GOGAR CHURCH
Gogar Church ©
Photograph from collection of Mrs. M. Day
Although it is called a Parish church it does not appear that any well-defined parish was ever assigned to it. It comprehended probably, the villages of Nether Gogar and Gogar Stone, and the whole of the lands now known by the name Gogar.
There was a church or rectory at Gogar, which is recorded in the MS. Taxationes Ecclesiasticarum in Episcopatu St Andreæ et Decanatu de Linlithgow in the year 1167, as Ecclesia de Gogar.
The church at Gogar is also recorded in the Taxatio of 1176. The Kirk of Gogar is valued at 12 marks, and in Bagimont’s Roll, at L. 5, 6s. 8d. John Coise’s stipend was the haill third of the parsonage and vicarage of Gogar and amounted to (£) L. 22, 4s. 5d. Scots.
By 1240 it was attached to Holyrood Abbey and in 1247 was consecrated by David de Bernham, Bishop of St.Andrews.
It is valued at 12 mercs in Antiqua Taxatio and in 1274/6 Bayamunds Valuation of Ecclesiastical Benefices in the Archdeaconcy of Lothian "Tithe of the Holy Land". The priest who served it received 10 mercs.
The Prior of Coldingham was appointed collector of the Archdeaconcy of Lothian between 1290-95 some 20 years after Bayamund and the value of the rectory is 10lbs. 19s. 9d.
It seems to have been separated from Holyrood in 1296, when the kirk lands belonging to it were given to Andrew, then parson of Gogar. Andrew obtained the protection of King Edward when he overran Scotland, so that his possessions should not be touched.
3 May 1411
To the Abbot of Holyrood. Mandate to reserve to James de Fawside, rector of the parish church of Gogor, St Andrews diocese, a benefice in the gift of the bishop of St Andrews and the prior and chapter of the Church of St Andrews in Scotland, if with cure to the value of 25 merks sterling, if without cure to the value of 18 merks sterling, vacant at present or to be vacant, notwithstanding that John is known to hold the said parish church and a perpetual chaplaincy in the parish church of Dalket, said diocese, combined value 20 merks sterling to a non-resident; but if he is provided to a benefice with cure he is to demit the aforesaid parish church.
Alcamcii, Saragossa
diocese, 5 Non. Maii, anno 17; expedited, 17 Kal. Jul., anno 17 (15th
June, 1411).
1416 Edward de Lawdre MA. Allowed to hold the Parish Church of Gogar. He still had an interest in 1422 when he was Archdeacon of Lothian. (In 1482 Edward was one of the three ambassadors sent by James I to the court of France to arrange a marriage between the child Princess Margaret of Scotland and the child Dauphine Louis of France).
1 January 1416
To Edward de Lawder, rector of the parish church of Gogar, St Andrews diocese, M.A. Indult for Edward, student of theology for about three years, and dispensed of a defect of birth, to hold the parish church of Gogar along with the parish church of Sythwyk which is in lay patronage, Glasgow diocese, with power of exchange outside the curia at the hands of the ordinary for similar or dissimilar benefices; but within two years he is to exchange one of these benefices for a compatible benefice, otherwise at the end of the two years he is to demit one of them.
Peniscola, Tortosa diocese, Kal. Jan., anno 22; expedited, 3ld. Jan., anno 22 (11th Jan., 1416).
31 December 1417
To Edward de Lawder, rector of the parish church of Gogar, St Andrews
diocese, M.A. Indult for Edward, of noble birth, to hold together the parish
churches of Gogar, St Andrews diocese, and of Suthwyk, Glasgow diocese, a
church in lay patronage, for a further period of two years. Edward, student in
holy writ, for five years, on Kal. Jan., anno 22 (1st Jan., 1416),
had been dispensed to hold these churches for two years but as the time has
expired this indult is granted, as above; but within the two years either Gogar
or Suthwyk must be exchanged for a compatible benefice, otherwise at the end of
the two years he is to demit one of them.
Peniscola, Tortosa diocese, 2 Kal. Ja. anno 24.
2 April 1419. Florence
Lately, on the voidance of the archdeaconry of LOTHIAN in the Church of St. Andrews, by the death outwith the Curia of the late Richard Cornel, chaplain of the Apostolic See, the Pope granted provision, or provided William Croiser, archdeacon of Teviotdale in the church of Glasgow, to the same. But, before the letters thereanent have been made out, the said William resigned, and now resigns, in the hands of the Pope all right in or to the said archdeaconry; therefore EDWARD DE LAWEDRE, deacon, St. Andrews diocese, M.A., supplicates that the Pope, admitting the resignation, would provide him to the said archdeaconry which is a dignity with cure (£120 of old sterling), whether void by the death of Richard or by the resignation of William, or in whatsoever way, and to which a canonry and prebend of Glasgow are canonically annexed; notwithstanding the parish church in Suthak, Glasgow diocese, which he holds (£20 of old sterling), and defect of birth, for which he has been dispensed, as the son of an unmarried man and an unmarried woman; and notwithstanding the parish church of Gogar, and a dispensation to hold two incompatibles. Also that the Pope would dispense him to hold the said archdeaconry together with the said parish church in Suthak at the pleasure of the Apostolic See, and to resign them as often as he pleases, simply or for exchange.
Fiat ut petitur et dispensamus ad duo incompatibilia ad beneplacitum Sedis Apostolic.(We dispense to him to hold two incompatibles at the pleasure of the Apostolic See).
Nova provisio
Item: recently on the voidance of a canonry and prebend and the archdeaconry of TEVIOTDALE in the Church of Glasgow by the death, outwith the Curia, of the late James Walteri, chaplain of the Apostolic See, the foresaid William Croiser obtained possession of the same by virtue of certain apostolic letters of collation. But the foresaid Edward, who obtained collation by ordinary authority and asserts that he had provision, resigned and now resigns in the hand of the Pope all right in or to the same and possession, if any. Lest therefore the foresaid William should be molested in future, he supplicates that the Pope, admitting Edwards resignation, would provide him to the said canonry and prebend and archdeaconry which is a dignity with cure (fruits of which (quorum), £80 of old sterling), whether void by the death of James or the resignation of Edward, or in whatsoever way, notwithstanding, the commend of the parish church of Kirkgonzan, a canonry and prebend of Dunkeld, and grant of provision to a canonry and prebend of Ross, and to the perpetual vicarage of Ennerlithien (all fruits, £60 of old sterling).
Fiat ut petitur. O.
Item: since the foresaid Edward resigned and now resigns in Curia the parish church of, St Andrews diocese, which he holds (£10 of old sterling), the said WILLIAM CROISER supplicates, as above, that the Pope would provide him to the same, and dispense him to hold it, and whatsoever other incompatible ecclesiastical benefice, together with the above archdeaconry of Teviotdale for four years, without prejudice to the commend of Kirkgonzan, with power of exchange of the church of Gogar and the other incompatible, and that in the meantime and after the lapse of four years the tenor and effect of the above dispensation and commend may not be affected.
Nova provisio. 29 May 1419. Florence
Lately on the voidance of the perpetual vicarage of the parish church of ENNERLITHAN Glasgow diocese, by the death outwith the Roman Court of the late James Walteri, asserted by some to be a chaplain of the Apostolic See, WILLIAM CROYSSER, M.A., canon of Dunkeld, was provided to the same by letters of the Pope. But because he doubts the validity of his provision, he supplicates that the Pope would ratify the same with whatsoever consequence and provide him anew to the foresaid vicarage (40 marks of old sterling), whether void as above or in whatsoever way: notwithstanding the archdeaconry of Teviotdale, and the canonries and prebends of Glasgow, Dunkeld and Ross, and the parish churches of Goghar, and Kirkgonzan (which he holds in commend), St Andrews and Glasgow diocese (total fruits £100 sterling).
Commendam 6 September 1419. Florence
WILLIAM BISHOP OF ORKNEY, ambassador of Scotland and procurator of Robert Duke of Albany, Governor of Scotland, in the Roman Court, that the Pope would dispense him to hold the parish church of GOGAR (18 marks of old sterling), St. Andrews diocese, void first by free resignation made into the hands of the Patriarch of Constantinople by Edward de Lawadris on his promotion to the archdeaconry of Lothian, - whereupon it was provided to William Croysar, who, without having obtained corporal possession, resigned it in the hands of the Cardinal of St. George ad velum aureum; to be held in commendam by the said William Bishop of Orkney, together with the parish church of ESSY (£22 sterling).St. Andrews diocese, which he held and possessed before his promotion to the Church of Orkney by Benedict XIII and which he still holds. And Pope Martin dispensed William, and confirmed the dispensation anew, to hold the said church of Essy and other benefices, which he then held, until he should obtain full and peaceable possession of the Church and fruits of Orkney or of another cathedral church, and for a full year thereafter.
He supplicates that he may hold the churches of Essy and Gogar until he is promoted or translated to some cathedral church in Scotland, especially because his Church of Orkney is poor and a cause of litigation through another provision made by Pope Martin, and he does not lift the fruits, and considering that he (for the pleasure of the Pope, and in order to make a concord between parties about benefices for which the three Estates of Scotland had written to his Holiness) dimitted his prebend of Ryny in the church of Moray for the said church of Gogar.
Fiat ut petitur dispensamus ad annum post pacificam possessionem ecclesie Orcadensis vel alterius ecclesie cathedralis. O.
Florence, 8ld. Sept., anno 2.
In 1425 William Croysar was one of the ambassadors sent to England to negotiate the ransom of James I.
Scottish Benefices 28 November 1419
ROBERT DE STRABROK, principal, obliged himself to the Camera for the annates of the parish church of GOGAR, St Andrews diocese (of which the fruits are valued at £12 of old sterling), void by the expiry of the commend made to William Bishop of Dunblane. He was collated at Florence, 13 Kal. Jan [20 December 1419], anno 3.
James Heriot, Bachilarius in Decretis, was rector here, he died in 1440 and is buried in Corstorphine Church.
Dispesatio 6 March. 1422 St Peter’s, Rome
Dispensations are narrated in some letters of the Pope, wherein it is said that EDWARD DE LAWEDRE, priest, St. Andrews diocese, M.A. of Paris and bachelor of theology, was dispensed that notwithstanding defect of birth as the son of an unmarried man and an unmarried woman he might be promoted to all orders and hold a benefice with cure, and then that he might hold two other compatibles, and, thirdly, that he might hold whatsoever ecclesiastical benefices. But the aforesaid Edward fears that the original letters of these dispensations are lost, and the registers of the former Benedict, by whose authority he was thus dispensed, are not to be had in the present Curia. He fears that the said dispensations are invalid because they were expedited by the Penitentiary of Benedict, and he doubts other causes of surreption; therefore he supplicates that the Pope would dispense him anew for the said defect of birth, according to the foregoing, ratifying all the consequences, as if he could sufficiently prove legitimate dispensations (perinde ac si de legittimis dispensationibus sufficentre constaret): notwithstanding the archdeaconry of Lothian in the Church of St. Andrews, a dignity with cure to which a canonry and prebend are annexed, about which he is litigating in the second instance: also the provostship to be erected in the church of St. Giles of Edinburgh, which will be a dignity with cure and principal therein; also the perpetual vicarage of Caral, St. Andrews diocese, about which he obtained the signature of a supplication (total fruits £200 of old sterling).
Fiat et petitur. O.
By a charter dated 30th October 1444, to the two chaplains of Gogar and Addistown, the teinds of Upper Gogar and Addistown, with ten merks Scots, half yearly out of the common purse.
The only distinguished rector of Gogar was Willielmus Manderstoun, who was also Doctor in Medicine, and Rector of the University of St. Andrews in 1530. He was the author of two learned works in logic and moral philosophy, (see McCrie’s Life of Melville) and probably held the living of Gogar as a sinecure.
In 1547 it is entered as Rectoria de Gogar, and it is included in Keith’s list of the parsonages at the reformation.
Accounts of Collectors of Thirds of Benefices 1561-1572: -
Edinburgh; abbacy of Halyrudehous,
Parsonage and vicarage of Gogare, £22. 4s. 51/3d.
Other parts mentioned are: -
Prebend of Corstorphin called half Dalmahoy and half Haltoune pertaining to Sir John Greneley, (died 1568) £13. 6s. 8d.
Prebend of Corstorphin called half Gogare and Alderstoune, £8. 17s. 91/3d.
Prebend of Corstorphin called half Gogare and Aldertsoune, pertaining to Ninian Borthweik, £11. 2s. 22/3d.
Prebend of Corstorphin called Byris and half Nortoune, £10. 4s. 51/3d.
Prebend of Corstorphin called half Bonytoun and Half Platt, £ 8. 17s. 91/3d.
Prebend of Corstorphine called half Haltoun and Dalmahoy, £13. 2s. 22/3d.
Mungo Wode, parson and vicar of Gogare and reader there, for his service in the ministrie of the said kirk befoir he wes appointed to Corstorphin, £16.
The following thirds of wheat: -
Prebend of Corstorphin called half Nortoune and Rathobyiris, 2b. 2f. 22/3p.
1574 James Hamilton, Minister at Kirknewton, supervised Gogar Church.
At the reformation the superintendent of Lothian placed John Coise, reader at the kirk of Gogar, who seems to have been a very illiterate man. In 1586 the presbytery ordered him “ to desist from public preaching, and to content himself with simple readings of God’s word” and at a second visitation in 1598, he was directed to “ read prayers and chapters, and catechise the people after the form of examination, and to learn thame to reheirs ye articles of ye beleif, ye commands, and ye Lord’s Prayer.”
1591 on the 6th of June, there was a visitation of Corstorphine and Gogar by certain members of the Presbytery, who reported “in the minister of Corstorphine they fand nathing sclanderous, and all things in the kirk they fand in a good state.” And as concerning the kirk at Gogar,“ they thought good, it being so small a congregation, and syk near to Corstorphine, that it should be joinit thereto, in which opinion the brethren of the Presbytery acquiesced.” This did not happen until several years after this visit.
In 1598 it would appear that Gogar only had a reader who resided in Edinburgh, whilst Corstorphine had a minister, elders and deacons. On 9th January 1599, a temporary union of the parishes was proposed, and having obtained the concurrence of three leading heritors of Gogar, they proceeded to put this into effect, that the parishioners of Gogar “sall come to Corstorphine ane day, and these of Corstorphine sall go to Gogar another”. The reader was transferred from Gogar to Corstorphine and the minister was instructed to preach alternately at Gogar and Corstorphine. This arrangement was not satisfactory to either parish, but it was enforced by the authority of the Presbytery, and every remonstrance against it was met by a promise to sanction separate charges, whenever ample provisions should be made for the maintenance of separate clergymen.
A complaint was made to the Privy Council in 1600 by Henry Forrester, Laird of Corstorphine, that William Arthur, minister at Gogar, had ordered him to come to Gogar Church “for hearing of the worde and ressaveing all uther benefits of the Kirk under pain of excommunication”. Forrester maintained that Corstorphine Kirk not Gogar was his parish church. The Privy Council upheld Forrester’s claim.
In April 1602, the parishioners of Corstorphine agreed to contribute an additional L30 yearly to the stipend of their clergyman, on condition of his confining his ministrations to Corstorphine church. This agreement was acceded by the parishioners of Gogar, on the understanding that they were to have the benefit of the kirk of Corstorphine until they could provide a minister for themselves. This never happened and the arrangement still stands today.
Henryson’s accounts, (Trinity Church and Hospital, Edinburgh) from 1594 to 1603, both inclusive, show that in each of these years the rental of the provostry amounted to
£185. 8s. 4d. The prebend of Gogar (resigned by Learmonth on 20th October 1597) for 1597, 1598 and 1599, amounted to £76. 2s. and for 1600 to 1603, both inclusive, to £77. 12s. Payments from the accounts are recorded as; To the last possessor of the prebend of Gogar (resigned in 1597), for 1597 to 1603, both inclusive, £50; to the reader of Gogar during the same years £22. 4s 5d.
In 1670 James Lord Foresteria sold the patronage and part of the teinds of Ratho to Charles Maitland of Ratho.
In the early 18th century the people of Leny and Lenymuir were frowned on by Cramond Kirk Session for burying at Gogar as it deprived Cramond of a source of revenue. The Leny cottagers were using the Corstorphine mortcloth and bell, not those of Cramond, for interments at Gogar and the fees charged for them went to Corstorphine poor fund. While the Leny poor had to be supported by the Cramond poor box fund. This practise continued until 1712 when the minister of Cramond appealed to Sir Andrew Myrton of Gogar, to speak to his Leny tenants. Sir Andrew who did not favour the Leny burials at Gogar ordered the gravedigger, Augustine Sclate, to bury only those who came with the Cramond mortcloth. He also told his tenants he would like them to stop burying at Gogar, while he took over the ruined chapel for his family burial ground.
In 1774 the then Baron of Gogar died and was buried within the church, however no trace remains of the family grave within the church. The ordinary people’s gravestones by and large survive in the churchyard today.
In 1748 Sir Robert Myreton of Gogar applied to the presbytery for a feu of the Glebe and churchyard of Gogar, consisting of four acres of arable land, then let at L.4 per annum, and he offered to pay to the minister and his successors that rent as a perpetual feu-duty. This arrangement was formally agreed to by the Presbytery, and was acted on until 1825 when Dr Scott, then the clergyman of the parish, having been advised that the transaction was illegal, raised an action against Mr. Ramsay of Barnton, and was successful in recovering the Glebe and churchyard as an inalienable property of the church. The clergyman then let it at a rent of (£) L. 4 per acre.
In 1755 the stipend of Gogar amounted to (£) L. 84 11s. 1d. rising in 1798 to (£) L. 175 16s. 8d.
Mention is made that in the churchyard of Gogar there is a large circular basin of free stone, used as the depository of the holy water in times of popery. This is still in use today within Corstorphine Parish Church.
Baptismal Font ©
Photograph from collection of Mrs. M. Day
There has been, since the middle of the seventeenth century, a school at the village of Gogar. It is supported by subscriptions, which at present (1839) amount to (£) L. 9 per annum. The school fees per quarter are, for English, 2s. 6d., and for English and arithmetic, 3s. The number of scholars averages about 40.
In 1891 Corstorphine Kirk decided to restore Gogar church, which was now only four roofless walls. They made the chancel of the old church the transept at the south end and leaving visible the line of the old east window. The architect was James Williamson.
Gentlemen in the Gogar area contributed to the costs and Miss Lockhart Ross presented a handsome oak communion table and chairs. The tower and porch were added in 1903, funds obviously not being available until later for this work.
These etchings were printed c1890 and show the ruined and the new church, presumably from the drawings submitted as the tower does not have the crow stepped gable roof as shown here.
Gogar Church Ruins ©
Gogar Church ©
Reproduced by kind permission of George Waterston & sons Ltd.
To begin with, services were held in daylight but in 1896 evening services were proposed for times “when there is good moonlight”.
The church was closed for worship in 1954 and is now the workshops of Chris Holmes, cabinetmaker.
Tombstones in the churchyard include
Carlile Tombstone ©
Photograph from collection of Mrs. M. Day
Photograph from collection of Mrs. M. Day
Photograph from collection of Mrs. M. Day
Photograph from collection of Mrs. M. Day
Photograph from collection of Mrs. M. Day