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A
very important event took place in Torphichen Kirk during Mr Watson's
ministry. That was the
reconstruction of the old Preceptory nave to form the present Kirk. It is interesting to note that a large
amount of maintenance was discussed by the Heritors as far back as 1745, as
until that date apparently very little had been done in the way of repairs
since it had been occupied by the Church of Scotland after the
Reformation. The Heritors, at first,
thought that it would be enough to rebuild the north wall and set upon a
new roof. The north wall was badly
damaged when the arches of the cloisters were knocked down along with the
other parts of the Preceptory. Mr
David Dowie, Seed Merchant in Edinburgh was asked
to give an estimate of the cost of repair or the cost of a new
building. The choice of architect
seems a bit strange, and if the records are correct, he came up with a
figure of £100 for both estimates.
The Heritors chose to build a new Kirk, by a majority of one! The estimate later went up to £300 and
the final cost was £500.
Building did not begin until 1756, but by this
time Lord Torphichen and John Gillon of Wallhouse, or to give its correct
name - Wellhouse, were arguing over the
occupation of the Laird's loft. It should be understood that the
Preceptor’s Mansion was connected to the west end of the former nave. It
was a large three-storey building running northwards through where the
farmhouse now stands. There was a connecting door between the grand hall,
which was located on the first floor, and the gallery of the nave. This
gave the Lord Torphichen unrestricted access to the gallery without having to
mingle with the rest of the congregation.
The former nave was a total of 30 feet in width, including the south
aisle, which measured 10 feet in width. T his aisle was separated from the
main part of the nave by a row of five large pillars. The new church was
planned as it now stands, apart from the fact that there was a centre aisle
opposite the pulpit leading to a central door. There were no pews fitted until 1867. The
lofts or galleries were the cause of a delay to the building work, however,
the main work was completed by 1757.
The long running legal battle between Lord
Torphichen and John Gillon continued for some time, but John Gillon did
provide the sum of £500 to cover the cost of the new building. It will be seen, by the coats of arms displayed
on each gallery, that Lord Torphichen was to occupy the centre gallery
where his family were warmed by a coal fire. The Gillon family were to
occupy the west gallery. As the Hope family of Bridgecastle were next in
line as Heritors, they occupied the east gallery. It was 1774 when the other Heritors were
allocated their spaces, each having to provide his own seats, the rest of
the congregation were also required to bring their own seats or just remain
standing. This situation continued for nearly one hundred years.
James Paton, Minister
1760 - 1796.
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