Old Greyfriars – St Giles p. 48

 

burgh, 1818). -[Moncreiff's Life; Kay's Portr., i.; Douglas's Peer., ii.; Davidson's and Inglis's Fun. Serms.; Carlyle's Autob., Haldane's and Cockburn's Mem.; Scots Mag., lxv.; Conolly's Eminent Men of Fife, Dict. Neat Biog.]

 

1804 ROBERT ANDERSON, born 6th June 1768, son of George A.; farmer, Amulree; licen, by Presb. of Ayr 11th Oct. 1791; ord. to Symington (Lanarkshire), 29th April 1795; trans. to Eastwood 5th July 1798; trans. to Trinity College, Edinburgh, 16th July 1802; pres. by the Town Council 15th June 1803; trans. and adm. (in New Greyfriars) 12th Jan. 180-1; D.D. (Edinburgh, 16th Sept. 1809); died 24th Jan. 1837. He marr. 12th May 1797, Annabella (died 10th April 1853, in her 86th year), daugh. of Thomas Brown of Waterhead, and had issue-Helen, born 1st Jan. 1798, died 26th Jan, 1805; Annabella, born 30th May 1802, died 20th April 1804; George, born 31st May 1804; Agnes Helen, born 27th April 1806, died 23rd Sept. 1818; Jane Hamilton, born 22nd June 1808, died 15th Aug. 1828 ; Thomas of Glendrissaig, advocate, born 7th Oct. 1810, died 11th May 1885; Henry, born 16th Dec. 1812; Mary, died 10th Dec. 1820 (marr. 12th June 1820, James Anderson, younger, of Stroquban). Publications-Sermons (Leith, 1837).-[Anderson's Sketches, Tombst.]

 

1837  THOMAS GUTHRIE, trans. from Arbirlot;  pres. by Town Council, and adm. 21st Sept. 1837; trans. to St John's 28th Oct. 1841.

 

ST GILES or THE HIGH KIRK.

 

[There is record evidence of a church here, very likely on the present site, in the year 854. In 1120 King Alexander I. rebuilt the church in the Norman style. Of this building characteristic features survived until 1798. During the fourteenth century, Edinburgh was captured and plundered by the English under Edward II. and Edward III., and twice St Giles was laid waste. After

restoration, the church was more thoroughly ruined at the Burnt Candlemas in 1387, when Richard II. sacked the city. The western part of the fabric was soon in use again; but the restoration of the choir and transepts, which were much enlarged, lasted on into the sixteenth century. In 1467 the city endowed St Giles as a collegiate church.

   It now became usual to speak of the nave, where the stonework was ancient, as the Old Kirk, while the eastern part of the building was called the New Kirk. When the movement for reform drew large crowds to St Giles, separate services began to be regularly held in the Old and New Kirks. Soon this was not enough, and the great church was partitioned off into smaller sections. In 1571 St Giles was seized by Kirkcaldie of Grange, and held by him as a stronghold for Queen Mary. This resulted in serious damage to the structure.

   At the Reformation the parish of St Giles was coextensive with the city of Edinburgh. Our Lady's Kirk of Field and the other College Kirk of the Holy Trinity were not parochial charges. To meet the spiritual needs of the growing population, the first plan of the Reformers was to add to the staff of the parochial clergy. Thus St Giles was given four, and even five ministers. The better to carry out this method, the parish was divided into four districts, called the Quarters of the city. These were distinguished as the North-East Quarter, the South West Quarter, etc. Each Quarter was placed under the special care of one of the ministers.

   The choir of St Giles was known as the New Kirk, the East Kirk, or the Little Kirk, while the Old Kirk to the west was also called the Great Kirk. At length, in 1598, Edinburgh was broken up into four parishes. The North-West Quarter, as the remanent part of the ancient parish, continued to occupy the choir of St Giles, which alone became the High Kirk of the city. In it the Magistrates, the Court of Session, and other dignitaries officially worshipped. In it also was the royal pew. From its place of worship this district became known as the High Kirk

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