The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Admiral Duncan’ s naval artefacts lost in kirk fire
Panelled interior decorated with tributes to Battle of Camperdown victory
A fire that ravaged an Angus kirk has swallowed up artefacts associated with one of the UK’S most prominent seafarers.
Lundie Church was left a burnt-out shell following the fire earlier this month and now historians have revealed that items relating to Admiral Adam Duncan, who is buried in the church’s graveyard, may have been lost in the flames.
“The Friends of Camperdown House were very upset to hear about the recent fire at Lundie Kirk which has destroyed the roof and totally gutted the wood-panelled interior,” said James Crawford, chairman of the Admiral Duncan Camperdown Trust.
“This had been decorated with elaborate tributes to the Duncan family and the admiral’s glorious victory at the Battle of Camperdown on October 11 1797.”
Admiral Duncan was the man who led the British fleet’s defeat of the Dutch in the 1797 Battle of Camperdown.
The battle is regarded as one of the most significant victories in the nation’s naval history.
Irreplaceable artefacts associated with one of Britain’s most notable seafarers have been lost in the fire which ravaged a 900-year-old rural Angus kirk.
Lundie Church is now a charred, roofless shell after the blaze earlier this month.
Window openings have been boarded up and a dangerous building sign put up.
It remains uncertain at this stage what the future holds for the 12th-century property.
The A-listed church was earmarked for conversion into a family home before disaster struck.
The kirk’s graveyard is the final resting place of Admiral Adam Duncan.
He led the British fleet’s defeat of the Dutch in the 1797 Battle of Camperdown.
It is regarded as one of the most significant victories in the nation’s naval history.
And it gave its name to Dundee’s largest public park.
The Duncan family held the barony of Lundie from the late 1600s.
Viscount Duncan is buried in a family plot in front of a domed mausoleum added to the church in 1789.
Both it and the family graves escaped the effects of the November 18 fire.
Neighbours said it was terrifying to see flames leaping from the old building.
But while there is relief the family graves and mausoleum escaped serious damage, the Friends of Camperdown House say important history is gone forever.
“The Friends of Camperdown House were very upset to hear about the recent fire at Lundie Kirk which has destroyed the roof and totally gutted the wood panelled interior,” said James Crawford, chairman of the Admiral Duncan Camperdown Trust.
“This had been decorated with elaborate tributes to the Duncan family and the admiral’s glorious victory at the Battle of Camperdown on October 11 1797.”
The sorry state of the fire-blackened shell is in stark contrast to a day of commemoration at Lundie a quarter of a century ago.
In October 1997, the kirk was the setting for the culmination of bicentenary celebrations around Duncan’s victory.
The event was attended by the then Dundee Lord Provost Mervyn Rolfe and many Friends of Camperdown House.
“The lands and title of the Baron of Lundie, created in the 14th Century, had been passed to the Duncan family during the 1670s,” said James.
“They were prominent merchants and burgesses of Dundee and had produced three provosts of Dundee during the 18th Century.
“The Duncan family were very attached to their Lundie estate.
“In 1789 they added a large classical mausoleum with a beautiful domed roof to the east end of the old church.
“After the death of his elder brother, Admiral Adam Duncan succeeded to the estate of Lundie on December 20 1796.
“His tombstone bears the words ‘Adam First Viscount Duncan Admiral of the White Squadron of His Majesty King George the Third Fleet. Born 14th July 1731 and Died 4th August 1804.’ ”
The owner of the damaged kirk has not been available for contact.
It was bought at auction for around £40,000 a year ago.