Anwoth old kirk

About

Anwoth Old Church is a ruined church building which was built in 1626 to serve the parish of Anwoth in the historic county of Kirkcudbrightshire in the administrative area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is roofless, but much of the walls remain, including the west gable which is surmounted by a bellcote. A number of substantial monuments exist within the church and its surrounding churchyard. Anwoth was the seat of Samuel Rutherford's ministry from 1627 until he was banned from preaching and exiled to Aberdeen in 1636. The church underwent substantial improvements in the early 18th Century, and remained in use until 1826 when it was partly dismantled and Anwoth Parish Church was built. The remains of the building, along with its churchyard, are designated a Category A listed building; a tomb of the Gordon family and a 12-century cross slab within the churchyard are separately designated a scheduled monument.

The earliest records of religious activity at Anwoth date back to the 12th century, when the parish was granted to Holyrood Abbey. A cross slab, dating to around 1100, was found in the churchyard in the late 19th century. Anwoth Old Church itself was built...