The Parish Church of St Cuthbert is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

in central

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. Probably founded in the 7th century, the church once covered an extensive

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

around the burgh of Edinburgh. The church's current building was designed by

Hippolyte Blanc Hippolyte Jean Blanc (18 August 1844 – 17 March 1917) was a Scottish architect. Best known for his church buildings in the Gothic revival architecture, Gothic revival style, Blanc was also a keen antiquarian who oversaw meticulously rese ...

and completed in 1894. St Cuthbert's is situated within a large

churchyard In Christian countries, a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church (building), church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster S ...

that bounds

Princes Street Gardens Princes Street Gardens are two adjacent public parks in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland, lying in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. The Gardens were created in the 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town, ...

and

Lothian Road The A700 road is a short but important link skirting Edinburgh City Centre between the A8 and A7 roads. Route The road begins at the West End junction at the terminus of the A8 and heads south then east comprising the streets of Lothian Road ...

. A church was probably founded on this site during or shortly after the life of

Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne () ( – 20 March 687) was a saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Hiberno-Scottish mission, Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monastery, monasteries of Melrose Abbey#Histo ...

. The church is first recorded in 1128, when

David I David I may refer to: * David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399 * David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741) * David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881) * David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048) * David I of Scotland ...

granted it to

Holyrood Abbey Holyrood Abbey is a ruined abbey of the Canons Regular in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1128 by David I of Scotland. During the 15th century, the abbey guesthouse was developed into a List of British royal residences, royal r ...

. At that time, the church covered an extensive parish, which was gradually reduced until the 20th century by the erection and expansion of other parishes, many of which were founded as

chapels of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to travel distance. Often ...

of St Cuthbert's. St Cuthbert's became a Protestant church at the

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process whereby Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke away from the Catholic Church, and established the Protestant Church of Scotland. It forms part of the wider European 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Fr ...

in 1560: from after the Reformation until the 19th century, the church was usually called the West Kirk. After the Restoration in 1660, the congregation remained loyal to the

Covenanters Covenanters were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. It originated in disputes with James VI and his son ...

. The church's position at the foot of

Castle Rock Castle Rock may refer to: Geography Islands * Castle Rock (Alaska), an island off the coast of the U.S. state of Alaska * Castle Rock, Hong Kong, an island of Hong Kong, part of the Po Toi Islands * Castle Rock (Massachusetts), an island in th ...

saw it damaged or destroyed at least four times between the 14th and 17th centuries. The current church was built between 1892 and 1894 to replace a Georgian church, which had itself replaced a building of uncertain age. The building was designed by Hippolyte Blanc in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

styles and retains the steeple of the previous church. The ''Buildings of Scotland'' guide to Edinburgh calls the church's furnishings "extraordinary". Features include

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows by

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is associated with the art nouveauLander, David"The Buyable ...

Douglas Strachan Douglas Strachan Hon. RSA (26 May 1875, Aberdeen, Scotland – 20 November 1950) is considered the most significant Scottish designer of stained glass windows in the 20th century. He is best known for his windows at the Peace Palace in The Hagu ...

, and Ballantyne & Gardiner; mural paintings by

Gerald Moira Gerald Edward Moira (26 January 1867 – 2 August 1959) was an English painter who became best known for his murals. Gerald Moira was born in London, the son of a former Portuguese diplomat who became a miniature painter. He first exhibited at ...

and John Duncan; and memorials by

John Flaxman John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several yea ...

and

George Frampton Sir George James Frampton, (18 June 1860 – 21 May 1928) was a British sculptor. He was a leading member of the New Sculpture movement in his early career when he created sculptures with elements of Art Nouveau and Symbolism, often combinin ...

. The church also possesses a

ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

of ten bells by Taylor of Loughborough. The church has been a Category A listed building since 1970. Seven of the church's ministers have served as

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every year. After chairing the Ass ...

during their incumbencies, including

Robert Pont Robert Pont (the abbreviated form of Kylpont or Kynpont) (1529–1606) was a Church of Scotland minister, judge and reformer. He was a church minister, commissioner and a Senator of the College of Justice. His translation of the Helvetian ...

, who held the role on six occasions between the 1570s and 1590s. The church's present work includes ministries among homeless people and Edinburgh's business community.

History

Earliest days to the Reformation

It is uncertain when the first church of St Cuthbert was founded. Some secondary sources date its foundation to the latter part of the 7th century, during or shortly after the life of

Saint Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne () ( – 20 March 687) was a saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Northumbria ...

.Scott 1915, p. 93.Dunlop 1988, p. 109.Gray 1940, p. 23.Lorimer 1915, p. 5. Others place its foundation and dedication to the saint after the arrival to Scotland of Queen Margaret in 1069.RCAHMS 1951, p. 185. St Cuthbert's may be the church of "Edwinsbruch" which

Symeon of Durham __NOTOC__ Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (fl. c.1090 to c. 1128 ) was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory. Biography Symeon was a Benedictine monk at Durham Cathedral at the end of the eleventh century. He may have been one of 23 mo ...

refers to as being in the possession of

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th centu ...

in 854. The parish may also have covered the whole of Edinburgh before the parish of St Giles' was detached from it in the 12th century. The earliest explicit record of the church comes in a charter of c. 1127, issued by

granting to St Cuthbert's Church near the castle ′''all the land below the castle, from the spring which rises beside the corner of the king's garden along the road to the church, and from the other side beneath the castle to a road beneath the castle towards the east''′. The 1127 charter is followed almost immediately by another charter in 1128. This charter, issued by

, gave the parish of St Cuthbert to

. This charter also granted the Abbey two chapels of the church, located at Liberton and

Corstorphine Corstorphine (Scottish Gaelic: ''Crois Thoirfinn'') ( ) is an area of the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh. Formerly a separate village and parish to the west of Edinburgh, it is now a suburb of the city, having been formally incorporate ...

; these became independent parish churches around the middle of the 13th century. The church of St Cuthbert was consecrated by

David de Bernham David de Bernham (died 1253) was Chamberlain of King Alexander II of Scotland and subsequently, Bishop of St Andrews. He was elected to the see in June 1239, and finally consecrated, after some difficulties, in January 1240. He died at Nentho ...

bishop of St Andrews The Bishop of St. Andrews (, ) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews (), the Archdiocese of St Andrews. The name St Andrews is not the town or ...

on 16 March 1242; this was probably a re-consecration to correct the loss of any previous record of consecration. In 1251, Bishop David annexed the

parson A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term d ...

age of St Cuthbert's to Holyrood, whereafter it became a perpetual

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

age, usually held by one of the canons of Holyrood. By the 15th century, the church contained multiple subsidiary altars served by chaplains.Gray 1940, p. 24. A relic of the medieval St Cuthbert's was discovered in 1773: while demolishing the old church, workmen discovered bones and a

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...

within a leaden coffin. The urn issued a fragrant smell and within it lay an

embalmed Embalming is the art and science of preserving human remains by treating them with embalming chemicals in modern times to forestall decomposition. This is usually done to make the deceased suitable for viewing as part of the funeral ceremony or ...

human heart. The heart may have been that of a

crusader Crusader or Crusaders may refer to: Military * Crusader, a participant in one of the Crusades * Convair NB-36H Crusader, an experimental nuclear-powered bomber * Crusader tank, a British cruiser tank of World War II * Crusaders (guerrilla), a C ...

that was returned to his family from the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

.Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 8. The church may have been destroyed during

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

's sack of Edinburgh in 1385 and again during the sack of Edinburgh in 1544. After the latter destruction, it may have been rebuilt: in 1550,

Alexander Ales Alexander Ales or Alexander Alesius (; born Alexander Alane; 23 April 150017 March 1565) was a Scottish theologian who emigrated to Germany and became a Lutheran supporter of the Augsburg Confession. Life Originally Alexander Alane, he was ...

referred to "the new Parish Church of St Cuthbert's". By the time of the

, St Cuthbert's parish covered a large area surrounding the burghs of Edinburgh and the

Canongate The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. David ...

: it bounded

Newhaven Newhaven is a port town in the Lewes district of East Sussex, England, lying at the mouth of the River Ouse. The town developed during the Middle Ages as the nearby port of Seaford began drying up, forcing a new port to be established. A ...

and

Cramond Cramond Village (; ) is a village and suburb in the north-west of Edinburgh, Scotland, at the mouth of the River Almond where it enters the Firth of Forth. The Cramond area has evidence of Mesolithic, Bronze Age and Roman activity. In modern ...

in the north;

in the west,

Colinton Colinton is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated southwest of the city centre. Up until the late 18th century it appears on maps as Collington. It is bordered by Dreghorn to the south and Craiglockhart to the north-east. To the north-w ...

and Liberton in the south; and

Duddingston Duddingston is an affluent, historic village in the east of Edinburgh, Scotland, next to Holyrood Park.It is a conservation area, not to be confused with the rest of Duddingston, which stretches down towards Portobello. Duddingston Village bo ...

and

Restalrig Restalrig ( ) is a small residential suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland (historically, an estate and independent parish). It is located east of the city centre, west of Craigentinny and to the east of Lochend, Edinburgh, Lochend, both of which it ...

in the north. The parish also contained

nunneries A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican Comm ...

Sciennes Sciennes (pronounced , ) is a district of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated approximately south of the city centre. It is a mainly residential district, although it is also well-known as the site of the former Royal Hospital for Sick Children. ...

and

the Pleasance The Pleasance is a theatre, bar, sports and recreation complex in Edinburgh, Scotland, situated on a street of the same name. It is owned by the University of Edinburgh, and for nine months of the year it serves the Edinburgh University Stu ...

. The first Protestant minister of St Cuthbert's was William Harlaw, a colleague of

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

, who, unlike Knox himself, had remained in Scotland in the face of persecution. In 1574, Harlaw was joined by

. Skilled in law as well as theology, Pont served as

moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the Chair (official), chairperson of a General Assembly (presbyterian church), General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Calvinism, Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbytery (church pol ...

on six occasions and also acted as a

Lord of Session The senators of the College of Justice in Scotland are judges of the College of Justice, a set of legal institutions involved in the administration of justice in Scotland. There are three types of senator: Lords of Session (judges of the Court ...

John Napier John Napier of Merchiston ( ; Latinisation of names, Latinized as Ioannes Neper; 1 February 1550 – 4 April 1617), nicknamed Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish landowner known as a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He was the 8 ...

served as an elder of St Cuthbert's around the turn of the 17th century.

Conflict: 1572–1689

In the 16th and 17th century, St Cuthbert's position in the shadow of

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

left the church vulnerable when the Castle came under attack. In January 1573, during the siege of the Castle in the Marian civil war, troops of the

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581) was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort Henry Darnley. He was the last of the four regents of Scot ...

occupied St Cuthbert's and were attacked by some of the defenders of the castle, who set fire to the church on 17 January 1573. The church was probably rebuilt after this.Gray 1940, p. 25. In 1593, a new church, known as the "Little Kirk" was constructed at the western end. When

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

erected the

Diocese of Edinburgh The Diocese of Edinburgh is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers the City of Edinburgh, the Lothians, the Scottish Borders, Borders and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The diocesan centre is St Mary's Cathedra ...

in 1633, St Cuthbert's was allocated to the new diocese. The church was again damaged during the

Bishops' Wars The Bishops' Wars were two separate conflicts fought in 1639 and 1640 between Scotland and England, with Scottish Royalists allied to England. They were the first of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which also include the First and Second En ...

in 1640–1642. The congregation had decamped to the

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

by May 1640.Gray 1940, p. 126. In the summer of 1650, the church was occupied as a battery by the soldiers of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

. The congregation met in the Town's College during these events, returning only in 1655.Gray 1940, pp. 26-27. In 1660, at the Restoration and the reintroduction of

episcopacy A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

in the

, the ministers and most of the congregation adhered to the Covenants and were expelled from the established church.

David Williamson David Keith Williamson (born 1942) is an Australian playwright, who has also written screenplays and teleplays. He became known in the early 1970s with his political comic drama '' Don's Party'', and other well-known plays include '' The Clu ...

and James Reid ministered to the faithful at a new site in the

.Gray 1940, p. 27. At the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

in 1689, the church was damaged by cannon fire from the Castle and the congregation again removed to the Dean.Dunlop 1988, p. 110. The accession of William of Orange led to the abolition of

in the Church of Scotland and the right to nominate ministers of St Cuthbert's passed to the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

. Nomination could, however, prove controversial: in 1732, the imposition of Patrick Wotherspoon as minister caused a riot around the doors of the church. This was quelled by the intervention of the town guard under Captain Porteous.Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 17. David Williamson returned as minister at the revolution and remained until his death in 1706. Known as "Dainty Davie" for the delicacy of his manners, Williamson was a leading figure in church and state, serving as

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the Chair (official), chairperson of a General Assembly (presbyterian church), General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Calvinism, Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbytery (church pol ...

in 1702.Gray 1940, p. 28.Lorimer 1915, p. 43.

18th century to present

St Cuthbert's was loyal to the

Hanoverians The House of Hanover ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...

during the

Jacobite risings Jacobitism was a political ideology advocating the restoration of the senior line of the House of Stuart to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British throne. When James II of England chose exile after the November 1688 Glorious Revolution, ...

and provided a quota of volunteers to suppress the 1715 rebellion. During the

1745 rebellion The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of the British Army was fightin ...

, Jacobite troops were stationed in St Cuthbert's. During their occupation of Edinburgh, the Jacobites restricted worship within the city churches yet worship continued in St Cuthbert's as usual and the minister, Neil McVicar, avoided the proclamation to pray for

Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

. McVicar instead offered the prayer: "Bless the King. Thou knowest what King I mean. As for the man that is come among us seeking an earthly crown, we beseech Thee in mercy to take him to Thyself, and give him a crown of glory." St Cuthbert's was involved in the early development of

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

. In May 1764,

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

visited St Cuthbert's for communion; in his journal, he unfavourably compared the rites to those of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

. Lady Maxwell of Pollok, one of Wesley's leading supporters in Scotland, was also a member of St Cuthbert's.Gray 1940, p. 29. By the middle of the 18th century, the Church of St Cuthbert was nearing ruin: in 1745, the roof of the Little Kirk was destroyed and in 1772, the collapse of some seating occasioned the condemnation of the building. The congregation decamped to the Methodist Chapel in Low Calton and returned on 31 July 1775, when the new church was opened. The

Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of Sc ...

little affected St Cuthbert's. Neither minister joined the

Free Church A free church is any Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church neither defines government policy, nor accept church theology or policy definitions from the government. A f ...

; however, six elders did and founded Free St Cuthbert's. By the late 19th century, the 18th-century church was inadequate for what was, by then, one of Scotland's largest congregations. The final service was held on 11 May 1890 and the foundation stone of the new church was laid on 18 May 1892 by

William Hay, 10th Marquess of Tweeddale William Montagu Hay, 10th Marquess of Tweeddale, KT, DL (29 January 1826 – 25 November 1911), known before 1878 as Lord William Hay or Lord William Montagu Hay, was a Scottish landowner, peer and politician. He was born at Yester House, near ...

Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the monarch's personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (the Kirk), reflecting the Church's role as the national church of Scotla ...

, who read a message from

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. The new church, designed by

, was opened on 11 July 1894.Gray 1940, p. 31. The interior of the church was embellished with furnishings and artwork throughout the 20th century. On 11 September 1930,

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

married her second husband,

Max Mallowan Sir Max Edgar Lucien Mallowan, (6 May 1904 – 19 August 1978) was a prominent British archaeologist and academic, specializing in the Ancient Near East. Having studied classics at Oxford University, he was trained for archaeology by Leonard W ...

, in the memorial chapel.

Parish

Territory and population

From earliest times to the 19th century, St Cuthbert's parish covered a large area around Edinburgh. In the late

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

n period, St Cuthbert's may have served as the minster for an area stretching from the environs of Edinburgh to the River Almond in the west and the

Pentland Hills The Pentland Hills are a range of hills southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around in length, and runs southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale. Etymology The hills take their name from the hamlet of Pe ...

in the south. The parish had been reduced in size in the mid-13th century by the detachment of Liberton and

. Prior to the foundation of St Giles' in the 12th century, the parish may also have covered the

burgh A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...

of Edinburgh itself. By the time of the

, St Cuthbert's parish contained around 2,000 inhabitants and covered a large area surrounding the burghs of Edinburgh and the

: it bounded

and

in the north;

in the west,

and Liberton in the south; and

and

in the east. The parish also contained

and

, two chapels on the

Burgh Muir The Burgh Muir is the historic term for an extensive area of land lying to the south of Edinburgh city centre, upon which much of the southern part of the city now stands following its gradual spread and more especially its rapid expansion in t ...

and other chapels at

, Low Calton, and Wester Portsburgh.Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 7. After the Reformation, the size of the parish was reduced by the extension of Edinburgh's parishes in 1621 and again by the transfers of

Saughton Saughton () is a suburb of the west of Edinburgh, Scotland, bordering Broomhouse, Edinburgh, Broomhouse, Stenhouse, Edinburgh, Stenhouse, Longstone, Edinburgh, Longstone and Carrick Knowe. In Scots language, Lowland Scots, a "sauch" is a will ...

and

Ravelston Ravelston is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to the west of the city centre, the east of Corstorphine and Clermiston, the north of Murrayfield, West End and Roseburn and to the south of Queensferry Road (the A90). Ravelston is often conside ...

and

Craiglockhart Craiglockhart (; ) is a suburb in the south west of Edinburgh, Scotland, lying between Colinton to the south, Morningside to the east Merchiston to the north east, and Longstone and Kingsknowe to the west. The Water of Leith is also to the w ...

in 1627 and the transfer of

North Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

in 1630.Dunlop 1988, p. 111. By 1642, the parish was divided into 21 area divisions; by 1743, this had increased to 26. In the same year, the population of the parish was 9,493, rising to 12,000 in 1753; by 1822, the population of the parish's southern division alone was 20,250.

Chapels of ease

In 1754, the

kirk session A session (from the Latin word ''sessio'', which means "to sit", as in sitting to deliberate or talk about something; sometimes called ''consistory'' or ''church board'') is a body of elected elders governing a particular church within presbyte ...

agreed to address the parish's growing population by constructing the first of a number of

. Completed in 1756 and known as the Buccleuch Chapel, the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

recognised this first chapel as a parish ''

quoad sacra A ''quoad sacra'' parish is a parish of the Church of Scotland which does not represent a civil parish. That is, it had ecclesiastical functions but no local government functions. Since the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929, civil parishes hav ...

'' in 1834. By the creation of other chapels and their elevation as parish churches, the size of St Cuthbert's parish was gradually reduced.

Detached parishes

In addition to chapels of ease founded by St Cuthbert's, the erection of other parish churches further reduced the size of St Cuthbert's parish. St Andrew's, St George's, St Mary's, and St Stephen's covered the expanding area of the

New Town New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

and were raised by the

town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...

between 1781 and 1828. Otherwise, most of these churches were raised as missions by St Cuthbert's or by neighbouring churches. As early as 1836, St Cuthbert's supported missionaries in St Leonard's and

Canonmills Canonmills is a district of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It lies to the south east of the Royal Botanic Garden at Inverleith, east of Stockbridge and west of Bellevue, in a low hollow north of Edinburgh's New Town. The area was formerl ...

Schools and poorhouse

A parish school in St Cuthbert's is first mentioned in 1596. In 1612, Samuel West applied to found a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

in the West Port; he was followed by others, who founded schools at

Burghmuirhead Burghmuirhead (sometimes anglicised as Boroughmuirhead) is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland. The area lies between Bruntsfield to the north and Morningside, Edinburgh, Morningside to the south. West is Merchiston and east is Greenhill, Edinburgh ...

the Dean The Dean is a boutique hotel located at 122 Fountain Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The building's use as a hotel was part of a renewal project in Downtown, Providence. History Built in 1912, 122 Fountain Street was used as a shelter r ...

, and at Kirkbraehead (now

).Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 15. In 1826, a parish school was constructed in Dean Street and transferred to the parish of St Bernard's in 1852.Dunlop 1988, p. 112. In 1583, the

introduced beggars' badges for use in the parish.Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 11. The use of begging badges continued, with an interruption between 1731 and 1739, until 1762, when the church opened a charity

poorhouse A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy. Workhouses In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), "workhouse" has been the more ...

on Riding School Lane, now on the site of the

Caledonian Hotel The Caledonian Edinburgh is a five-star hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland. Opened in 1903, it is an example of a British grand railway hotel. Nicknamed "The Caley", it stands at the west end of Princes Street and is a category A listed building. ...

.Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 21. The number of occupants rose from 84 at the poorhouse's foundation to 539 in 1837. By this time, the poorhouse incorporated a school for over 200 children as well as a sewing school. In 1867, the

Caledonian Railway The Caledonian Railway (CR) was one of the two biggest of the five major Scottish railway companies prior to the 1923 Grouping. It was formed in 1845 with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively ex ...

's construction of Princes Street Station forced the poorhouse to move. From 1871, the poorhouse then occupied a new building in

Craigleith Craigleith () is a small island in the Firth of Forth off North Berwick in East Lothian, Scotland. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic ''Creag Lìte'' meaning "rock of Leith". It is at its highest point. Geography and geology Craigleith is ...

, designed by Peddie and Kinnear. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, this was occupied as an army hospital and now forms the oldest part of the

Western General Hospital The Western General Hospital (often abbreviated to simply ‘The Western General’) is a health facility at Craigleith, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Lothian. History The hospital was designed by Peddie and Kinnear and opened as ...

Halls

St Cuthbert's maintained mission halls in Morrison Street in Tollcross from 1849 to 1967 and on Freer Street in

Fountainbridge Fountainbridge is a former industrial district in Edinburgh, Scotland, a short distance west of the Old Town. It is built around the street of the same name, which begins at the West Port and continues (as Dundee Street) towards Gorgie and Da ...

from 1903 to 1958.Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 6. The former church halls stand within the churchyard slightly south of the church and facing onto King's Stables Road. The two-storeyed halls were completed in 1893 to designs of McCarthy and Watson and are in the Queen Anne style, displaying the influence of

James Gibbs James Gibbs (23 December 1682 – 5 August 1754) was a Scottish architect. Born in Aberdeen, he trained as an architect in Rome, and practised mainly in England. He is an important figure whose work spanned the transition between English Ba ...

. The halls replaced an earlier building by

MacGibbon and Ross David MacGibbon (2 April 1831 – 20 February 1902) and Thomas Ross (10 November 1839 – 4 December 1930) were Scottish architects. Their practice, MacGibbon and Ross was established in 1872 and continued until 1914. They are best known today f ...

, which was demolished due to the expansion of the railway.Gifford, McWilliam, Walker 1984, p. 276. The halls were refurbished in 1981 and given over to commercial purposes after the creation of new rooms within the church itself in the early 1990s. They have been

Category C listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the Listed buildings in the United Kingdom, listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key ...

since 2000.

Architecture

Previous buildings

Pre-1775 church

Before the building of the previous St Cuthbert's in 1775, the architectural history of the church is unclear. When the Georgian church was demolished, evidence of six previous buildings was claimed to have been found. The preceding church may have been built after the sack of Edinburgh in 1544 and before 1550, when

refers to the "new parish church of St Cuthbert's". Alternatively, the church demolished in the 1770s may have been constructed in the wake of the Lang Siege. When the 1775 church was demolished, a number of

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

moulded stones were discovered among the

rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionar ...

: these probably came from the earlier church.Lorimer 1915, p. 6. James Gordon of Rothiemay's 1647 map of Edinburgh shows a long building with a pitched roof, a

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

at the south, and a tower at the west. From the late 16th century, records of the kirk session make frequent references to repairs and additions to the church. Many of these concern the addition of new lofts to accommodate a growing congregation. In 1593, an extension, known as the "Little Kirk" was added to the west of the church, the

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a relig ...

was rebuilt, and the church's

thatch Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, Phragmites, water reed, Cyperaceae, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), Juncus, rushes, Calluna, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away fr ...

roof was replaced with

slates SLATES (Search, Links, Authorship, Tags, Extensions, Signalling) is an initialism that describes the business impacting capabilities, derived from the effective use of Web 2.0 technologies in and across enterprises. Origin of the term This acron ...

. The church was damaged during the

Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

and afterwards repaired, except for the Little Kirk, which was converted into a burial aisle. The Little Kirk was unroofed in 1745. By the time of its demolition, St Cuthbert's was an amorphous collection of extensions; William Sime described an interior of "petty galleries stuck up one above another, to the very rafters, like so many pigeons' nests".Gray 1940, p. 30.Gifford, McWilliam, Walker 1984, p. 274. The only portion of this church to survive is the burial vault of the Nisbets of Dean under the north side of the church, the entrance to which is marked by a stone plaque, bearing the family

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

and dated 1692. The plaque was taken down and reinstated during the construction of the 1775 church and again during the construction of the current church.

Georgian St Cuthbert's

In 1772, the older church was condemned and replaced with a simple, barn-like church designed and built by James Weir. The church stood four

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

in length and three in width with a long, round-headed upper window in each bay; in the longitudinal walls, these stood above shorter, segmental-arched lower windows. The roof rested at a shallow pitch. An oculus adorned the space beneath the apex of the east

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

. The corners were

quoin Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th-century encyclopedia, ...

ed.Hay 1957, p. 81. Initially, this church possessed a

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

ed tower whose base projected from the line of the west gable but whose height extended no further than the line of the roof. Between 1789 and 1790, Alexander Stevens heightened the tower by addition the

. The tower and its steeple are the only surviving portion of the Georgian church, having been retained during the construction of the current church. Internally,

box pew A box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th centuries. History in England Before the rise of Protestantism, seating was not customary in c ...

s and two storeys of semi-octagonal galleries surrounded the tall, canopied

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

. The galleries were accessed by a stairway in the west tower with trap stairs leading into the galleries.Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 23. The church could seat up to 3,000.Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 22. By 1888, the church had become unfashionable and unsafe and

was appointed to design a replacement. Blanc first proposed only to recase the building; it was later decided to rebuild the church on a larger scale. The last service was held in the Georgian church on 11 May 1890. The money for the rebuild was in large part from the will of Rev James Veitch who had died in 1879.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; by Hew Scott

Present church

Exterior

Except for the

, the church was designed by

in the

and

styles and constructed between 1892 and 1894.Dunlop 1988, p. 107. Blanc's exterior is executed in cream

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

, roughly dressed and snecked with

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

dressings. The exterior is divided into upper and lower levels by a continuous

course Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...

of ashlar. Every corner of the church is decorated with half-

fluted Fluting may refer to: *Fluting (architecture) *Fluting (firearms) *Fluting (geology) * Fluting (glacial) *Fluting (paper) *Playing a flute (musical instrument) Arts, entertainment, and media *Fluting on the Hump ''Fluting on the Hump'' is the ...

Corinthian

pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

on the upper stage and

ing on the lower. The roof rests at a shallow pitch and is slated. The north and south elevations of the church are near-identical. Round-arched windows pierce the upper level of each of the four western

. The

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...

s of these windows are supported by half-fluted Corinthian pilasters. The lower level of each bay is pierced by an oblong window below a

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

d architrave. The westernmost bay on each side is slightly advanced and a door, flanked to the west by a small window, stands in place of the lower window. Along the top of these four bays runs a tall ashlar

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

. Towards the east end of each side extends a shallow

. In the lower level stands a door with Doric pilasters in a corniced surround, flanked by small windows. The upper level of the transept is pierced by an

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

of three round-arched windows, flanked by half-

Corinthian

and supported by Corinthian column

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...

s. West of the transept on the north side, steps descend to a round-arched doorway in the basement level of the church: this is the Nisbet of Dean burial vault, constructed in 1692 and retained during the construction of the current church and its predecessor. The north and south elevations terminate with square-based, three-storeyed Baroque towers on the east sides of the transepts. Small oblong windows pierce each of the upper two storeys and doors stand in the ground level. Each tower is crowned by a decorative

in each corner and a

lantern A lantern is a source of lighting, often portable. It typically features a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle, a oil lamp, wick in oil, or a thermoluminescence, thermoluminescent Gas mantle, mesh, and often a ...

, which consists of a square-based lower stage and an octagon-based

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

upper stage. The lower stage of the lantern is pierced by a tall, open, round-headed arch in each face while angled

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...

es with half-fluted double Ionic pilasters support each corner. The buttresses are capped by decorative scrolls that rest against the intermediate faces of the octagonal

while

oculi An oculus (; ) is a circular opening in the center of a dome or in a wall. Originating in classical architecture, it is a feature of Byzantine and Neoclassical architecture. A horizontal oculus in the center of a dome is also called opaion (; ...

pierce the cardinal faces. Each cupola is crowned by a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

capped with a ball

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

.Gifford, McWilliam, Walker 198, p. 275. The twin towers form the flanks of the east elevation. The central section is dominated by the semi-circular

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

, which is covered by a leaded half-

beneath the apex of the pointed east

. The lower stage of the apse is undecorated while the upper stage is divided into three bays by Corinthian pilasters. In each bay, an oblong window sits below a panel with carved garlands. The wall each side of the apse advances slightly from the line of the towers and is capped with a decorative scroll.

Steeple

The first stage of the tower's west elevation dates from James Weir's initial construction of the 1775 church; it is

ed and advances from the centre of the west gable. On the ground level, a channelled blind arch frames a large memorial sculpture of 1844 by

Alexander Handyside Ritchie Alexander Handyside Ritchie (16 April 1804 – 24 April 1870) was a Scottish sculptor born in Musselburgh. Life Ritchie was born in Musselburgh in 1804, the son of James Ritchie, a local brickmaker and ornamental plasterer, and his wife Euphem ...

: this depicts David Dickson blessing children.Gifford, McWilliam, Walker 1984, p. 277. Above the arch is a Venetian window with the central light blocked. The first stage of the tower terminates in a simple

, beneath whose

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

rests a

sundial A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...

dated 1774. The

of the war memorial chapel projects slightly from the north side of the ground floor of the tower. Above the first stage, Alexander Stevens'

begins as a narrower extension of the tower. The steeple displays the influence of

and

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (architect), William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and train ...

; though a more immediate influence is William Sibbald's 1785 design for the

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

of St Andrew's. The steeple's central position in the western gable helped to disguise the shallow pitch of the Georgian church's roof. The tower continues in stages divided by horizontal moulded bands. In the first stage, an oculus pierces the west elevation. In the second stage, the tower rises above the line of the roof with a round-arched, latticed window in each face. In the third stage are four pedimented clock faces dated 1789.

Urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...

s top the corners of the second and third stages. Above the third stage stands an octagonal

belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

with round-arched louvres and Doric

. The belfry bears an eight-faced

, pierced by circular openings and capped with a

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

Interior

The sanctuary consists of a wide

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

with a flat, compartmented

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

ceiling.Drummond 1934, p. 88. A U-shaped gallery, supported on marbled Corinthian columns, stands against the north, south, and west walls. Round-headed arches on Doric

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s open into the transepts and

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

. The west gallery was shortened between 1989 and 1990, when Stewart Tod & Partners partitioned off the western end of the sanctuary to improve the church's facilities and disability accessibility. The ground floor became the Lammermuir Room with the Lindisfarne Room above while the upper storey of the south transept became the Nor' Loch Room. The chancel consists of a semi-circular

; three bays divided by Doric pilasters terminate in round-headed arches that nestle into the vault of the half-domed ceiling. Within each arch stands a window in a segmental-arched frame. Between the nave and the apse stands one bay with longitudinal round-headed arches under a compartmented barrelled ceiling. The chancel steps are marble with

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

floors. In 1928, James Inch Morrison embellished the chancel by cladding the pilasters in orange marble with a

Pavonazzo marble Pavonazzo marble, also known as Pavonazzetto, Docimaean marble or Synnadic marble, "Book 9, chapter 5, section 16" is a whitish marble originally from Docimium, or modern İscehisar, Turkey. Etymology The name derives from the Italian word for ...

Peter MacGregor Chalmers Peter MacGregor Chalmers LLD (14 March 1859 – 15 March 1922) was a Scottish architect specialising in country churches, and also being involved in several important restoration schemes. Life Chalmers was born on 14 March 1859, the son of Georg ...

remodelled the ground floor of the tower as a

memorial chapel, which opened in 1921. The chapel's barreled plaster ceiling is shallow and compartmented. The dado is panelled with

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

slabs inlaid with the names of the parish's fallen in

; the floor is also paved with marble. At the centre of the north wall, a round-headed arch beneath an oculus leads to a simple

covered in

gilded Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

tiles and pierced by a small central window. The south wall is pierced by a segmental-arched window below an oculus. Above the chapel stands the session room and, above that, the wood-panelled choir room; the latter is accessed by screened

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...

ed wooden staircases in upper the west vestibule.

Assessment

While George Hay praised the Georgian

as a "charming composition", reception of

Blanc Blanc or le Blanc is a surname of French origin, meaning ''White''. Notable people with the surname include: * Adolphe-Edmond Blanc (1799-1850), French politician * Antoine Blanc (1792–1860), first Archbishop of New Orleans * Antoine le Blanc ( ...

's design has been mixed. As the church rose, the

debated the appropriateness of the eastern towers. In the contemporary press, a ''Scotsman''

leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

criticised the new church's proportions while the ''Edinburgh Evening Dispatch'' hailed the "worshipful feeling" the church inspired.Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 25. Writing four decades after the church's construction, Andrew Landale Drummond contrasted the opulence of the

to the "inadequacy" of the

, concluding: " ... the showy

decoration of St. Cuthbert's is alien both to good taste and the traditions of

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

." Writing soon after Drummond,

William Forbes Gray William Forbes Gray FRSE (1874–1950) was a Scottish journalist and author. In authorship he is usually referred to as W. Forbes Gray. He wrote extensively on Sir Walter Scott. Life He was born 14 April 1874. In 1894 he began working at the ''E ...

described the church as "handsome and ornate". The authors of the ''Buildings of Scotland'' guide to Edinburgh praise Blanc's interior but state that exterior views "show an uneasy compromise, for snecked stonework and C15-16

detail do not suit the austere kirk style, and the great bulk and divergent roof pitch are at odds with the Georgian steeple." The authors do, however, praise the east elevation, "which succeeds by sheer swank". The church has been

Category A listed Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * Category ( ...

since 1970.

Features

St Cuthbert's is notable for its ornate furnishings and decoration, many of which take inspiration from the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

. In the two decades after the current church opened in 1894, the features engendered controversy between those who praised their aesthetic qualities and those who believed such opulence was inappropriate in a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

church. New features were added throughout the 20th century.

Chancel furnishings

The central focus of the east end of St Cuthbert's is the

communion table Communion table and Lord's table are terms used by many Protestant churches—particularly from Reformed, Baptist and low church Anglican and Methodist bodies—for the table used for preparation of Holy Communion (a sacrament also called the ...

, which was ready in time for the opening of the church in 1894. The table is white marble, its front is divided into three compartments by Corinthian

. The central compartment contains a cross of

Aventurine Aventurine is a form of quartzite, characterised by its translucency and the presence of platy mineral inclusions that give it a shimmering or glistening effect termed '' aventurescence''. Background The most common color of aventurine is green ...

marble with a golden centre and

porphyry Porphyry (; , ''Porphyrios'' "purple-clad") may refer to: Geology * Porphyry (geology), an igneous rock with large crystals in a fine-grained matrix, often purple, and prestigious Roman sculpture material * Shoksha porphyry, quartzite of purple c ...

infill. The cross imitates the cross found in

's tomb. Either side of the central compartment are compartments decorated with

mother of pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother-of-pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer. It is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...

and

lapis lazuli Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Originating from the Persian word for the gem, ''lāžward'', lapis lazuli is ...

churches have traditionally centred on the

rather than the communion table and, shortly after its unveiling, the ''Glasgow Herald'' condemned the table as a "stone

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

". On the north side of the chancel arch stands the marble pulpit: designed by

, the pulpit was installed in 1898 to replace an earlier wooden pulpit. The pulpit stands on four red marble pillars – quarried at Sant'Ambrogio near

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

– with white Ionic

capitals Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

. The body of the pulpit is panelled with

verd antique Verd antique (obsolete French, from Italian, ''verde antico'', "ancient green"), also called verde antique, ''marmor thessalicum'', or Ophite, is a serpentinite breccia popular since ancient times as a decorative facing stone. It is a dark, du ...

; its central panel bears a

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

carving of an angel. Beneath the pulpit, the church's foundation stone rests on fragments of

masonry discovered during the demolition of the previous church. Next to the font stands the

lectern A lectern is a standing reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of ...

in the form of a full-length bronze angel, sculpted by

David Watson Stevenson David Watson Stephenson (25 March 1842 – 18 March 1904) was a Scottish sculptor, executing portraits and monuments in marble and bronze. Biography Stevenson was born in Ratho, Midlothian, Scotland, on 25 March 1842, the son of William Stev ...

and installed in 1895. At the south side of the chancel arch stands the

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...

, designed by Thomas Armstrong and installed in 1908. The font is hexagonal and executed in white marble with a bronze portrait

by MacGill; the bowl is a trough surrounding a bronze sculpture of a mother and child, based on

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

's ''

Madonna of Bruges The ''Madonna of Bruges'' is a marble sculpture by Michelangelo of the Virgin and Child. Michelangelo's depiction of the ''Madonna and Child'' differs significantly from earlier representations of the same subject, which tended to feature a pio ...

''. Armstrong based the font's design on

Jacopo della Quercia Jacopo della Quercia (, ; 20 October 1438), also known as Jacopo di Pietro d'Agnolo di Guarnieri, was an Italian sculptor of the Early Renaissance, a contemporary of Brunelleschi, Ghiberti and Donatello. Biography Jacopo della Quercia takes hi ...

's font of

Siena Cathedral Siena Cathedral () is a medieval church in Siena, Italy, dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Since the early 13th-century the Siena Cathedral has been an important pa ...

. At its installation, the sculpture divided those who praised its aesthetic qualities and those who believed a

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

to be inappropriate in a

church.Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 26. The matter was sufficiently controversial as to be discussed at the

in 1912. Blanc designed the wooden chancel stalls. The choir stalls in the chancel have scroll-topped ends, similar to the

pew A pew () is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a synagogue, church, funeral home or sometimes a courtroom. Occasionally, they are also found in live performance venues (such as the Ryman ...

s of the nave. The elders' stalls in the apse display more elaborate

details.

Artwork

Above the

wainscot Panelling (or paneling in the United States) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity to ...

, the walls of the

are decorated with an

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral and a soft Rock (geology), rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder. Archaeologists, geologists, and the stone industry have different definitions for the word ''alabaster''. In archaeology, the term ''alab ...

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

depicting the

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...

. The frieze, installed in 1908, is divided across three bays; its design was adapted by

from Leonardo's ''Last Supper'' and carved by Bridgeman of

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

. In the panels of the chancel ceiling, murals by

depict the Four Evangelists while the vault of the apse is decroated with a scene of Christ in Majesty by Robert Hope. The spandrels of the chancel arch are decorated with angels painted by John Duncan in 1931. Moira also adorned the west wall of the

above the gallery with a large mural of

. When the west end was shortened in 1990, the mural was retained as part of the Lindisfarne Room. After the gallery of the south transept was walled-off in 1990 to create the Nor' Loch Room, a decorative screen designed by students of Edinburgh College of Art was added to the new wall.

Memorials

In the vestibule and stairwells, memorials include a Vesica piscis, vesica panel in memory of the children of Francis Redfern with a

of Teaching of Jesus about little children, Christ blessing children by

(1802); a Mannerist architecture, Mannerist tablet to

(1842); Aedicula, aedicules to Rocheid of Inverleith (1737) and Watson of Muirhouse (1774); a pair of wall sarcophagus, sarcophagi on lion's feet by Wallace and Whyte commemorating Henry Moncreiff-Wellwood and William Paul (minister), William Paul (1841); and a stone marker from the grave of

(1608).Dunlop 1988, p. 108. To the left of the chancel arch stands a Bust (sculpture), bust of John Paul (minister), John Paul (died 1872) by William Brodie (sculptor), William Brodie. To the right of the chancel arch rests the Art Nouveau McLaren Memorial with a low relief portrait by

(1907). Under the north gallery, there is a

tablet to Alexander Ballantine by Arthur Forman Balfour Paul. At the western entrance to the nave stands the Second World War memorial by Ian Gordon Lindsay (1950); the memorial consists of Renaissance wooden screens which list the names of the 50 members of the congregation killed during the conflict.

Stained glass

In 1893, the Kirk Session decided approved the addition of stained glass windows and decided upon "a general and harmonious scheme of scriptural subjects applying to whole church". Almost all were installed between 1893 and 1912 by the Edinburgh firm Ballantyne & Gardiner and depict biblical scenes within early-

Aedicula, tabernacle frames. The windows of the north side depict scenes from the Old Testament with scenes from the New Testament on the south side. The windows of the

depict the Crucifixion of Jesus, Crucifixion,

, and the Nativity of Jesus, Nativity. In the north

, windows depict Ninian, Columba, and Aidan of Lindisfarne, Aidan while the windows of the south transept show scenes in the life of

. Windows by other makers show David going out to meet Goliath, by Tiffany Glass Company (after 1900), and, in the war memorial chapel, the Crucifixion and Cuthbert by

(1922).

Pipe organ

The Pipe organ, organ of St Cuthbert's was donated in 1899 by Robert Cox (Scottish politician), Robert Cox and built by Robert Hope-Jones of Birkenhead. The pipes were initially arrayed on either side of the chancel in cases designed by

, architect of the church. The organ was rebuilt and expanded in 1928 by Hill, Norman, and Beard. Between 1956 and 1957, the organ was re-worked and expanded with the addition of an extra case in the north transept by Ian Gordon Lindsay. The organ was reconstructed between 1997 and 1998 by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd, J. W. Walker & Sons of Brandon, Suffolk, Brandon and the cases were restored. J.W. Walker & Sons carried out further alterations in 2002. The present organ possesses four manuals and 67 speaking stops.

Bells and plate

The church tower houses a Change ringing, ring of ten bells by Taylor of Loughborough. The first eight were made in 1902 with another two added in 1970. In addition, chimes strike Westminster quarters and a redundant bell of 1791 is displayed in the vestibule.Stephenson, Hunter, Thow 1994, p. 28. The bells were initially rung by young men of the congregation under the direction of W.C.S. Heathcote, who served until his death in 1950. During the

, women took the male ringers' places. On 28 June 1919, the bells accompanied a 101 gun salute from

to mark the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The sound of the bells was broadcast on 15 November 1942 as they rang out to mark victory in the Second Battle of El Alamein: this was the first time the bells had sounded since the outbreak of Second World War, war in 1939. The church possesses eight modern silver patens and 25 chalices of various ages, the oldest of which are dated 1619. There are four silver flagons of 1702 and two of 1881. Two silver bowl, basins for baptisms were purchased in 1701. Two alms dishes are dated 1618 and are supplemented by four smaller patens of later date; a further two alms dishes date to the

Worship and ministry

Ministers

The Parish is currently vacant, with Dr Hazel Hastie acting as Interim Modertor, and the Revd Suzie Stark (who was ordained in St Cuthbert's) acting as Locum Minister. Until February 2025, the Revd Dr Peter Sutton was minister of St Cuthbert's, having been inducted in on 1 June 2017. Sutton served with the Black Watch then worked in education, serving as chaplain of Gordonstoun, the Perse School, and Loretto School and as headmaster of Ardvreck School. In 1251,

annexed the

age of St Cuthbert's to

and it became a perpetual

age, usually held by one of Holyrood's canons. By the 15th century, chaplains served the church's multiple subsidiary altars. From the

in 1560, the first Protestant minister of St Cuthbert's was William Harlaw. Born after 1500, Harlaw had been a tailor in the

before he embraced the Reformation and moved to England, where he became a chaplain to Edward VI; after Edward's death in 1553, Harlaw returned to Scotland, where he preached despite persecution. In 1574, Harlaw was joined by

, who had been appointed a senator of the College of Justice in 1572.Scott 1915, p. 93. Robert Pont's appointment established a collegiate office of two ministers in one charge.Dunlop 1988, p. 113. From 1574, the senior minister was paid Pound Scots, £100 a year while the junior minister received £67, 18Shilling#Kingdom of Scotland, s, 8Penny Scots, d. At

's death in 1706, the salaries were equalised; however, the kirk session rejected Williamson's bequest of a manse for the junior minister.Scott 1915, p. 99. From 1956, Leonard Small, Robert Leonard Small served as the sole minister while an act of the

allowed for associate ministers to be appointed during Small's incumbency. At Small's demission in 1975, a further act of the General Assembly ended the associate charge. Between 1690 and 1874, Patronage#Presbyterian, right to nominate ministers lay with the

. William Harlaw and Robert Pont were members of the Church of Scotland's first General Assembly in 1560. Pont served as the General Assembly's Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, moderator in 1570 and again, during his incumbency at St Cuthbert's, in 1575, 1581, 1583, 1596, and 1597. Later ministers who served as moderator of the General Assembly during their incumbency of St Cuthbert's are David Williamson in 1702; John Paul (minister), John Paul in 1847; James MacGregor (moderator), James MacGregor in 1891; Norman Maclean (moderator), Norman Maclean in 1927; William White Anderson in 1951; and Robert Leonard Small in 1966. Ministers of the senior chargeDunlop 1988, pp. 113-117. * 1560–1578 William Harlaw * 1578–1602

* 1603–1625 Richard Dickson * 1626–1649 William Arthur * 1649–1664 James Reid * 1665–1680 William Gordon * 1680–1689 Patrick Hepburn * 1689–1706

* 1706–1726 Thomas Paterson * 1726–1730 George Wishart (moderator), George Wishart * 1732 Patrick Wedderspoon * 1734–1735 James Dawson * 1735–1751 Thomas Pitcairn * 1752–1761 John Hyndman * 1762–1775 Alexander Stuart * 1775–1827 Henry Moncreiff-Wellwood * 1828–1873 John Paul (minister), John Paul * 1873–1910 James MacGregor (moderator), James MacGregor * 1910–1914 George Gordon Dundas Stewart Duncan * 1914–1925 Robert Howie Fisher * 1926–1930 George MacLeod, George Fielden Macleod * 1931–1956 William White Anderson Ministers of the collegiate charge * 1574–1578

* 1581–1586 Nicol Dalgleish * 1586–1606 William Aird * 1607–1626 William Arthur * 1630–1649 James Reid * 1653–1661 Peter Blair * 1661–1665

* 1666–1675 William Keith * 1677–1681 Charles Kay * 1682–1686 Alexander Sutherland * 1687–1689 David Guild * 1691–1699 John Anderson * 1699–1706 Thomas Paterson * 1707–1747 Neil McVicar (minister), Neil McVicar * 1747–1752 George Kay * 1753–1764 James Mackie (moderator), James Mackie Moderator in 1751 * 1765–1785 John Gibson * 1786–1802 William Paul (minister), William Paul * 1803–1842 David Dickson * 1843–1877 James Veitch (minister), James Veitch * 1878–1883 James Barclay (minister), James Barclay * 1884–1910 Andrew Wallace Williamson * 1911–1914 William Lyall Wilson * 1915–1937 Norman Maclean (moderator), Norman Maclean * 1938–1955 Adam Wilson Burnett Sole charge * 1956–1975 Leonard Small, Robert Leonard Small * 1976–2007 Thomas Cuthbertson Cuthell * 2008–2016 David Denniston * 2017–2025 Peter Sutton

Services and music

St Cuthbert's holds two services every Sunday: Eucharist, Communion at 9.30am; morning service at 10.30am followed by Communion on the second Sunday of the month and including Communion on the last Sunday of the month, a formal Communion service also takes place every quarter. Communion is also celebrated at noon on the second Tuesday of the month. The 10.30am Sunday service is accompanied by the St Cuthbert's Choir, whose membership consists of volunteer members of the congregation and choral scholars. The Director of Music is Graham Maclagan.

Mission

St Cuthbert's works with homelessness charity, Steps to Hope, to provide a free meal for up to 100 homeless people every Sunday in St Cuthbert's Hall with a night shelter for 12 afterwards. St Cuthbert's also operates OASIS: a ministry among Edinburgh's business community. OASIS works with Workplace Chaplaincy Scotland and the charity Business Matters. As part of this ministry, the church hosts "Soul Space": a series of reflections during the afternoon and evening of the first Wednesday of each month; "Space for Lunchtime Prayers" is also offered every Thursday at 1 p.m. Alongside St Andrew's and St George's West Church, St Andrew's and St George's West Parish Church and Church of St John the Evangelist, Edinburgh, St John's Episcopal Church, St Cuthbert's is part of Edinburgh City Centre Churches Together: an ecumenical grouping of churches that co-operates on missionary and charitable work. St Cuthbert's serves as a performance venue during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The church is open to visitors from April to September between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The work and mission of the church has been supported by the Friends of St Cuthbert's since 2002.

The churchyard

The original burial ground was restricted to an area to the south-west, now a small mound in relation to the rest of the churchyard. It was latterly known as the "Bairns' Knowe" (children's hill) as it was often used for burial of children. Records show that it was open to the countryside until 1597, and sheep and horses would graze there, after which a wall was then built around the churchyard.Parish Records In 1701, ground was added to the west and north-west, concurrent with a refurbishment of the church, which is recorded as having been somewhat derelict since the period of the English Civil War. In 1787, the north marsh (at the west end of what was then the Nor' Loch) was drained, immediately north of the church, to expand the area for burial. A little later the ground to the south-east was raised to drier levels and enclosed on its east side by a new wall. In 1827, the watchtower to the south-west was built to defend against grave robbing which was rife at that time. In 1831, the manse (to the south) was demolished, and a new manse and garden built further south. In 1841, a railway tunnel to serve incoming trains to the new Waverley Station was built under a new southern section of the graveyard, which dated from only 1834, and many graves had to be moved as a result. Stones from between 1834 and 1841 in that section have been lost or destroyed. In 1863, the entire churchyard was closed under order of the newly appointed Medical Officer of Health, the graveyard being then considered "completely full". The church, however, refused to cease burials, considering it a viable and important source of income. In 1873, the church, in a rare event, was taken to court for "permitting a nuisance to exist (as defined) under the Public Health Act 1867, being offensive and injurious to health". That still did not effect a closure and, in 1874, the church was ordered to close by the council (then known as the City Corporation), but only did so after a year of further appeals. The churchyard is impressive, containing hundreds of monuments worthy of notice, including one to John Grant of Kilgraston (near Perth, Scotland, Perth), and a three-bay

mausoleum of the Cluny Castle, Gordons of Cluny, by David Bryce. One odd feature is at the west side of the churchyard, where Lothian Road was widened over the churchyard in 1930 by the City Architect, Ebenezer James MacRae. Because the road was higher than the churchyard, the widening was supported on pillars, with the graves remaining beneath the road surface. The eastern pavement of the road therefore traverses those graves.

Noteworthy burials

17th and 18th centuries

* Henrie Nisbet of Dean (died 1609), buried beneath the church (tomb built 1592 in anticipation)Provost of Edinburgh in 1592/93 plus his son, William Nisbet of Dean twice Provost of Edinburgh 1615-19 and 1622–23 *

(1550–1617) of Merchiston, inventor of logarithms, is buried in an underground vault on the north side of the church (reburied after destruction of the kirkyard of High Kirk of St Giles, St Giles to build Parliament House, Edinburgh, Parliament House) * The Rev

(1636–1706), known in Scots songs as "Dainty Davie". He was ousted from the church in 1665 as a Covenanter. He then served as a captain on the rebel side at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge (1679). He was restored as minister of St. Cuthbert's in 1689 and then rose to be

in 1702. * Charles Darwin (1758–1778), Charles Darwin (1758–1778), uncle of the naturalist Charles Darwin, was a talented medical student but fell ill and was buried in the Duncan family vault at the Chapel of Ease on the South side of the city, now known as the Buccleuch Parish Church Burying Ground.PDF
/ref> * Sir James Rocheid of Inverleith (1715–1787) (within the church) * Alexander Gordon, Lord Rockville (1739–1792) * Alexander Murray, Lord Henderland (1736–1795), and his son, John Murray, Lord Murray (1778–1858), a huge monument north of the church. * James Erskine, Lord Alva (1722–1796) * John Cunningham, 15th Earl of Glencairn, The 15th Earl of Glencairn (1749–1796) * Cosmo Gordon of Cluny Castle, Cluny FRSE (1736–1800) politician and co-founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783 * the Rev James MacKnight DD (1721–1800), religious author and

in 1769 * Professor James Robertson (orientalist), James Robertson (1714–1795)

19th century

* Alexander Hamilton (Scottish physician) FRSE (1739–1802) and his son James Hamilton (Scottish physician) FRSE (1767–1839) both Professors of Medicine and Midwifery at Edinburgh University * The Rev William Paul (1754–1802), Chaplain in Ordinary to George III (in church) * Ogilvy baronets, Sir John Ogilvy of Inverquharity (1722–1802) * Thomson Bonar (1739–1814), co-founder of Encyclopædia Britannica * Richard Crichton (1771–1817), architect * Adam Rolland of Gask (1734–1819), judge, and his grandson James Rolland * Thomas Morison (1761–1820), builder of large sections of the Second New Town (north of Queen Street Gardens) and founder of Morrison's Academy, Morison's Academy in Crieff * George Winton (1759–1822) builder (the largest monument in the churchyard) * Henry Dewar (physician), Henry Dewar (1771–1823) * Sir Henry Raeburn (1756–1823), artist * Alexander Kennedy (physician) (1764–1827) * David Steuart (Lord Provost), David Steuart (1747–1828) Lord Provost of Edinburgh 1780 to 1782 * Rear Admiral James Haldane Tait (1771–1845) * Robert Archibald Smith (1780–1829), composer * The Rev Andrew Mitchell Thomson DD (1779–1831) * Thomas Allan (mineralogist), Thomas Allan (1777–1833), mineralogist * Thomas Sivright FRSE (1783–1835) art and book collector * George Watson (painter), George Watson (1767–1837), RSA artist, with his son William Smellie Watson (1796–1874), also an artist * The Rev Prof George Paxton (minister), George Paxton (1762–1837) * Mrs Anne Grant (1755–1838), poet and author * The Rev John Jamieson DD FRSE (1759–1838), antiquarian * Alexander Nasmyth (1758–1840), artist, architect, and inventor. His most notable painting is the much-copied portrait of Robert Burns. His son, James Nasmyth was also a prolific inventor, most famous for the steam hammer. His other son, Patrick Nasmyth continued the family line as an artist of note. * John Shaw Stewart FRSE (1793–1840) essayist * John Abercrombie (physician) (1780–1844) * The Rev David Dickson the younger, David Dickson (1780–1842) * Sir Richard Honyman (1787–1842) * The Rev Robert Murray M'Cheyne, Robert Murray McCheyne (1813–1843) * James Stevenson (artist), James Stevenson Royal Scottish Academy, RSA, artist (1780–1844) * George Meikle Kemp (1795–1844), master joiner, self-taught architect and designer of the Scott Monument. * The Rev David Welsh (1793–1845) * Admiral James Haldane TaitFor more on James Haldane Tait see: (1771–1845) * Andrew Combe (1797–1847), phrenologist * John Stark FRSE (1779–1849), natural history author and printer and his son James Stark FRSE (1811–1890) * The Rev Cpt James Haldane (1768–1851) * The Rev Prof John Lee (university principal), John Lee (1779–1859) * Susan Ferrier (1782–1854) author * Patrick Robertson, Lord Robertson (1798–1855) * William Home Lizars (1788–1859), engraver, and his brother John Lizars (1792–1860) and father Daniel Lizars Sr. * Thomas De Quincey (1785–1859), author of ''Confessions of an English Opium-Eater''. An addict himself, he was an acknowledged influence on many later authors, but he himself has now slipped from fame. Of those crediting De Quincey with influencing them probably the most notable is Edgar Allan Poe. * Henry Grey (minister), Henry Grey (1778–1859) * Thomas Stewart Traill (1781–1862) * William Tait (publisher) (1793–1864) * James Pillans (1778–1864), educator * James Frederick Ferrier (1808–1864), first Epistemology, epistemologist. * George Aikman (1788–1865), engraver * William Borthwick Johnstone RSA (1804–1865), first Keeper of the National Gallery of Scotland * James Robertson (moderator), Very Rev Prof James Robertson (1806–1860)

* John Marshall, Lord Curriehill (1794–1868), law lord * Elizabeth C. Clephane (1830–1869), hymnwriter * William Penney, Lord Kinloch (1801–1872), law lord * James Craufurd, Lord Ardmillan (1804–1876), law lord * Peter David Handyside FRSE (1808–1881), anatomist * David Rhind (1808–1883), architect * Duncan McLaren (1800–1886) MP and Lord Provost (with his son Walter McLaren MP (1853–1912)) *Priscilla Bright McLaren (1815–1906) suffragist & abolitionist * Robert Reid Raeburn (1819–1888) architect * William Fettes Pitcairn (1804–1891), theological author * John Kippen Watson FRSE (1818–1891) in charge of Edinburgh's gas lighting

20th century

* Jane Clapperton (d.1914) suffragette and novelist * Robert Traill Omond FRSE (1858–1914), physicist and geologist * Sir Donald Crawford (1837–1919) * Walter Biggar Blaikie (1847–1928), engineer, historian and astronomer * Mabel Dawson RSW (1887–1965), artist * James Frederick Strachan, Lord Strachan (1894–1978) * Sarah Mair (d.1941), suffragette ;Uncertain * The heart of Canadian sculptor Robert Tait McKenzie

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Drummond, Andrew Landale (1934). ''The Church Architecture of Protestantism''. T. & T. Clark * Dunlop, A. Ian (1988). ''The Kirks of Edinburgh: 1560–1984''. Scottish Record Society. * Gifford, John; McWilliam, Colin; Walker, David (1984). ''The Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh''. Penguin Books. * Hay, George (1957). ''The Architecture of Scottish Post-Reformation Churches: 1560 to 1843''. Oxford University Press. * Lorimer, George (1915). ''The Early History of St Cuthbert's Church, Edinburgh''. William Blackwood and Sons * William Forbes Gray, Gray, William Forbes (1940). ''Historic Edinburgh Churches''. The Moray Press. * Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (1951). ''An Inventory of the Ancient and Historical Monuments of the City of Edinburgh with the Thirteenth Report of the Commission''. His Majesty's Stationery Office. * * * Stephenson, Marigold H.; Hunter, Ailsa B. J.; Thow, Jean (1994). ''The Kirk below the Castle''. St Cuthbert's Parish Church

External links

The Parish Church of St Cuthbert
– church website
Historic Environment Scotland: LOTHIAN ROAD, ST CUTHBERT'S CHURCH (CHURCH OF SCOTLAND), CHURCHYARD AND MONUMENTS, BOUNDARY WALLS GATEPIERS AND RAILINGS: LB27339

Canmore: Edinburgh, Lothian Road, St Cuthbert's Church

Corpus of Scottish Medieval Parish Churches: Edinburgh St Cuthbert's Parish Church

Scottish Stained Glass Trust: Edinburgh: St Cuthbert's Parish Church

* [http://togetheredinburgh.org.uk/ Edinburgh City Centre Churches Together] {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuthbert, Saint Church of Scotland churches in Edinburgh 12th-century establishments in Scotland 12th-century church buildings in Scotland Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh Listed churches in Edinburgh Protestant churches converted from Roman Catholicism Rebuilt churches in Scotland 19th-century Church of Scotland church buildings Churches completed in 1894 Clock towers in the United Kingdom Kirkyards in Scotland Presbyterian cemeteries in Scotland