Polwarth Parish Church was a member church ( sco, kirk) 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 ...

before closing in 2004. It is situated atop a mound off a minor road leading from the A6105,

Greenlaw Greenlaw is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish situated in the foothills of the Lammermuir Hills on Blackadder Water at the junction of the A697 and the A6105 in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. At the 2001 United Kingd ...

Duns Duns may refer to: * Duns, Scottish Borders, a town in Berwickshire, Scotland ** Duns railway station ** Duns F.C., a football club ** Duns RFC, a rugby football club ** Battle of Duns, an engagement fought in 1372 * Duns Scotus ( 1265/66–1308 ...

road in the old county of

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of t ...

, now privately owned by the Letts family who live in the adjacent Polwarth Manse and is available for weddings. It lies south–west of Duns and east of Greenlaw at .

History

The origins of the kirk are somewhat vague though a plaque in the church buildings claims there was a church dedicated at

Polwarth, Scottish Borders Polwarth ( sco, Polart) is a village and parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is located at , between Greenlaw and Duns, in the former county of Berwickshire. Other places nearby include the Blackadder Water, Fogo, Langston, L ...

by 900AD. Unfortunately there are no records to substantiate that claim. The first records of the church comes in 1242AD when

David de Bernham David de Bernham (died 1253) was Chamberlain of King Alexander II of Scotland and subsequently, Bishop of St Andrews. He was elected to the see in June 1239, and finally consecrated, after some difficulties, in January 1240. He died at Nentho ...

bishop of St. Andrews The Bishop of St. Andrews ( gd, Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn, sco, Beeshop o Saunt Andras) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews ( gd, Àrd-easbaig ...

, consecrated the church and dedicated to St. Kentigern. ( St. Mungo) In 1296, Adam Lamb was the Parson at the 'church of Paulesworth' when he swore fealty to King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vas ...

Berwick upon Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

. Three years later Edward presented William de Sandynstone to the living at Polwarth. The church of Polwarth was said to be in a ruinous state by 1378 but John de St. Clair of Herdmanstoun in East Lothian, a son–in–law of Sir Patrick Hume of Marchmont, came to the rescue and provided the means of re–building the church.

Post–Reformation

In 1567, Adam Hume, 3rd son of the 4th Baron of Polwarth was the first rector at the church after the

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process by which Scotland broke with the Papacy and developed a predominantly Calvinist national Kirk (church), which was strongly Presbyterian in its outlook. It was part of the wider European Protestant Refor ...

. by Robson, James Later, in 1683, Sir Patrick Hume was implicated in the

Rye House Plot The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne) James, Duke of York. The royal party went from Westminster to Newmarket to see horse races and were expected to make the ...

and he hid for four weeks in the crypt at Polwarth Church to escape detection. His daughter, Grizel, later

Lady Grizel Baillie Lady Grizel Baillie, ''née'' Hume, (25 December 1665 – 6 December 1746) was a Scottish gentlewoman and songwriter. Her accounting ledgers, in which she kept details about her household for more than 50 years, provide information about soci ...

took him food during his self-imposed imprisonment. The church was virtually rebuilt in 1703 on the same site as the previous churches and contains parts of the earlier buildings. Polwarth Kirk is protected as a

category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * ...

: "Prominently sited, well-detailed and surprisingly intact, Polwarth Church remains one of the most significant buildings in the parish and indeed, within Scotland as a whole". The church is built of

rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionar ...

below a slated roof. The 'T' shape building is highlighted by a four–stage tower, and the interior was extensively renovated in the 20th century. The church also contains the Marchmont family crypt which can be seen through a grille at the bottom of the east wall.

List of post–Reformation ministers

*1567 Adam Hume *1593 Alexander Gaittis *1604 Alexander Cass *1652 David Robertson *1664 George Holiwell

References

External links

More photographs
{{Coord, 55.7382, -2.3997, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Churches in the Scottish Borders Category A listed buildings in the Scottish Borders Churches in Berwickshire

History

Post–Reformation

List of post–Reformation ministers

See also

References

External links