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St Fillan's Church, Aberdour
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St Fillan’s Church is one of the finest examples of
simple Norman architecture in Scotland. To the south it overlooks
Aberdour Harbour, north and west it is sheltered by the high wall of
Aberdour Castle garden and to the east what was the Castle kitchen
garden. As early as 1390 St Fillan is mentioned as the patron saint of
the church.
Entrance to the church and its old cemetery is from
Hawkcraig Road along Kirk Wynd. At the top of the Wynd, on the right is
a door to the Castle grounds, above which the monogram of William, Earl
of Morton and his wife Lady Anne, dated 1632. Further down the Wynd, on
the left, is a collection of badly weathered old gravestones, some
dating from the seventeenth century.
1179 saw a Papal Bull
confirming Inchcolm Monastery’s possession of Aberdour Church and other
churches in the area. This is the earliest reference to Aberdour.
Aberdour’s earliest known priest was Serlo circa 1214. He was
probably a canon of Inchcolm, as the monastery had the right to appoint
its own priests to the churches in its possession.
In the early days
the church was used for purposes other than worship, as noted in one of
the monastery’s charters (9 November 1273):
“On the Thursday after
the Feast of St Leonard, in the parish church of Aberdour, the bishop of
Dunkeld and others settled a dispute between Simon of Balram (a local
farm) and Inchcolm Abbey regarding the land of Leys. Simon gave up his
claim to the disputed pasture land, receiving 40 marks in return.”
Initially St Fillan’s consisted simply of a nave and the chancel,
lit by deep splayed windows and remains much as it was in the 12th
century. Sockets for the rood screen can still be seen.
The
dedication to St Fillan probably came about through the influence of
Robert I (the Bruce), who gave Aberdour to his close friend and
supporter Thomas Randolph Earl of Moray. St Fillan was the king’s
favourite saint and is credited with helping the Scots win the Battle of
Bannockburn in 1314.
In the 15th century, the church was enlarged
by the addition of the south aisle. This involved an arcade supported by
the three pseudo-Norman pillars and lowering the floor to its present
level.
Before the Protestant Reformation in 1560, and the huge
changes it brought, information about St Fillan’s Church is scant.
During the sixteenth century the gable walls were raised and the pitch
made steeper, the large Gothic window inserted and possibly the present
porch entrance added.
The belfry is dated 1588.The original bell
disappeared when being recast and was replaced in 1926 with the bell
from the ruined St Bridget’s Kirk at Dalgety.
This
pre-reformation bell bears the inscription in Gothic characters: “O
mater Dei, momento mei – O mother of God, remember me.”
In the
17th century the small aisle (where the organ is now) was reconstructed.
The altar in the chancel was replaced by a simple table for Holy
Communion. A pulpit, from which the minister could expound the ‘Word’,
was placed centrally on the side wall. Lord Morton constructed a gallery
for his family where the organ pipes are now located. The private door
was where there had been a window.
By the 18th century
aristocratic patronage had been restored.There was strong opposition
that the rights of the people to choose their own minister should not be
compromised. Aberdour played a significant role in the controversy. At a
hearing in 1725 most of the Elders and people chose one Thomas Kay, but
Lord Morton imposed John Liston. As a result, most of the congregation
abandoned St Fillan’s for churches elsewhere, rather than worship under
Liston. This was perhaps the beginning of the closure of St Fillan’s.
Late 18th century. It is clear from correspondence that already by
1786 the Earl of Morton was planning to relocate the church, which was
in very poor condition. It is said that that the dowager countess (the
Earl’s mother) also supported the idea, as she did not want the
parishioners coming so near the castle.
Whatever the reason, the
old church was finally closed in 1790, by which time Morton and the
other heritors of the parish had paid for the building of a new church
in Wester Aberdour, the building that today is the Church Hall. The roof
of St Fillan’s was removed in 1796.
St Fillan’s Church
deteriorated until 1926 when it was restored. The Parish Church situated
in the High Street was then closed and became St Fillan’s Church Hall.
In 1925, Mr William Williamson, FRIA, was appointed architect; Lyon
Bros, the local joiners, were responsible for the beautiful roof.
Suitable slating was procured from old buildings and the mason’s work
was done by W & A Moyes of Aberdour. The floor was laid with stone flags
from Cullullo Quarry and electric lighting installed. The paving round
the church was laid by members of the congregation.
Gifts were
quickly forthcoming from individuals and families who had a close
connection with the church – pulpit, chancel stalls, organ and stained
glass windows. The font was discovered in the churchyard and placed on a
new ‘stalk’. The children of the congregation contributed to a silver
basin which was made on Iona and is brought out for the Sacrament of
Holy Baptism.
The cost of restoring the fabric, including the
preparation of the ground, the removal of the Morton vault and the
provision of the present oak doors, was £2,709; gifts from parishioners
amounted to £1,300. The total cost was just over £4,000 (approximately
£250,000 today). St Fillan’s Church was re-dedicated and re-opened for
worship on 7th July 1926.
A fire in 2013 was fortunately
discovered early on a Sunday morning. St Fillan’s was blackened and
closed for several months for cleaning and refurbishment. It is my
recollection that Douglas memorial plaques were damaged in this fire.
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Source
Sources for this article include:
Aberdour Heritage Centre
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
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