Dundee Parish Church (St Mary’s) is located in the east section of Dundee's "City Churches", the other being occupied by the Steeple Church. Both are congregations in the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

, although with differing styles of worship. Dundee played an important role in the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, and John Knox asserts in his History of the Reformation that "the first face of a public church Reformed" was that of St Mary's in Dundee, by 1556. The church dates back to 1190, when it was founded by

David, Earl of Huntingdon David of Scotland (Medieval Gaelic: ''Dabíd'') (1152 – 17 June 1219) was a Scottish prince and 8th Earl of Huntingdon. He was, until 1198, heir to the Scottish throne. Life He was the youngest surviving son of Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of ...

, brother of

William the Lion William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

, King of Scots. The original buildings have not survived. In 1303 the church was burnt by an invading English army. Following a further invasion in 1547 the church was burnt down again. In the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, Dundee's was the largest parish church in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

with the Old Steeple, built in the 1470s during the Provostship of

George Spalding George Spalding (November 12, 1836 – September 13, 1915) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Biography Spalding was born in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland and immigrated to the United States in 1843 with his parents. The sett ...

, the tallest tower. In 1841 three of the City Churches were again destroyed by fire. Two were rebuilt, the South Church or St Paul's and the East Church or St Mary's. St Mary's, now known as Dundee Parish Church (St Mary's) was rebuilt being completed in 1844 to the design of William Burn. In 1847 the rebuilt South Church was reopened under the name St Paul's (South) Church. The Old Steeple dates back to the 1480s. Between 1782 and 1841 there were no fewer than four Church of Scotland congregations occupying the City Churches under one roof but with separate sanctuaries. After the post 1841 rebuilding there were three congregations, then two since the 1980s – namely Dundee Parish Church (St Mary’s) and the Steeple Church. Several past ministers have served as

Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland List of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is a complete list of Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from the Reformation to the present day. Some listed below also currently have their own artic ...

, most recently the late Very Reverend Dr William B. R. Macmillan in 1991.

Ministers from the Reformation to 1690

St Mary's was the sole parish church for Dundee until 1834. Before this several congregations met within different parts of St Marys. A second congregation, the Second Charge, was founded in 1590. A Third Charge was added in 1609. Therefore from the period 1609-1690 there were three clergyman simultaneously deemed minister of Dundee, all leading their congregations within the one church. The church was divided into sections for the different congregations to meet.Hew Scott, ed., ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae'' (Edinburgh, 1925), pp. 313-333 First Charge: * Paul Methven 1558–1560 * William Christison 1560–1597 Moderator in 1569 * Robert Howie 1598–1605 * David Lindsay, MA 1606–1634 * Andrew Collace, MA 1635–1639 * Andrew Auchinleck, MA 1642–1663 * Henry Scrymgeour, MA 1664–1690 Second Charge (Also known as South Church, though this part of St Mary's was destroyed in a fire in 1645): * James Robertson 1588–1623 * John Duncanson, MA 1624–1651 * George Martin, MA 1658–1660 * Alexander Mylne 1661–1665 * John Guthrie, MA 1667–1685 * Robert Norie, MA 1686–1689 * George Anderson, MA 1690–1690 Third Charge (This congregation became St Paul's parish in 1834): * William Wedderburn, MA 1611–1616 * Colin Campbell, MA 1617–1638 * John Robertson, MA 1641–1662 * William Rait 1662–1679 * Robert Rait 1682–1689

Ministers since 1690

In 1690, following the Glorious Revolution the

permanently switched to

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Government. The incumbent minister of the Parish of Dundee, Henry Scrymgeour demitted office in 1690 and the charge was declared vacant in 1694. The charge was not filled until 1699. Since that time the following have served as minister of the charge: *Samuel Johnstone MA 1699–1731 *Thomas Davidson 1732–1760 * Robert Small DD 1761–1808 *Archibald McLachlan DD 1808–1848 *Charles Adie DD 1848–1861 * Archibald Watson MA DD 1862–1881 Moderator in 1880 (died in office) *Colin Campbell MA BD DD 1882–1905 *William L. Wilson MA 1905–1911 *Adam W. Fergusson MA BD 1911–1933 *Alfred Ernest Warr BD 1933–1936 *John Henry Duncan MA BPhil DD 1937–1951 * Hugh O. Douglas MA DD LLD KVCO CBE 1951–1977 * William B. R. MacMillan MA BD LLD DD 1978–1993 *Keith F. Hall MA BD 1994–present

Memorials

The church includes a memorial to the soldiers of the 4th (City of Dundee) Battalion & 4/5th (Angus & Dundee) Battalion, the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regime ...

, who died during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. A new memorial and roll of honour to commemorate over 600 local seamen and women who died during the Great War was placed in the church in 2017. The memorial was unveiled by Her Royal Highness

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

during a special service held in the church on 10 July 2017.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Dundee Parish Church (St Mary’s)
Church of Scotland churches in Scotland Churches in Dundee Category A listed buildings in Dundee Churches completed in 1844 Protestant churches converted from Roman Catholicism Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom 19th-century Church of Scotland church buildings Listed churches in Scotland

Ministers from the Reformation to 1690

Ministers since 1690

Memorials

See also

References

External links