The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century; vol. 3/3

by David MacGibbon; Thomas Ross

Panel in South Wall of Tithe Barn.

end of the barn and in the old wall of the keep there is a fireplace 8 feet 6 inches wide, with a stone division. The fireplace, which is 5 feet high, has an oaken lintel with a well wrought relieving arch over it. This fireplace must have been used before the wall above was taken down, and indicated that the tower had probably been first enlarged as a residence and the whole afterwards converted into a barn. In the north wall near the fireplace there is a flat recess with a pointed arch 13 inches deep, the sill being about 3 feet above the floor. There are indications (see Plan) that the barn walls once extended further eastwards.

Near the west corner of the south wall is a panel (Fig. [1198]) with an effaced coat of arms.

MID-CALDER CHURCH, Mid-Lothian.

The town of Mid-Calder is situated in the western part of the County of Mid-Lothian.

The church was begun in the sixteenth century by Master Peter Sandilands, Rector of Mid-Calder, a younger son of the sixth Knight of Calder. Having raised the walls of the vestry or revestry and laid the foundations of the choir, and being then an old man, he provided the money for the entire completion of the church, including the nave, tower, &c., and paid a sum over to Sir James Sandilands of Calder (his nephew) and his son John, who bound themselves to complete the structure according to a bond engrossed in the public records. This bond is to the following effect:—[117]

After the usual preliminaries and having acknowledged the receipt of the sum of “xvj hundrethe merkis gude and vsuale money of the realme,” they undertake “to big and compleit the revestrie of the paroche kirk of Caldor with ane walter tabill at the heich that it is now vnder the thak inlikwise with ane wthir walter tabill abone the thak on the est gauill of the queir weill pendit in half round to the said queir vnder the said tabill inlikeuise weill thekit with thak stane And sall rais abone the said tabill in the est gauill of the queir and abone the turneqres and the tabill thairof tua lichtis als fair as thai may be had efferand to the heicht of the queir And abone the walter tabill abone the thak of the revestre and thre penis thairof to ryse cunteranis of buttreis vpoune the said eist gauill thre penis thairof And the remanent of the said queir to be endit of the lenthe and widenes as it is foundit and in heicht fra the sollis of the said queir duris to the vuer pairt of the walter tabill vnder the thak thairof xxxij futtis And the south thre lychtis in the sydevall of the said queir betuix the foure buttreis to ryse as thai are foundit als heich as thai may be had in the pend of the said queir efferand to the heich foirsaid And the saidis buttereis tobe compleit endit as thai ar now foundit And the north turneqres in the west pairt of the north sydevall thairof tobe tane avay And the said north vall to ryse xvj futtis of heicht as it is foundit rouch werk with corbell and walter tabill on the vther pairt thairof for ane closter and fra thine vp effeirand to the heicht of the said queir aislar werk And the said queir tobe compleitlie pendit with croce brace and rinruif conforme to Sanct Anthonis Yle in Sanct Gelis Kirk And at the west end of the said queir forgane the south west buttreis to rais ane substantious wall of rouch werk sevin fut of breid fra ilk sydewall with ane brace to be raisit tharein als heych as it may be had to serue the west gavil of the queir with hewin oggeruris And abone the said brace in the forsaid west gavill sulyeis tobe laid and ane stepil tobe raisit tharepoun viij futis of breid and lenth or vj futis braid and xij futis lenth within the sidwallis of the said stepill quhilk sidwallis salbe of vj futis of heich abone the queir thak at all partys with lychtis at all partis for the sound of the bellis in the said stepill to be persit for the orlage hand and bell in place maist gagand and convenient tharto And in the northe angell betuix the foresaid wall vnder the grete brace and northe wall of the kirk syd to rais ane commodious turngreis to serue the rud loft of the said kirk and stepill foresaid als esaly as it may be had Item to big ane kirk on the west pair(t) of the said queir nixt the said brace contenand in lenthe iiijxx of futis and xxviij futis braid within the wallis respectiue of rouche werk And the wallis thairof to be foure futis thik and xxvj futis heych fra the sole of the durris to the vuir part of the watter tabill of syd wallis with foure buttreis one ilk syd of the said kirk eslar werk efferand to the queir and four lycht to be biggit in the southsyd wall of the said kirk of x futis of wydnes and als heych as thai may be had squair lintalit efferand to the said heicht And in the southe wall of the said kirk betuix the twa buttreis to be biggit ane honest dur with ane plain proche with sege stabill on ilk syd thikyt with thak stane and ane honest dur in the west gavill of the said kirk with ane lycht abone the samen in myd gavill xij futis of breid rysand of heich in poyntcast als heich as it may be had efferand to the heycht of the gavill with sufficient mygallis in all the lychtis of the said kirk and queir with plane substantious cornettis of stane or irne quhilk salbe thocht maist gainand in the lychtis raisit of poyntcast And to put in ilk lycht of the wyndois grete lokartis of irne for binding of glas thareto And inlikuiss to put grete crukis in the said kirk durrys as efferis And the said haill kirk to be pendyt and weill thekyt with thak stane and the watter tabill of the sidwallis of the said kirk and queir to be larg of sulye betuix buttreis and buttereis and in ane caisment hevin for leid to be lad thairin to schout the watter by the wyndowis of the said kirk and queir to the angellis next the buttreis And ilk buttere of the foirsaid kirk and queir to haif ane honeste fiall And the alter of the queir tobe biggit of aislar werk and the haill queir tobe weill pathit with greis befoir the said alter and vther wayis as efferis with tua halie wattir fattis weill hewin to the said kirk and queir And the foirsaidis kirk and queir to be biggit and completit in maner foirsaid That is to say the said queir within the space of thre yeris nixt efter the dait herof And the said kirk within the space of vthair thre yeris nixt and immediatlie thairefter.” Following on this, John Sandilands, already mentioned, binds himself to give a “Charter and infeftment,” securing to the chaplain the sum “of xx merkis money” annually.

Fig. 1199.—Mid-Calder Church. Plan.

The actual building (Fig. [1199]) consists of a choir with tripartite apse having a sacristy or vestry to the east, and it has been carried out, so far as completed, very much in terms of the foregoing bond.