Jedburgh Old Parish Church

Jedburgh Old Parish Church
Jedburgh and Oxnam Parish Church
Jedburgh and Oxnam Parish Church
Jedburgh Old Parish Church Location in the Scottish Borders
55°28′41″N2°33′25″W / 55.478°N 2.557°W / 55.478; -2.557
OS grid reference	NT328669
Location	Jedburgh
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of Scotland
History
Status	Active
Founded	1875 (1875)
Founder(s)	Schomberg Kerr
Architecture
Heritage designation	Category A listed
Architect(s)	Thomas Henry Wyatt
Completed	1875
Construction cost	£11,000

Jedburgh Old Parish Church is a Presbyterian Church of Scotland church building in the Scottish town of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders council area. In 1993, the building was added to the Scottish Register of Historic Monuments at the highest level of listed buildings, Category A.

History

Since the 12th century, Jedburgh Abbey has been Jedburgh's principal building. During the Scottish Reformation around 1560, the abbey was dissolved. The abbey church then served as the parish church. After the former abbey church had become both dilapidated and too small for the growing congregation by the 1870s, a new church was built.

Schomberg Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian, provided both money and land for this project. Construction began in 1872 and was completed in 1875. ^[1] The Anglo-Irish architect Thomas Henry Wyatt was responsible for the design. ^[2] The first service was held in the new church on 11 April that year. In 1769 James MacKnight became the church's second minister and in the same year MacKnight was elected to be the Moderator of the Church of Scotland. ^[3]

An extension in 1888 was designed by the Scottish architect Hippolyte Blanc. ^[2]

In 1993 the main building and its gate piers became a category A listed building. ^[2] .

Description

The church building is located at the junction of Oxnam Road and Newcastle Road (A68) to the south of Jedburgh. ^[2] It is built of embossed stone blocks of dark sandstone with details in cream-coloured sandstone. The church is on a corner plot with the manse behind it. It has an ornamented entrance looking out onto the A68 and at the corner is a three-storey octagonal bell tower. Side aisles with dormers are on the nave's sides. ^[2]

References

1. "Parish of Jedburgh from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
2. "NEWCASTLE ROAD (AND OXNAM ROAD), OLD PARISH CHURCH WITH GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALL, (CHURCH OF SCOTLAND) LB35581". Historic Environment Scotland. 1993. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
3. Matthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, B., eds. (2004-09-23). "James MacKnight" . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/17625 . Retrieved 2025-08-26.(Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)