The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Book charts cathedral’s tale of war, fire and theft
Volume explores the story of building that has survived everything except modern debt
A new book explores the history of one of Scotland’s oldest places of worship from the Dark Ages through to its imminent closure after 800 years.
Brechin Cathedral survived attacks from King Edward I – who stripped the roof of its lead in 1303 – invasion by Montrose’s royalist forces when half the town was set on fire, and Oliver Cromwell’s onslaught in 1650.
However, it could not survive bankruptcy after being left with huge debts following a botched roof repair after dry rot was found in the Canadian pine timbers, and is now slated for closure.
Church elder Archie Milne has embarked on a “material journey” going back through time before the church is put on the market.
“There would have been a religious settlement on the present site of the cathedral and more likely this would have been the Druids from around 600AD,” he said.
“Our history of the cathedral more or less starts around 975AD with King Kenneth II of Scotland granting powers to the burgh of Brechin as he ‘gave the great city of Brechin to the Lord’, thus bestowing special privileges.
“The church at Brechin received a significant royal grant, probably of lands, and it was this which gave the church the power to create a burgh and hold markets.
“This then leads through to King David who instals Bishop Samson to the church and thereby making it a cathedral.
“This history goes on with respect to the building of the actual church, its new foundations in 1220AD, the building of the Square Tower and the grant given by Robert the Bruce.”
The timber roof is modern but there is an old tradition that the original oak beams of the roof came from the forest of Kilgarie on the slopes of the Caterthuns on the fringe of the Angus Glens.
In 1303 when King Edward I attacked and captured Brechin Castle, the counterweights of his siege machines War Wolf were made of lead stripped from the roof of the cathedral.
Two years later, however, he compensated Bishop Kyninmond for the value with a consignment of 50 loads of lead and gifted 12 oaks for timber from the forest of Forfar.
Robert the Bruce later visited Brechin in 1310AD and gifted money for the ongoing construction of the Square
Tower.
Brechin was occupied on five occasions by James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose, and the royalist troops of England from 1645-46.
Mr Milne said: “Half of the town was set on fire and the terror-stricken people fled once again for refuge in the country.
“They hid their goods in the castle and the church steeples, which enraged the soldiers who found their goods, plundered the castle and half the town and burnt about 60 houses.
“The collection take on the Sunday just before Montrose’s arrival had been hidden in a secret part of the church but the enemy found it and stole it.
“The church Bible had been attended to and was safe but one of the session registers was gone and never recovered.”
Two years after the havoc brought by war, Brechin was once again plunged into horror by the onset of the plague.
From time to time in the church records, there are indications of payments to clean up the approaches to the church and the churchyard. There were no services in the church after April 7 1647 and all session meetings were discontinued for seven months.
On September 3 1650, the English Parliamentarian army under the command of Oliver Cromwell defeated the royalist-supporting Scottish Covenanting army at the Battle of Dunbar. The magistrates of Brechin were called upon to supply their quota of recruits.
The cathedral was used by these invading troops to shelter both the army and their horses.
The book also covers the cathedral’s many distinctive features, including Pictish stones.
It also has 39 stained glass windows, dating from a 1902 restoration, and a Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed pulpit.
The book is available from the cathedral office in Church Street or from News Plus in St David’s Street.