The Auld Kirk

The Auld Kirk - Montrose Parish Church

A Brief History of the Parish Church in Montrose 1678 - present

We know from Slezer’s ‘Prospect of Montrose’ what the Church and bell tower looked like in 1678.

The original Tower, which stood on the site of the present Steeple, was 54 feet high and built of stone coated with oyster shells. Originally, it had a flat top and a bonfire was lit there to celebrate the birth of James VI. The 46 feet high spire was erected later and a weathervane in the shape of a cockerel, which is now on display in the town museum, was added in 1694.

Men from Montrose and the surrounding area played important roles in the Reformation and one of the best known, John Erskine of Dun, was responsible for killing a priest in the old bell tower in c1530.
Following the Reformation in 1560 the building became the Parish Church of Montrose with a minister rather than a priest. From 1566 until 1931, the relatively large population of the burgh resulted in the congregation being divided into two, known as the first and second charge, each with its own minister, although they remained under the administration of a single Kirk Session.

The Royal Burgh of Montrose was of considerable importance as a trading port and the local merchants were men of wealth and influence, particularly during the period from the 17th until first half of 19th century, and the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland met in Montrose in 1595 and 1600.
King James VI was present in 1600 when he attempted to have the Kirk introduce bishops. Another local reformer, Andrew Melville, of Baldovie, was against the move and consequently banned by the King from attending. Melville took lodgings near the Church and his very presence helped to encourage the Commissioners to defy James. With Melville unable to attend the Assembly itself however, the King got his way for the time being.

By the late 1700s the building was showing its age and it was demolished in 1790 and replaced by the present building the following year.

Hot air central heating was installed in 1871 and a hot-water system replaced that in 1904. The first part of the Church to be lit by electricity was the area around the pulpit and, in 1903, the then minister Rev. James Niblock-Stuart, complained that the energy supply was affecting his wellbeing. The system was given a clean bill of health by an inspector from the local electricity company but the Minister may have felt vindicated when, in 1908, one of the globes crashed to the floor during his sermon.

Following the Great War the need for major renovation of the interior of the building became obvious but the Depression and World War II, coupled with the inevitable lack of funds, delayed the refurbishment work until the early 1950s. The Kirk was renovated at a cost of £16,000 and the building as it is today was rededicated on 20 February 1955.

Other than a few recycled stones nothing remains of the pre-Reformation Church. The oldest surviving artefact is The Hearse or chandelier, a gift from Richard Clerck, a native of the town who had risen to become a vice-admiral in the Swedish Navy, in 1624.

The Montrose, or Paniter panels, are generally believed to have graced the pre-1791 building and a door which was part of the elaborately carved woodwork is on display in the local museum. (The other examples of the 16th century panels are in the care of the National Museum of Scotland)

The Bell Tower, with clock faces on its north, south and west sides, (nobody lived on the east side of the Kirk in those days) remained in place but was also deteriorating and in 1811 the structure was inspected by the lighthouse engineer Robert Stevenson. He reported that it wasn’t in danger of immediate collapse but recommended that it too should be replaced as soon as finances permitted.
Finance was a problem and, although there were continuing concerns about the state of the building, nothing was done over the next two decades. But by 1831 the decision to replace the structure couldn’t be postponed further and it was demolished.A committee was formed which raised almost £3,000 to build a replacement. The eminent architect, James Gillespie Graham, produced a design, possibly based on the steeple of St James’ Church at Louth, for a structure 108 feet high with a spire rising another 92 feet.

The first contractor withdrew after he realised he had underestimated the building cost and the work was continued by local builder William Smith. The Steeple was finally completed in November 1834 at a cost £2,595.

‘Big Peter’, the largest of the Steeple bells, was cast in Holland in 1676 and still strikes the hours during daylight and sounds the curfew each night at 10.00pm

One of the rooms in the Steeple is the Coutts Room which houses a small museum. This room recalls local merchant Thomas Coutts who founded Coutts & Co, the London Bank.

Gas lighting replaced oil lamps and candles in 1836, a change which saw the hearse scrapped. It was found, somewhat the worse for wear, years later in a blacksmith’s shop and was restored and returned to its place in the Kirk in 1854.

Forbes Inglis 2024