History
The Early Years
The Beginning
The history of the parish Church of Kirkcudbright goes back many centuries. The first church was named after St. Cuthbert, who probably visited the town in the course of his missionary travels. The name Kirkcudbright may date from the early foundation of a church dedicated to Cuthbert - the "kirk of St Cuthbert". In 875, when Norsemen raided the coast of Northumbria the monks on Lindisfarne had to flee, taking with them their holy relics which included the bones of St Cuthbert. One of their sanctuaries was Kirkcudbright. It is likely that the original building was above the town, where St. Cuthbert's graveyard now stands. A group of yew trees, planted in 1838 in the older part of the churchyard, indicate its likely location.
The Grey Friars or Franciscans, had a friary in Kirkcudbright near the Moat Brae. At the Reformation in 1564 the Friary Church became the Parish Church, which it remained until 1730. During that time there were fifteen ministers, probably the most notable of whom was John Welsh, the son-in-law of John Knox appointed in 1594. Welsh was banished from Britain because of his opposition to the Episcopal form of worship being promoted in Scotland. He was finally allowed to return to live in London where he died in 1622.
At this period in history a struggle was going on in Scotland between Church and Monarchy over the form of worship to be carried out in churches. The details of this struggle are too involved to go into here. Suffice it to say that in 1638 a Covenant was signed throughout Scotland because the King, as part of his policy to create a uniform religion in the land, ordered that the Anglican Book of Common Prayer should be used in Scotland. Scotland had been too long Presbyterian to accept this. This ruling by Charles brought the people into conflict with the Monarchy. During the Covenanting period many of the local ministers were keen supporters of the Covenant and this caused difficulties which involved Lord Kirkcudbright. (This title had been bestowed on Sir Robert Maclellan of Bombie in 1633 by Charles 1 on a visit to Scotland). His support for the Covenanters led to his ruin.
The 1730 Church
In 1730 the old friary church had become so dilapidated that it was demolished and a new church was built in its place. This church was cruciform in shape, with three galleries. One belonged to the Earl of Selkirk, a second was the Magistrates’ gallery, and the third was used by the Incorporated Trades. This body dates back to 1425 and was given Royal Charters in 1425 and 1466. The six trades incorporated are Tailors, Hammermen, Shoemakers, Glovers, Clothiers, and Squaremen. The object was to maintain excellence in the goods being produced and to look after the best interests of the community. Nowadays although the Trades can still make representations to the local authorities, its functions are mainly ceremonial ones.
The first minister of this new church was George Gartshore, who was minister for nearly 40 years. After Mr Gartshore, ministers included Dr Thomas Blacklock, ordained to the pastoral charge of the parish of Kirkcudbright in 1762. Dr Blacklock, a friend of Robert Burns, was a blind poet-preacher who was strenuously opposed by his parishioners because of his blindness and who therefore stayed in the charge for a mere two years. Another minister of this period was Dr Muter, who wrote the First Statistical Account of the Parish. In this he wrote:
"The people of Kirkcudbright are in general, of a pleasant, social and agreeable disposition and their morals are fully as good as those of their neighbours. Few or none are ever incarcerated for crimes or misdemeanours."Dr. Muter died in 1820. There is a memorial plaque to him in the main vestibule of the present church. The reason that it was erected by only a "few sincere friends" was that the Reverend Doctor had much trouble with the Kirk Session during his stay in Kirkcudbright. It would appear from the records that right was on his side, but such is human nature that by the time of his demise he had only a few sincere friends left.
The New Church
By 1820 the church had become too small for the congregation and it was agreed that a new church should be built. The ground on which the new Church was built was given by Lord Selkirk who also undertook to pay the construction costs of the building and the spire – these amounted to just over £6,582. And so the Parish Church moved to its present site.
Like the previous church at the Moat Brae, it too was cruciform in shape with three galleries. The main entrance, with the Isle gallery above, is known as the Country End because in the old days the nave was occupied mainly by the farming community. What was the Magistrates’ gallery in the old church became the Town Council gallery and this end of the church is known as the Town End, while the Trades’ gallery continued as such, with that transept being known as the Trades’ End.
The minister at that time, the Rev George Hamilton, played an important part in the planning of the new Church but he died before the Church was opened for worship in October 1838. There is a memorial to Mr Hamilton on the wall to the left of the pulpit. A direct descendant of Mr Hamilton is a member of the present congregation The Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser of October 22, 1938 has an account of this:
"The occasion of the laying of the foundation of the present church was, according to the records of the Clothiers’ Incorporation, an occasion of some considerable pomp, the event being on 22nd April 1836. At precisely 23 minutes to four o’clock in the afternoon, the thundering of cannon and the acclamations of assembled thousands proclaimed far and near that the foundation of the new church to be built here was at that hour laid."The church was opened for public worship on Sunday, 20th October 1838, when the pulpit was occupied by the minister of the parish, the Rev. John McMillan.