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The Legend
There is an interesting story about one of the funerals which took place at this spot. After the reformation, a burial was secretly carried out according to the Roman (Catholic) rite. Such an Occurrence would have incurred the wrath of Protestant leaders and the event therefore took place at the dead of night. Reputedly the voting Walter Scott (later to become the famous author) was one of the mourners present at the funeral.
The Myth
It is said that this funeral procession can still be spotted on an evening in August. A coffin can be seen being borne down “lady’s walk” from Halyards Palace.
Assorted Relics
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Address to Mr. David Millar: This framed presentation certificate was given to the schoolmaster (also Session Clerk) in 1901. The occasion commemorated 50 years of service and one of the signatories is Rev William Stevenson. The occasion of Mr. Millar's jubilee is in fact recorded in Stevenson’s book.
This was recovered quite recently from its position decorating the wall of a pub in England!
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Diary of Rev. Patrick Grant: This hand-written book contains the reflections of a local Parish minister in the 1860’s. Patrick Grant was a regular visitor to Auchtertool and was himself the minister of Auchterderran.
In his book Kirk and Parish of Auchtertool, Stevenson (pictured left) tells of Patrick Grant dining with Thomas Carlyle at the Auchtertool manse, home of the then minister Rev. Walter Welsh. The famous writer was somewhat dismissive of Grant and as a result there was nearly a stand up fight. Unfortunately this diary is dated after that encounter; it would be very interesting to know what Patrick Grant really thought of Carlyle.The diary was discovered by the compiler’s father, and was recovered from a manse in Morayshire.
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The Old Church Bell: At the front of the church you can see the old bell, which was removed from the tower when the present one was installed in 1887. This was hidden away behind the organ for many years but is now on permanent display.
An Appeal
Two of these items were retrieved quite by chance and there is a strong possibility that there are many other such relics waiting to be found. Can you lay your hands on them? Do the people of Auchtertool have anything of interest hidden in their lofts? It might be beneficial to catalogue such items, or to display them for everybody to see.
What to look out for: More diaries; Communion Tokens (like coins, handed out before the days of communion cards); bibles and hymn books, certificates, drawings, photographs etc. Please contact the minister if you can help.
The Organ
Built by Casson and Miller of Perth in 1886, the organ was gifted to Auchtertool Kirk by Rev. William Stevenson. This was a very generous donation and it has been said that the cost must have equalled his stipend for a whole year!
Very often we make the mistake of thinking that organs are a very traditional part of church worship; in fact they are quite a modern innovation. For seven hundred years this church has no organ; before Stevenson’s ministry singing was accompanied by a harmonium; prior to Rev. Andrew Miller’s ministry (1880—1885) singing was unaccompanied and conducted by a presenter.
This organ is one of only six of its kind; it is similar to the one that was in Stevenson’s previous church St John’s in Perth.
Communion Silver
The communion silver is normally kept in safe custody, but can be viewed on Communion Sundays.
Two cups bear the date 1763; the underside of each is inscribed “Mr. Moir, Minr”. The dating and the inscription suggest that they were gifted to the church by Rev. Henry Moir, who was minister of the parish from 1746 to 1786. By comparison the wine jug is much more modern (a presentation in 1904), but at the time of writing even that is now over 90 years old.
It is very hard to value items such as these. Naturally the silver and craftsmanship will have a “financial” worth, but the true value for the people of Auchtertool is surely far greater. These cups have been used for 230 years and the sacrament has been celebrated with them by 17 ministers of the parish. People drink from the same cups as their parents, grandparents, great grandparents, great great grandparents—and you can add a few more greats to that. It reminds us that the tradition of the sacrament goes back far further than even this Kirk—right back to the time of Christ.
The Font
It is only in recent times that it has become customary for infants to be brought to church in order to be baptised. Before that most people were baptised either at the manse or in their own homes: before the advent of central heating the church could be a cold and miserable place, not at all suitable for children.
Notice the interesting carvings on the font. This is another item which dates from Stevenson’s own ministry. The baptismal register (which is still in use) goes right back to 1882 and it contains details of many families within the parish.
Windows and hidden secrets
It is often assumed that churches have always had stained glass windows. However, Auchtertool Kirk reveals that many of such items actually date from the Victorian era. The Victorians left behind numerous memorials of varying types; most of the windows in this Church are memorials for family members and friends. Look at the different windows and read the inscriptions carefully.
There is a hidden secret in Auchtertool Kirk and if you look very closely at the south wall you may be able to detect what it is. At one, time there were pictures and inscriptions painted on the walls (see photographs below); unfortunately they have been obscured by re-decorating since the photographs were taken a century ago.
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