A Culdee settlement of Celtic monks existed prior to the 12th Century. The church was dedicated in the name of St. Machutus (St. Malo). This dedication was retained when King David I of Scotland granted "the Church and lands of Lesmahagow" to the Tironensian Order of monks who had already established Kelso Abbey at Kelso.
The Priory Church was burnt in 1335 by troops under the command of John of Eltham, brother of King Edward I of England. Many people had sought sanctuary within the church at the time of the burning and are thought to have perished. Thereafter a new church was constructed and lasted until the early 19th century. The present church was constructed in 1804 on the original site. Originally built as a plain, rectangular church, an apse was constructed later in the 19th century and an organ (in the West Gallery) was built by Brindley & Foster and installed in 1889. The Chapter House was added in 1934. After serious damage by fire in 1981 the apse was restored and the entire church redecorated.
The church contains some notable stained glass. The centre panel of the East Window, "The Descent from the Cross" is a copy from the centre panel of the triptych painted by Rubens for an altar in Antwerp Cathedral in 1614.
The previous minister (since 2003 to approx 2011) was the Revd Aileen Robson,Now it is Rev Morag Garret. Recent former ministers were the Revd Sheila Mitchell 1995-2002 (now a hospital chaplain in Ayr), preceded by the Revd William Niven 1969-1994 (who died in December 2004).
Lesmahagow Old Parish Church is linked with neighbouring Coalburn Parish Church (i.e. sharing the same minister).
[View of Church and Cemetery:
[Picture of St. Malo:
Sources: Church of Scotland Yearbook and Churches to Visit in Scotland (2000 edition), published by St Andrew Press, Edinburgh, plus local information.
Lesmahagow is a small town in the historic county of Lanarkshire on the edge of moorland, near Lanark in the central belt of Scotland. Lesmahagow was also a civil parish. It lies west of the M74, and southeast of Kirkmuirhill. It is also known as Abbey Green or the Gow.
Peterculter, also known as Culter, is a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, about eight miles (13 km) inland from Aberdeen city centre. Peterculter is on the northern banks of the River Dee, near the confluences with Crynoch Burn and Leuchar Burn. Following the 1996 Scottish council boundary changes it became part of the City of Aberdeen's Lower Deeside ward.
Kelso Abbey is a ruined Scottish abbey in Kelso, Scotland. It was founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tweed and Teviot waters, the site of what was once the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh and the intended southern centre for the developing Scottish kingdom at that time. Kelso thus became the seat of a pre-eminently powerful abbacy in the heart of the Scottish Borders.
The Kirk of the Canongate, or Canongate Kirk, serves the Parish of Canongate in Edinburgh's Old Town, in Scotland. It is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. The parish includes the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. It is also the parish church of Edinburgh Castle, even though the castle is detached from the rest of the parish. The wedding of Zara Phillips, the Queen's granddaughter, and former England rugby captain Mike Tindall took place at the church on 30 July 2011. The late Queen Elizabeth II used to attend services in the church on some of her frequent visits to Edinburgh.
St Boswells is a large village on the south side of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders, about 1 mile southeast of Newtown St Boswells on the A68 road. It lies within the boundaries of the historic county of Roxburghshire.
Dalmeny is a village and civil parish in Scotland. It is located on the south side of the Firth of Forth, 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of South Queensferry and 8 miles (13 km) west of Edinburgh city centre. It lies within the traditional boundaries of West Lothian, and falls under the local governance of the City of Edinburgh Council.
Jedburgh Abbey, a ruined Augustinian abbey which was founded in the 12th century, is situated in the town of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders 10 miles (16 km) north of the border with England at Carter Bar.
Stonehouse is a rural village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on Avon Water in an area of natural beauty and historical interest, near to the Clyde Valley. It is on the A71 trunk road between Edinburgh and Kilmarnock, near the towns of Hamilton, Larkhall and Strathaven. The population of Stonehouse is around 7,500.
St. Michael's Parish Church is one of the largest burgh churches in the Church of Scotland. It is one of two parishes serving the West Lothian county town of Linlithgow, the other being St. Ninian's Craigmailen. St Michael is the town's patron saint; the town's motto is "St Michael is kinde to strangers".
The Church of the Holy Rude is the medieval parish church of Stirling, Scotland. It is named after the Holy Rood, a relic of the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified. The church was founded in 1129 during the reign of David I, but the earliest part of the present church dates from the 15th century. As such it is the second oldest building in Stirling after Stirling Castle, parts of which date from the later 14th century. The chancel and tower were added in the 16th century.
The Kirk of St Nicholas is a historic church located in the city centre of Aberdeen, Scotland. Up until the dissolution of the congregation on 31 December 2020, it was known as the "Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting". It is also known as "The Mither Kirk" of the city. As of 1 January 2021, the building falls under the care and maintenance of the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland.
Lesmahagow Priory was a medieval Tironensian monastic community located in the small town of Lesmahagow in the modern local authority area of South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was founded after John, Bishop of Glasgow and King David I of Scotland granted lands at Lesmahagow to Kelso Abbey with which to establish a new priory. It remained a dependency of Kelso Abbey. Control of the abbey was gradually secularized in the 16th century. Along with Kelso Abbey, it was turned into a secular lordship in 1607 for Robert Ker of Cesford, later earl of Roxburghe. Lesmahagow passed into the hand of James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton in 1623.
The Parish Church of St Cuthbert is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in central Edinburgh. Probably founded in the 7th century, the church once covered an extensive parish around the burgh of Edinburgh. The church's current building was designed by Hippolyte Blanc and completed in 1894.
Abbeygreen Church is a congregation of the Free Church of Scotland in the small town of Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire. As a Christian congregation, it is presbyterian and reformed; holding the Word of God, the Holy Bible, as the supreme rule of life and doctrine and the Westminster Confession of Faith as a sub-ordinate standard, which helps explain the doctrines of the Christian faith. Being Presbyterian, it serves as part of the Free Church of Scotland Presbytery of Glasgow and seeks to faithfully serve God in Lesmahagow and the surrounding area. Having a missional outlook it is involved with a number of missionary organizations including, but not only, UFM Worldwide and Rose of Sharon Ministries, and helps with the organization and support of the Scottish Reformed Conference.
All Saints Hove is an Anglican church in Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It has served as the parish church for the whole of Hove since 1892, and stands in a prominent location at a major crossroads in central Hove.
Roberton is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Smailholm is a small village in the historic county of Roxburghshire in south-east Scotland. It is at grid reference NT648364 and straddles the B6397 Gordon to Kelso road. The village is almost equidistant from both, standing 6 miles (10 km) northwest of the abbey town of Kelso. Since local government reorganisation in Scotland in the early 1970s, Smailholm has been part of the Scottish Borders Council.
Ednam Church is a member church of the Church of Scotland and is co–joined with Kelso North Church in Kelso. Ednam is in the old county of Roxburghshire now part of the Scottish Borders Council. Ednam is 3.0 miles (4.8 km) NNE of Kelso on the B6461 road and is at grid reference NT737371
The Lesmahagow Railway, south of Glasgow in Scotland, was developed by a company known as The Lesmahagow Branches. It was not an independent company in the usual sense. It was a financially independent, self-contained unit within the framework of the Caledonian Railway. The shareholders and officers of both companies were mainly the same people. The line was built largely to transport the vast amount coal being produced by the many mines in the area. Royal assent was given to build the line in 1847 but construction did not commence till 1854. In 1856 the line was opened in stages. Later there was found to be a demand for passenger services which commenced in 1868. In 1923, with the grouping, the CR amalgamated with several other companies to form the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) which, following nationalisation in 1947, became part of British Railways.
Vä Church, sometimes also called Saint Mary's Church in Vä is a well-preserved Romanesque church in Vä, in the southern Swedish province of Scania. It belongs to the Church of Sweden and is a listed building. It was built in the early 12th century, at a time when Scania was part of Denmark. The building was commissioned by a member of the Danish royal family, probably Queen Margaret Fredkulla. The church originally consisted of a nave, a chancel with an apse and two western towers. Quite soon after being finished, it was donated to Premonstratensian monks who used it as the church of their monastery until 1213. It simultaneously functioned as the parish church of Vä. At the end of the Middle Ages, a third tower was built, and in 1593 the building was enlarged. At the beginning of the 19th century, the western towers were demolished. A major restoration was carried out in the 1960s.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
