Recording Your Heritage Online
Event ID 563189
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Recording Your Heritage Online
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/563189
West (old, St Andrew's) Parish Kirk, 1804 and 1826. Began as a version of Kildrummy, a square with bow staircase to rear; third window added to south to create an imposing, spare rectangle with three fine round-headed windows. Harled
with margins and bellcote on west gable. Inside, gallery is carried on Doric columns; outside several good wall monuments including a flamboyant armorial to George Melville, 1678, and a primitive extravaganza, the Balfluig Monument (1725, Mary Forbes), with squat supporting figures, winged 'putto' and 'memento mori' skeleton below (cf Cuminestown, 'Banff & Buchan' in this series).
Kirkyard walls internally embanked; relief carvings of open books (?judgement symbol) flank gates, (?)1694. Some 17th- and 18th century stones, most 19th; includes graves of early botanist John Duncan and poet Charles Murray:
'He cut a sappy sucker from the
muckle rodden-tree,
He trimmed it, an he wet it, an he
thumped it on his knee;
He never heard the teuchat when the
harrow broke her eggs,
He missed the craggit heron nabbin
puddocks in the seggs,
He forgot to hound the collie at the
cattle when they strayed,
But you should hae seen the whistle
that the wee herd made!'
Charles Murray, 'The Whistle'
'Within this isle interr'd behind
these stones,
Are pious, wise, good Mary Forbes'
bones;
To Balfluig daughter, and of
blameless life,
To Mr Gordon, Pastor here, the wife.
'Espiravit Apr27 AD 1728 Aet. Suus 46.'
A I McConnochie, 'Donside', 1901
An inscription in the west kirkyard reads:
'Here lys jean aitken, lawfull daughter to George Aitken in Hoodhouse of Alford, aged three years, dyed May 17, 1724. The 'Hoodhouse' or Headhouse is an old name for an inn or hostelry. The Headhouse was generally situated near the parish
kirk, as were those of Alford and Clatt.
A Jervise, 'Epitaphs and Inscriptions'
Taken from "Aberdeenshire: Donside and Strathbogie - An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Ian Shepherd, 2006. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk
