Field Visit

Date 15 April 1912

Event ID 1088473

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1088473

RCAHMS County Inventory: Berwickshire

169. Greenlaw Church.

This church, with its western tower, is situated within the churchyard on the rising ground to the north of the village green, and no doubt occupies the site of a pre-Reformation church. The main feature of interest is the tower (fig. 88 [SC 1173046]), built originally as a jail in 1712, when it had on its east side the church, which was lengthened to join it, while on the opposite side was raised the court-house, since removed. The relation of these buildings is shown in the accompanying plan (fig. 89 [Armstrong 1771]). On plan this tower is rectangular, measuring some 12 feet square within walls averaging about 3 feet 3 inches in thickness. A central projection of some 5 feet from the east wall contains a wheel staircase, giving access to the upper floors and to the parapet walk. The ground and first floor apartments are vaulted, and the former, in the days when the building served as the jail, was known as the ‘Thieves' Hole.’ These vaulted apartments are lighted by narrow square-headed windows with iron stancheons, and the entrance from the staircase at the first floor level has been secured by double doors. A grated doorway on the level of the ground floor still survives in position. The tower is about 50 feet in height, measured from the ground to the top of the parapet, and is entirely without ornament, excepting a series of moulded corbels of considerable projection supporting a plain stone parapet. Above this level rises a slated octagonal spire. The walls have been recently pointed and are in a fair state of repair.

In early times the Manor of Greenlaw belonged to the Earls of Dunbar. It is recorded that the third Earl granted the (original) church to the monks of Kelso not earlier than 1147, and that it was dedicated in 1242 by David de Bernham, Bishop of St Andrews. The constructional transformation of the pre-Reformation church seems to have been begun in 1675.

See Eccles. Arch., iii. p. 574 (ill us.); An Old Berwickshire Town (Gibson), chaps. v. and xvii; Ber. Nat. Club, 1863- 68, p. 113; 1890-91, pp. 131, 132.170.

Grave-slab, Greenlaw Church.

Against the west wall of the church tower is set a slab which formerly covered a ventilating chamber outside the north wall of the church, at the east end. It measures 4 feet in length by 2 feet 1 inch in breadth, and is incised with a Latin cross, having the arms terminating obliquely, set on a graduated base part of which has been cut away. On either side of the upper arm are the letters A H and I L. The cross evidently dates from the end of the 15th century.

See An Old Berwickshire Town (Gibson), p. 42.

RCAHMS 1915, visited 15th April 1912.

OS Map: Ber, xxi. SE.