton
*1737 to 1772 -
Gilbert Hamilton DD Moderator in 1768
*1773 to 1776 -
Charles Stuart of Dunearn (1745-1826) son of the
Lord Provost James Stuart of Binend
Sir James Stuart of Binend (1716–1777) was an 18th-century Scottish merchant who was twice Lord Provost of Edinburgh 1764 to 1766 and 1768 to 1770.
Life
He was born on 13 April 1716 the son of Charles Stuart of Dunearn in Fife (1672-1732) ...
and Dunearn
*1776 to 1784 -
Robert Walker
*1785 to 1816 - Archibald Bonar
*1816 to 1843 -
George Muirhead DD (d.1847) left to join the
Free Church of Scotland (as its oldest member)
*1843 to 1877 - Walter Laidlaw Colvin DD (1812-1877)
*1878 to 1887 - George Wilson
*1884 to 1889 - John Webster DD (1827-1903) resigned
*1890 to 1896 - Thomas Martin MA
*1896 to 1907 - Alexander Miller MacLean
*1907 to 1909 - James Alexander Milne (1869-1909)
*1909 to ? - George Gordon Scott
References
Citations
Sources
*
External links
*
{{coords, 55.9777, -3.3000, display=title
Church of Scotland churches in Edinburgh