Field Visit

Date 1 September 1913

Event ID 1088023

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1088023

RCAHMS County Inventory: East Lothian

The parish church (fig. 122 [Sc 1127066]) stands within the churchyard between Easter and Wester Pencaitland. It contains beneath one roof both chancel and nave, the latter being galleried at the west end. From the centre of the west gable there projects an oblong tower, in which an entrance to the church has been formed at ground level, and on the higher level an entrance to the gallery, reached from a forestair on the north. The tower communicates directly with the church by a high obtusely pointed archway somewhat obscured by the gallery. On the north a transept projects from the nave and an aisle of two bays from the chancel (figs. 121 and 123 [SC 1127064]). Above the level of the nave roof the tower is developed to ' an octagon on plan, and at this stage is utilised as a combined belfry and Dovecot. The southern face of the octagon is pierced by a narrow lintelled aperture, the other walls by lancet shaped openings with obtusely pointed heads. These lights have splayed jambs and are coeval with a similar window in the tower at a lower level and two others in the west gable of the church, which probably date from the 16th century. The tower is built of irregularly coursed rubble up to the octagonal stage, which is built of ashlar and roofed with a slated octagonal spirelet surmounted by a weathercock. Above the lintelled entrance are the initials I O for John Oswald (a former incumbent 1631-41) (1) and the date 1631.

The lower portion of the tower and the north, east and west walls of the church are clearly medieval; their proportions suggest the much altered remains of a 12th century church. The internal construction towards the east end of the building indicates that there was some structural distinction - probably a chancel arch - between nave and chancel. As the south wall of the church inside is unbroken, it may be inferred that it was built during a restoration but on the original foundations, as the outside basement course found on the other portions returns here also. The buttresses at the ends of this wall date from the 15th ·century; the intermediate buttresses are of 16th century type and apparently contemporaneous with the pointed windows-four in the south wall and one in the east gable. To this period also may be ascribed the three round-headed doorways. One of these, opening into the chancel from the south, is now built up; the others, set at the western ends of the north and south walls respectively have been converted into windows.

The aisle projecting northwards from the chancel dates from the end of the 13th century. It is oblong on plan, one bay wide and two in length. The opening to the chancel has been much altered to gain the maximum of light in post-Reformation times, when the aisle became a laird's loft. It now consists of a wide three-centred arch, which probably superseded an arcade of two bays with an intermediate pier. The flat arch springs from imposts in two orders. On the eastern jamb are two nook shafts separated by an intermediate plane; between the southern shaft and this plane is a quirk. The shafts have neckings below rude bell-shaped capitals dying into a simple rectangular abacus. The detail of this jamb suggests 16th century work. In the north wall are two large pointed windows, but both are now built up; a 17th century doorway and œilde-bœuf are inserted in the infilling of the western. The jamb sections of the windows comprise two small rolls with undercut hollows between and on either side of them. The hood moulds are small, of a common late 13th century type, terminating in puny stops. In the east wall is a large pointed window with modern tracery and in the west wall a pointed two-light window with eyes and a lozenge shaped light with segmental sides in the head. The jamb sections of these windows consist of a series of splays with intervening checks.

The exterior of the north wall of the aisle is divided into bays by three buttresses terminating in gablets of 14th century type. These buttresses have been reinforced in the 16th century. Above the buttresses is an offset course terminating at either end in a skewput carved with grotesques. Above this has been added a deep course under an eaves course, on the soffit of which are carved a series of small grotesques. The aisle is obviously designed for a quadripartite stone vaulted roof. The removal of the abutment provided by the arcade between aisle and chancel would necessitate the removal of the stone roof.

The north transept was added in the 16th or 17th century. There is a pointed window in the north wall, which may be contemporaneous with the windows of the church. That this portion is no part of the original structure is clear, as the early basement course does not return around it.

A 17th century Renaissance doorway (fig. 42 [SC 1127067]) in the west wall, now built up, has a fluted pilaster on either side of the jamb, terminating in a base and capital under a cornice and a broken semicircular pediment. In the tympanum. is a shield with strap-work backing; over the pediment is a fish-shaped stone inscribed with the initials SIS for Sir John (?) Sinclair. In the same wall is an ogival headed window of the same period also built up. The quoins at the angles of the transept are backset.

WOODWORK. The pulpit against the south wall is of oak dating from the 17th century; the back and base are modern. On plan it is six sided with two tiers of rectangular panels; the halfits contain four panels, the sides and front each contain two slightly broader panels. The panels are stuck moulded, with raised fields carved in relief with conventional designs. The rails are of the same width throughout; the stiles are narrower at the sides than on the halfits. The pulpit retains the iron bracket for the baptismal basin.

A length of 17th century oak panelling is inserted in front of the gallery and another length encloses the north transept. The panelled pew backs immediately behind this latter panelling are apparently of the same age.

BELL. Within the belfry hangs a 17th century bell 1 foot 9 inches diameter at mouth, 11 inches diameter at shoulder and 1 foot 5 inches in height from skirt to crown. The bell is enriched with 13 annular rings in relief arranged in series. Around the shoulder is the inscription ‘Pencaitland feare ye the Lord 1638' in raised lettering ¾ inch long. The bell is suspended by a single canon.

SUNDIALS. (a) Three-faced dial on southwest buttress. (b) Three-faced dial on apex of

east gable. (c) On lintel on south face of octagon of tower.

TOMBSTONES. These call for no special mention, but one may be instanced on account of its exhibiting a late armorial bearing; it is built into the exterior of the south wall of the church in front of and partly obscuring another and later stone commemorating Tho. Wedderburn. Within a moulded border is a panel, the upper portion of which contains a scrolled cartouche enriched with fleur-de-lys, within which is a shield bearing a lion rampant within a border engrailed (Renton) impaling an oak tree eradicated (Watson); flanking the shield are the initials G.R. and M.W. The lower part of the panel is occupied by the inscription.

VIRO PROBO GEORGIO RENTO / NO . ET . IPSIUS . FAMILIÆ . P . / E . H . M QUI OBIIT 28 / MARTII AN 1640 ÆTATIS / SUÆ 76.

The two small 17th century structures which stand at either gate are interesting. They are understood to have been offering houses, but for this purpose they are unusually large. The masonry is of rubble and has been harled. The roofs, which are of timber, have been tiled.

HISTORICAL NOTE. In the late 12th and 13th centuries the church belonged to the convent of Kelso by grant of Everard of ‘Pencatheland’ and his son Walter (2), Walter's charter of c. 1180 being witnessed by Bernard, chaplain of Pencaitland. But about 1343 we have a grant of the church to Dryburgh by Sir John Maxwell of Pencaitland (3). In 1606 the church was dissolved from the abbacy of Dryburgh and its patronage transferred to the Earl of Mar (4).

RCAHMS 1924, visited 1 September 1913.

(1) Fasti. Eccl. Scotic. i. p. 384 (new edit.); (2) Liber etc. Calchou Nos. 13, 83, 84, 369; (3) Reg. Dryburgh p. 271 (cf. [RCAHMS 1924] Introd. p. xxi) ; (4) Act. Parl. ii. p. 346.