Dirleton Parish Church And Burial-ground
Burial Ground (17th Century), Church (17th Century), Gateway (19th Century), Wall(S) (19th Century), War Memorial (20th Century)
Site Name Dirleton Parish Church And Burial-ground
Classification Burial Ground (17th Century), Church (17th Century), Gateway (19th Century), Wall(S) (19th Century), War Memorial (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) The Auld Kirk; War Memorial
Canmore ID 56790
Site Number NT58SW 53
NGR NT 51261 84225
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/56790
- Council East Lothian
- Parish Dirleton
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District East Lothian
- Former County East Lothian
NMRS REFERENCE:
NT58SW 53.00 51261 84225 Church
NT53SW 53.00 51268 84174 Session Hall
NT53SW 128.00 51294 84176 Hall
Church, post-1612 with later additions.
RCAHMS 1924
EXTERNAL REFERENCE:
Scottish Records Office:
Order, signed by the heritors of Dirleton, for repair of the roof of the Kirk and recommending that William Nisbet arrange for the slater to undertake the work.
1708 GD 6/2223
NMRS REFERENCE:
Dick Peddie & MacKay, Edinburgh survey
Attic 2, Bin 3, Bag 3 Richardson & McKay 1914
Field Visit (14 November 1923)
Sometime after 1612 (cf. RCAHMS 1924, No. 24 Historical Note) this church was erected on a site north of the village; it is a long narrow structure with a west tower and a south cross aisle, the latter having been added in 1664. The north vestry, east porch and the upper part of the tower are modern. The aisle is ashlar built, while the other parts are of rubble. The former has heavily rusticated pilasters with pedestals at the southern angles; on each pilaster are the remains of a tablet sundial. The south gable has a coarse Renaissance pediment with an ensigned cartouche on the tympanum bearing a saltire within a bordure charged with eight thistle slips for James Maxwell Earl of Dirleton. These arms are represented on the Renaissance entrance in the east wall and again on the archway between aisle and church, in the last instance in association with a lozenge, also ensigned, charged: A large crosspate between four smaller ones, presumably the arms of Elizabeth Bousoyn (de Podolski?) Countess of Dirleton. The south window of the aisle is a late Gothic three-light window of unusually good design and execution for the period.
Internally the church is plain and has been modernised; the lowest storey of the tower is vaulted and access is given to the bell chamber above by a turret stair projecting from the north wall.
Monument.-Built into the east gable of the. church is a Renaissance monument probably of the early 18th century; a cartouche on the pediment is parted per pale and charged: dexter, within a bordure indented on a fess three cinquefoils (Heriot), and sinister, within a bordure wavy a buckle between three boars' heads erased (? for Ferguson).
RCAHMS 1924, 14 November 1923.
Photographic Survey
Photographic survey of the exterior of Dirleton Parish Church, East Lothian, by the National Buildings Record Scottish Council.
