Halkirk Auld Kirk is a former parish church in Halkirk, Caithness, Scotland. Built in 1753, it stopped being used in 1934[1] and is now a ruin. Halkirk parish was formed at the time of the Reformation by the union of the Halkirk and Skinnet districts.[2] The "Halkirk Village Old Parish Church And Burial Ground" is a category B listed building.[3]
Geography
editThe church is situated on the east side of the River Thurso. Situated close to Skinnet, it is on the right bank of the water on a small round hill in the middle of an extensive plain.[4] The glebe measured from 7.5–8 acres (3.0–3.2 ha), which included the manse site and garden.[5]
History
editThe church of Halkirk, originally only a chapel attached to the bishop's residence, was dedicated to Saint Catharine, or according to some, to Saint Fergus. The Auld Kirk was built in 1753 upon the same site.[4] The Georgian T-plan design was built to accommodate about 756 individuals, and underwent a substantial repair in 1833. The manse was built about the same time as the church, and underwent some repairs in 1823.[5] By the mid 20th century, the interior had been greatly altered internally and the building was in a decaying state.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Old Parish Church Halkirk". caithness.org. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ^ The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (Public domain ed.). Virtue. 1868. p. 171.
- ^ "Halkirk, Old Parish Church". RCAHMS. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ^ a b Anderson, William; Robertson, Joseph; Brichan, James Brodie; John McNab (1855). Origines Parochiales Scotiae: pt. 1. Diocese of Argyle. Diocese of the Isles (Public domain ed.). W.H. Lizars. pp. 758–.
- ^ a b The New Statistical Account of Scotland: pt.1–2 Sutherland, Caithness, Orkney, Shetland, General index (Public domain ed.). Blackwood. 1845. pp. 78–.
- ^ Hay, George (1957). The architecture of Scottish post-Reformation churches, 1560–1843. Clarendon Press. p. 92.
Bibliography
edit
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Blackwood's "The New Statistical Account of Scotland: pt.1–2 Sutherland, Caithness, Orkney, Shetland, General index" (1845)- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: W. Robertson's "Origines Parochiales Scotiae: pt. 1. Diocese of Argyle. Diocese of the Isles" (1855)
