Prestongrange Parish Church facts for kids
Prestongrange Parish Church is a very old church in the town of Prestonpans, Scotland. It's part of the Church of Scotland. This church was built way back in 1596. This makes it one of the first churches built in Scotland after a big change called the Scottish Reformation in 1560. For a long time, Prestonpans was part of another church area called Tranent. But in 1606, Prestonpans got its own church area, or "parish."
Before this church, there was another church south of Prestonpans. It had been there since the 1100s! This older church was looked after by monks from Holyrood Abbey. However, that church was destroyed in 1544. This happened during a time called the "Rough Wooing." An English leader, the Earl of Hertford, attacked Scotland. He was upset because the Scottish people didn't want their young Princess Mary (who later became Mary, Queen of Scots) to marry the English Prince Edward.
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People Who Led the Church
Early Leaders
John Davidson was the first minister at the new Prestongrange Church. He used his own money to help build it. The land for the church was given by the Hamilton family, who were important landowners in Preston. Rev. Davidson was known for being very brave and speaking his mind. He wasn't afraid to criticize important church leaders or even King James VI of Scotland. Because of this, he was put in prison in Edinburgh in 1601. After he was released, he was told he could never leave the parish again.
Since 1596, 27 different ministers have led the church.
Ministers During Important Times
William Carlyle was the minister when the Battle of Prestonpans happened on September 21, 1745. He watched the battle from the church tower and later wrote about what he saw.
William Bruce Cunningham was the minister during a big event in the Church of Scotland in 1843. Many people left the church at that time.
Moira Herkes became the first female minister at Prestongrange Parish Church when she arrived in 1988. This was an important moment for the church.
How the Church Changed Over Time
Building Updates
The church building has been updated many times. It was greatly fixed up in 1774 and again in 1891. These changes made the building look mostly like it does today. Only the clock tower and some of the stone walls around it are from the original church built in 1596. You can still see the shape of the original west wall inside the roof.
Church Reunions
In 1843, there was a big disagreement within the Church of Scotland. This led many church members to leave Preston Church, as it was called then. These members, led by their minister William Bruce Cunningham, built their own church. It was called the Free Church of Scotland. Later, it became the United Free Church. This new church was just a short walk from Preston Kirk.
In 1929, the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church came back together. The former United Free Church congregation then took the name Grange Church. Finally, in 1981, the two church groups in Prestonpans reunited. They formed what is now known as Prestongrange Parish Church.
The Churchyard
The churchyard, which is the graveyard around the church, has many interesting old gravestones. These include the graves of former ministers and soldiers who fought in the Battle of Prestonpans.
