Alloway Auld Kirk
TypeChurch
LocationAlloway
OS grid referenceNS33191805
Built16th century
Official nameAlloway Kirk
TypeEcclesiastical: church
Designated5 July 1927
Reference no.SM308
Listed Building – Category B
Official nameAlloway Kirk Graveyard including Hughes Mausoleum, Gatepiers, Gates and Boundary Wall and excluding Scheduled Monument No 308, 'Alloway Kirk', Alloway
Designated5 February 1971
Reference no.LB21471
Alloway Auld Kirk is located in South Ayrshire
Alloway Auld Kirk
Location of Alloway Auld Kirk in South Ayrshire

The Alloway Auld Kirk, which dates back to the 16th Century,[1] is a ruin in Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland, celebrated as the scene of the witches' dance in the poem "Tam o' Shanter" by Robert Burns.

The kirk ruins and William Burnes's grave

Robert Burns

William Burnes, father of the poet, is buried in the graveyard together with his daughter Isabella as well as two of his nieces.[2] Alloway was where he and his wife had first raised their family before moving to Mount Oliphant and Lochlea, and William had attempted to maintain the grounds of the Kirk, which was already a ruin at the time.[3] The original memorial stone has eroded and the present day stone differs in wording, memorializing both of Burns's parents, and includes an epitaph the poet wrote for his father.[3] Burns's sister, Isabella Burns Begg, is also buried in the Kirkyard, along with other notable figures such as David Cathcart, Lord Alloway.[1]

Robert Burns presented his friend John Richmond with a silver mounted snuffbox made with wood taken from the rafters of the Auld Alloway Kirk. The snuffbox bears the inscription;[4]

"Frae the oak that bare the riggin',
O Alloway's auld haunted biggin',
Frae the thorn aboon the well,
Whaur Mungo's mither hanged hersel'."

A David Auld removed the remaining rafters and used them to make chairs and other souvenirs, making a considerable profit from the sales.[5]

Restoration and conservation

Following restoration work, the Kirk and graveyard were reopened to the public by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond in April 2008.[6] The church itself is a scheduled monument and the churchyard a Category B listed building.[7][8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Alloway Auld Kirk - Ayr - VisitScotland". www.visitscotland.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "Wayback Machine". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 Crawford, Robert (2009). The Bard. London: Jonathon Cape. p. 138. ISBN 9780224077682.
  4. ↑ Duncan, Robert (1910). The Story of the Edinburgh Burns Relics with Fresh Facts about Burns and his Family. Andrew Elliot. p. 34.
  5. ↑ Duncan, Robert (1910). The Story of the Edinburgh Burns Relics with Fresh Facts about Burns and his Family. Andrew Elliot. p. 35.
  6. ↑ Dailyrecord.co.uk (23 April 2008). "First Minister proud to re-open Auld Kirk". Daily Record. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  7. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Alloway Kirk (SM308)". Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  8. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Alloway Kirk Graveyard including Hughes Mausoleum, Gatepiers, Gates and Boundary Wall and excluding Scheduled Monument No 308, 'Alloway Kirk', Alloway (Category B Listed Building) (LB21471)". Retrieved 19 February 2019.
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