AULD KIRK - MAUCHLINE

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PRESERVING THE PAST . . . . FOR THE FUTURE

Image Terry Harrison

Image Burns House Museum

Above we can see an image of the church in Mauchline which would have been familiar to Burns. Unfortunately because of the technology available at the time, all that remains are a few artist's impressions of Mauchline Auld Kirk. The right hand image was taken from a piece of Mauchline Ware. According to the inscription on the current parish church, the old kirk was built in the 12th century, and after having been in use for about 650 years, was taken down in 1827.

A piece of Mauchline ware which can be seen on display in the Burns House Museum made from a piece of the Kirk End Tree, which according to the above inscription was blown down in a storm on 27th Feb 1860. Helen Steven's (1897) book and John Taylor Gibb's (1911) book report the date as being the same as the above Mauchlineware, although WF Blair's 1922 An Octogenarian's Reminiscences, the date was perhaps inaccurately reported as 1861.

I quote from Helen Steven's book, Mauchline it's History and Associations.
At one time an immense ash stood in the centre of the churchyard. It was quite a feature of the town, and it is a matter of wonder that Burns had nothing to say about it in his Holy Fair. It must have been the growth of many centuries. It was blown down by a terrific gale on the 27th of February, 1860. Six feet from the ground it measured fifteen feet in girth. After its fall it was cut up and yielded 200 cubic feet of timber. It was photographed as it lay and there are still a few copies of the photo to be seen in the town or district.

Till now a photo of the tree, which would have been in the very early days of photography, has not surfaced.

Another interesting story from Helen Steven's book published in 1897, suggests that remains of the old clock from this historical building was still around back then.

...For all these purposes the stool under the window of the vestry of the modern parish church of Mauchline has been used. The publicity of former rebukes and tokens of penitence are long ago done away with, and well that it should be so. They were not conducive to a softened state of mind in the sinner nor yet in the interests of public morality. In a chest in the vestry are an old clock-face, and minute and hour hands. It is said they belong to the clock of the old church..

Again from the same book -

Its "knock," as old session records call its clock, had a wooden face and hands, which were now and again a source of expense for repairing, but were rather unreliable in the matter of telling the time. The bell hung in a little belfrey on the steep roof, and was rung by means of a rope, fastened most probably to the tongue of the bell. A ladder was fixed against the wall from the top of one of the many stairs to the belfrey.

1562 - 1566	Rev Robert Hamilton
1567 - 1617	Rev Peter Primrose
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1991 - c2010??	Rev Alan B Telfer