Kirkoswald Parish Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kirkoswald Parish Church |
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Kirkoswald Parish Church
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| 55°19′44″N 4°46′35″W / 55.3288°N 4.7765°W | |
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Churchmanship | Ministers and Elders in C of S |
| Website | [1] |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Kirkoswald |
| Presbytery | Ayr |
Kirkoswald Parish Church is a church in the small village of Kirkoswald. This village is located in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is a parish church, which means it serves a local area, and belongs to the Church of Scotland.
Contents
History of Kirkoswald Church
This church was built in 1777. It was designed with strong ideas from Robert Adam, a very famous Scottish architect. At the time, Robert Adam was also working on his amazing building, Culzean Castle. You can see many of his design ideas in Kirkoswald Church.
Renovations and Discoveries
The church has stayed mostly the same since it was built. In 1997, there was a small fire in the heating system. When they were fixing it, they found some problems like wet rot and dry rot. These are types of fungus that can damage wood and plaster.
The church then had a big renovation. The inside of the church was carefully restored. Experts from Culzean Castle helped make sure the colours inside were as close to the original 1777 design as possible.
The Older Church Building
The current church replaced a much older one. The first church was built around the year 1220. You can still see the ruins of this old church in the village. They are in the middle of the old graveyard (55°19′48″N 4°46′40″W / 55.3300°N 4.7779°W).
Famous Connections in the Graveyard
The old graveyard at Kirkoswald is very interesting. It has many graves linked to the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns.
Robert Burns and Tam o' Shanter
Robert Burns's mother, Agnes Broun, came from Kirkoswald. The poet himself lived in the village for about nine months in 1776, when he was 17 years old. Many of the characters in his famous poem "Tam o' Shanter" are based on real people from Kirkoswald. Their graves are in the old churchyard and are specially marked.
Scipio Kennedy's Grave
Another important grave in the old kirkyard belongs to Scipio Kennedy. He was a black African slave who was brought to Scotland in 1702. Scipio lived and worked on the Culzean estate, which is near Kirkoswald. He was given his freedom in 1725. His grave is a reminder of a different time in history.
Current Status of the Church
Kirkoswald Parish Church is currently linked with Fisherton Parish Church. The church has not had a permanent minister since February 2013.
See also
