Field Visit

Date 12 March 1915

Event ID 1114544

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1114544

RCAHMS County Inventory: Midlothian and West Lothian

West Parish Church, Dalkeith.

This church, formerly the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas, stands within its churchyard on the north side of the High Street. The structure comprises a nave of three bays with lateral aisles, unaisled transepts, western tower, and choir. A porch projects on the south, as at Whitekirk, East Lothian, and a two storeyed projection from the north wall of the choir houses the sacristy.

The portions west of the partition, shown hatched on plan [MLD 27/1], have been reconstructed and repaired at various periods and are still in use as the West Parish Church, but they have been so modernised after the last reconstruction in 1851 that few traces of the original structure are visible. Internally the only features of interest are the piers, octagonal on plan, of the pier arcade. The bases, save at the west responds, are concealed. The capitals and arches are reconstructed in plaster, but the corbels which supported the wall-beams of the aisles are still in situ. The porch on the south is vaulted with a quadripartite vault, which appears to be original, but its other details have been restored.

The choir, on the other hand, has not been restored; it is roofless and in an exceedingly ruinous condition. Its ashlar is slowly crumbling and the moulded work steadily decaying

[see RCAHMS 1929, pp. 58-61 for a detailed architectural description]

HISTORICAL NOTE. There was only a chapel at Dalkeith in the late 14th century, in which from time to time an additional chaplainry was founded (1). The chapel was dedicated to St. Nicholas (2), bishop and confessor. In 1420 Sir James Douglas, first Lord Dalkeith, enlarged the building and constituted six perpetual chaplainries under one of the chaplains as provost, who was to be supported upon the lands of ‘Dychment and Holdene’ in the barony of West Calder, and to have his manse in the north part of the vill. In the east part of the cemetery of the chapel was the manse of the chaplain of ‘Qwilt and Fethane’, whose lands were in Tweeddale; at the north the manse of the chaplain of ‘Lochende and Kirkende’, who had revenues from these lands in Tweeddale; in the east the manse of the chaplain of ‘Horsbruke’, whose revenue came from lands in Peeblesshire; while there were also manses for the chaplains of Ingleston and Spittalheugh in Tweeddale. Each was to have pasture for one horse and a cow. Residence in the manses, either by the chaplains themselves or by substitutes acceptable to the founder and his heirs, was insisted upon, in order that daily service might be maintained, as in other collegiate churches, and that there might be a chaplain to say daily mass in the chapel of the castle. Service vestments were to be at least a surplice and an almuce lined with black lamb's wool. In 1477 James Douglas, first Earl of Morton and Lord of Dalkeith, increased the establishment of five" canonries " by three more, having as prebends the parish churches of Newlands and ‘Kilbuchs’, in the diocese of Glasgow, and that of Mordington in Berwickshire, of all of which he was patron, reserving to himself and successors the patronage of these canonries and of the parochial vicarages for which provision had to be reserved. Later Alexander Giffard, rector of Newlands, founded "in the nave or deambulatory of the collegiate church one chaplainry at the altar of the crucifix on the floor and another at the altar of St. John the Baptist in the south aisle," a foundation confirmed under the Great Seal in 1504. Presentation to these chaplainries was given to the granter's nephew, Alexander Cockburn, Lord of Newhall, and his heirs, but, should these fail to make an appointment within fifteen days from any vacancy, the right to fill the post would pass alternately to the provost and the Abbot of Newbattle. The absence of any chaplain from the vill for fifteen days without leave of the said Abbot and the provost would render his benefice vacant.

Up to 1467 Dalkeith was included in the parish of Lasswade, but in that year effect was given to representations that the parish church at Lasswade was too far distant for the parishioners of Dalkeith and neighbouring hamlets to make their way thither in bad weather, particularly when the Esk was in flood. Accordingly the parish revenues were divided in order to support a parochial vicar at the altar of St. Mary the Virgin in the collegiate church, thereby constituting Dalkeith a separate parish.

RCAHMS 1929, visited 12 March 1915.

(1) Reg. Mag. Sig., i, No. 668; Morton Charters and Papers, ii, 98, 124; (2) Bannatyne Miscellany, ii, pp. 110, 118; (3) Charters of Collegiate Churches in Midlothian.