Glenorchy 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 Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

in the village of Dalmally,

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...

, Scotland. It is the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Glenorchy and

Inishail Inishail (alternate Inchald) is an island and former parish,Wilson, Rev. John ''The Gazetteer of Scotland'' (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone in Loch Awe, Scotland. Geography The island lies at the north end of the loch in the co ...

. The church is also known as Glenorchy Kirk, and was historically known as the Church of Dysart ( gd, Clachan Diseart). There have been many alternate spellings, including "Dysert", "Disart", "Glenwrquha", "Glenvrquha", "Glenvrquhay", "Clachandysert", "Clachan Disert, "Claghan-Diseirt" and "Dysart and Glenurquhie". The octagonal church building dates from the early 19th century. It is protected as a Category A listed building, and is also notable for its burial ground and grave slabs. The old churchyard which surrounds the parish church contains some ancient gravestones of the clan, and the gallows-hill of Glenorchy is famed in Highland tradition as a place of execution.

Geography

The church was built upon an islet formed by the

River Orchy The River Orchy ( gd, Urchaidh / Abhainn Urchaidh) is a river that passes through the village of Dalmally, Argyll in the Scottish Highlands, West Highlands of Scotland. It rises in the Black Mount Forest, and flows southerly, passing through Loc ...

. It is situated within Dalmally in western Scotland, which is near the A85 road and is served by

Dalmally railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Dalmally_Station,_Oban_Branch_-_view_of_station_buildings,_etc.jpg , caption = Dalmally station building , borough = Dalmally, Argyll and ...

. Opposite the church is the

Gallow Hill of Glenorchy A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...

, which is reputed in

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

tradition to have been the location of

summary execution A summary execution is an execution in which a person is accused of a crime and immediately killed without the benefit of a full and fair trial. Executions as the result of summary justice (such as a drumhead court-martial) are sometimes include ...

s when the

Macgregors Clan Gregor, also known as Clan MacGregor, () is a Highland Scottish clan that claims an origin in the early 9th century. The clan's most famous member is Rob Roy MacGregor of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The Clan is also known to hav ...

controlled the region. Near the church is the well of

Saint Conan Saint Conan (; 7th century – January 684) was a bishop of the Isle of Man and an Irish missionary. Life Conan is not to be confused with St Conindrius (died 17 November 560), who is said to have been a disciple of St Patrick, Saint Patrick, a ...

, known locally as a holy well.

Glenorchy parish

The parish of Glenorchy lies between

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

to the east, and

Lochawe Loch Awe (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Obha'') is a large body of freshwater in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It has also given its name to a village on its banks, variously known as Loch Awe or Lochawe. There are islands within the loch such ...

and Loch Etive to the west. It was formed in 1618 when the parishes of Glenorchy and

were united. The two parishes were subsequently separated in 1660, but were reunited by the Rescissory Act 1661. The principal valleys in Glenorchy parish are Glenstrae, Glen Orchy and

Glen Lochay Glen Lochay ( gd, Gleann Lòchaidh) is in Perthshire, Scotland through which the River Lochay runs eastward towards Loch Tay, joining the River Dochart at Killin. Glen Lochay is about long, running from a point north of Crianlarich Crianlari ...

. Near the centre of the parish is

Loch Tulla Loch Tulla ( gd, Loch Toilbhe ) is a small loch at near Bridge of Orchy and Glen Coe in Scotland and in the central highlands. It contains salmon some of which are bred locally. The loch is 2.5 miles in length and an average 0.5 miles in width, w ...

, with

Loch Lydon ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots and Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is cognate with the Manx lough, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh words for lake, llwch. In English English and Hiberno-English, the anglicised spelling ...

to the north and

Loch Awe Loch Awe (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Obha'') is a large body of freshwater in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It has also given its name to a village on its banks, variously known as Loch Awe or Lochawe. There are islands within the loch such ...

to the south.

History

The church is recorded in 1390, with mention of the mountain chief, Iain Macgregor of Glenorchy (d. 1390), 2nd Chief of Clan Gregor, who was reported to have been buried on the north side of the High Altar in Dysart, at the old Church of Glenorchy. Records from 1449, 1498, and 1523 mention the church or the parish. In 1854, Anderson et al. stated that in the early 16th century the church "seems to have had" an altar called the High Altar of Glensthray (Glenstrae). In 1586, the church was described as being "on a certain island naturally formed and surrounded by the water of Vrquhay". In 1614, Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenvrquhay paid for a nineteen-year lease for the church. In 1616, he paid another sum for the use of the church's parsonage and vicarage. In 1629, N. Cameroune was vicar of Dysart. Eight years later, Archibald Campbell of Kilmun assigned to Archibald Lord Lorne a lease of Dysart in Glenurchay, which had been granted him by Duncan Campbell, provost of Kilmun. According to Pennant in 1769, the church was described as being situated on a large isle formed by the river. The present church was constructed in 1811. It was designed by James Elliot of

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 ...

; in 1860, the older church was still standing in the vicinity of the newer one. Although it was away, it was the closest church to

Duncan Ban MacIntyre Donnchadh Bàn Mac an t-Saoir, anglicized as ''Duncan Ban MacIntyre'' (20 March 1724 – 14 May 1812), was one of the most renowned of Scottish Gaelic poets. He formed an integral part of one of the golden ages of Gaelic poetry in Scotland d ...

, the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

poet.

Church building

The octagonal church building is of

Gothic design Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries i ...

. It is finished with an eight-sided pyramidal slate roof and adjoined by a square Gothic tower. Several of the church's pointed windows were restored in 2008.

Grounds

The churchyard was the burying place of the Macgregors. Also in the church's burial ground are late medieval grave slabs that are embellished with figures of armed warriors and emblematical devices that are said to have been brought from

References

* ''This article includes text incorporated from Bannatyne Club's "Publications" (1854), a publication now in the public domain.'' * ''This article includes text incorporated from A. Black & C. Black's "Black's guide to Scotland" (1902), a publication now in the public domain.'' * ''This article includes text incorporated from J. Stark's "The Scottish tourist and itinerary; or, A guide to the scenery and antiquities of Scotland and the western islands: with a description of the principal steam-boat tours" (1831), a publication now in the public domain.'' * ''This article includes text incorporated from J.M. Wilson's "Nelsons' hand-book to Scotland: for tourists" (1860), a publication now in the public domain.'' * ''This article includes text incorporated from W. Anderson, J. Robertson, J.B. Brichan, & J. McNab's "Origines parochiales Scotiae: The antiquities ecclesiastical and territorial of the parishes of Scotland" (1854), a publication now in the public domain.'' * ''This article includes text incorporated from E. Mackay's "Guth na bliadhna" (1907), a publication now in the public domain.''

External links

Glenorchy Kirk, Dalmally
Glenorchy and Innishael linked with Strathfillan parish website

Loch Awe community website {{Authority control Church of Scotland churches in Scotland Churches in Argyll and Bute Category A listed buildings in Argyll and Bute Listed churches in Scotland Churches completed in 1811