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Cavers Churches

 

 

 

This contributed article forms part of the Douglas of Cavers collection

 

 

 

The ruined church at Cavers: founded by followers of St Columba, according to legend

The Church of Cavers holds a deep and layered history, its origins stretching far beyond written record. Though first formally mentioned in the Inquisitio of King David I in 1116—when it was under the authority of the Church of Glasgow - local legend claims its foundation dates back some 1,400 years to the time of St Columba, suggesting early Christian roots around 400 AD. While such origins remain speculative, parts of the existing structure are undeniably medieval, despite a date-stone marked 1662.

In 1388, William, the first Earl of Douglas, granted the entire advowson - the right to appoint clergy - of the Church of Great Cavers(1) to the monks of Melrose Abbey, along with all associated lands and privileges. This act consolidated the church’s ecclesiastical significance and tied it closely to monastic stewardship. A church erected in 1663 still stands today, though it was later replaced by a new building in 1822 to serve the growing parish. In 1850, Teviothead was formally disjoined from Cavers, marking a shift in local ecclesiastical boundaries.

Beneath the church aisle lies a sealed vault said to contain generations of the Black Douglases, a powerful branch of the Douglas family whose influence shaped the region for centuries. The surrounding estate also bears traces of its religious past. The dominical lands of Denholm - church lands once held by the Cranstoun family - are believed to have been located at Honeytown by the Stonyburn, now known as Honeyburn. A house there still bears a cross on its northwest gable, a quiet testament to its sacred heritage.

One enduring local tradition tells of monks travelling through a route known as the Cannon Gate, passing into Denholm en route to church properties on the Cavers estate. It’s said they kept an apiary at Honeyburn, returning regularly to collect honey—a small but vivid detail that links spiritual life with the rhythms of rural labour.

The Covenanters

In 1658, Denholm was reunited to the Cavers estate by Sir Archibald Douglas. The new Laird and his family were fervent Covenanters, bitterly opposed to the bishops and Anglican forms of worship which Charles 1st had tried to force upon the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. In 1662 the Douglas's refused to admit a curate sent by the official Church and representatives from Jedburgh were stoned by the women of Cavers. After this the Covenanters in this area were persecuted by the law and had to resort to to secret conventicles and prayer meetings in hidden places such as Pedens pulpit on Ruberslaw and Pedens Vale in Denholm Dean (just below the ruined cottage). In 1690 the Presbyterians were finally recognised as the established Church in Scotland but the strictest Covenanters would not join it. A group of them known as the Cameronians formed their own congregation in Denholm under the patronage of the Douglas family.

The Cameronian Chapel

We do not know what building they used until about 1740 when the old Cameronian chapel was built with the preachers house adjoining. The site, behind Poplar Nook on the Small Green, was given by the Laird. The Chapel had seating for 230 people and had three pulpits, the lowest one for the precentor. Seats and pulpits were later covered in red plush and the high pulpit ran the full length of the building. The Douglas family continued to reject the Established Church in their home village of Cavers and worshipped with the Cameronian "Dissenters" or "Independents" all through the 18th and 19th centuries. They would walk to Denholm and back every Sunday as it was held to be wrong to ride a horse on the Lord’s Day. Their route through the Dean became known as the "Kirk Walk". Presumably any Denholm Villagers who belonged to the Established Church would take the same path to and from worship to Cavers – but in the opposite direction.

Ministers of Cavers include:

James Douglas graduated Master of Arts from St Andrews on 11th May 1637. A decade later, on 30th June 1647, he was admitted as assistant and designated successor in the ministry. He remained in office at least until 6th April 1658.

Archibald Douglas, M.A., was translated from the parish of Douglas and instituted at Cavers on 22nd June 1664. He served there until 24th September 1673, when he was transferred to Newton.

Charles Douglas was licensed by the Presbytery in 1738 and began his ministry in Jedburgh on the 1st of March that year. He was presented to the parish by Archibald Douglas of Cavers on the 1st of May and formally ordained on the 16th of August. His tenure was cut short by his death on the 1st of December 1745.

'New' Cavers Church

See also:

The Religious Legacy of the Douglas of Cavers Family

•  Charter for Kirklands of Cavers


Notes:
1.  The Church of Great Cavers was formerly known as the Church of Meikle Cavers, or Magna Caueris in Latin.  A transcript of the charter and its interpretation can be found here>>>

 

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