Bonkyl Kirk
Encyclopedia
Bonkyl Church is a Church of Scotland
kirk
situated at five miles north-east of Duns
in the old county of Berwickshire
. The nearest hamlet is Preston
just over two miles to the south-west.
before 1275. The early proprietor of the church was Sir Alexander de Bonkyl, but the church passed into the care of John Stewart
who married Alexander's daughter. John was the son of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland
. During the Second War of Scottish Independence
the location was contested by Thomas Ughtred
, a future Knight of the Garter
. The care and maintenance of the church then passed to the Douglas
Earls of Angus, descendants of the Stewarts, before finally passing to the Earl of Home
in 1877. The church was a separate parish until 1621 when it was co-joined with the nearby parish of Preston. In 1958, the churches were joined by Reston
, then Chirnside
in 1973. The ancient church at Bonkyl fell into to ruin and was demolished in 1820 when the present church was built. All that is left of the old church is a Norman
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, a vaulted arch which was later used as a burial vault of the Homes of Billie. It is thought to be the oldest of its kind in Scotland, having been built in the early 12th century.
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
kirk
Kirk
Kirk can mean "church" in general or the Church of Scotland in particular. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.-Basic meaning and etymology:...
situated at five miles north-east of Duns
Duns
Duns is the county town of the historic county of Berwickshire, within the Scottish Borders.-Early history:Duns law, the original site of the town of Duns, has the remains of an Iron Age hillfort at its summit...
in the old county of Berwickshire
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
. The nearest hamlet is Preston
Preston, Scottish Borders
Preston is a small village in the pre-1975 ancient county of Berwickshire, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders region of Scotland....
just over two miles to the south-west.
History
There has been a religious establishment at Bonkyl since the early 13th century, and it was part of the vicarage of DunkeldDunkeld
Dunkeld is a small town in Strathtay, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is about 15 miles north of Perth on the eastern side of the A9 road into the Scottish Highlands and on the opposite side of the Tay from the Victorian village of Birnam. Dunkeld and Birnam share a railway station, on the...
before 1275. The early proprietor of the church was Sir Alexander de Bonkyl, but the church passed into the care of John Stewart
John Stewart of Bonkyll (d.1298)
John Stewart of Bonkyll was a son of Alexander Stewart the High Steward of Scotland and Jean, daughter of Séamus Macrory, Lord of Bute. He was a military commander during the First Scottish War of Independence and during the Battle of Falkirk, he commanded the Scottish archers, and was killed on 22...
who married Alexander's daughter. John was the son of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland
Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland
Alexander Stewart was 4th hereditary High Steward of Scotland from his father's death in 1246.A son of Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland by his wife Bethóc, daughter of Gille Críst, Earl of Angus, Alexander is said to have accompanied Louis IX of France on the Seventh Crusade...
. During the Second War of Scottish Independence
Second War of Scottish Independence
The Second War of Scottish Independence was the second cluster of a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries....
the location was contested by Thomas Ughtred
Thomas Ughtred, 1st Baron Ughtred
Sir Thomas Ughtred, styled Baron Ughtred, KG was an English soldier and politician.-Life:The eldest son and heir of Robert Ughtred, lord of the manor of Scarborough, Kilnwick Percy, Monkton Moor, and other places in Yorkshire, he was born about 1291, being eighteen years of age at his father's...
, a future Knight of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
. The care and maintenance of the church then passed to the Douglas
Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan.The...
Earls of Angus, descendants of the Stewarts, before finally passing to the Earl of Home
Earl of Home
The title Earl of Home was created in 1605 in the Peerage of Scotland for Alexander Home of that Ilk, who was already the 6th Lord Home.The Earl of Home holds the subsidiary titles of Lord Home , and Lord Dunglass , in the Peerage of Scotland; and Baron Douglas, of Douglas in the County of Lanark ...
in 1877. The church was a separate parish until 1621 when it was co-joined with the nearby parish of Preston. In 1958, the churches were joined by Reston
Reston, Scottish Borders
Reston is a village located in the southeast of Scotland, in Berwickshire, Scottish Borders region. The village lies on the western bank of the Eye Water.- Location :...
, then Chirnside
Chirnside
Chirnside is a hillside village in Berwickshire in Scotland, west of Berwick-upon-Tweed and east of Duns.-Notables:David Hume, the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, lived in Ninewells House, just south of the village...
in 1973. The ancient church at Bonkyl fell into to ruin and was demolished in 1820 when the present church was built. All that is left of the old church is a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
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Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
, a vaulted arch which was later used as a burial vault of the Homes of Billie. It is thought to be the oldest of its kind in Scotland, having been built in the early 12th century.
Ministers in the early years of the reformed church
- 1582 - 1598 William Sinclair
- 1599 - 1607 George Redpath
- 1607 - 1612 Matthew Carrail
- 1612 - 1621 John Gaittis
See also
- Bonkyll CastleBonkyll CastleBonkyll Castle was a medieval fortress situated in the eastern Scottish Borders of which little remains...
- List of places in East Lothian
- List of places in Edinburgh
- List of places in Midlothian
- List of places in West Lothian
- List of places in Scotland