- St. Bridget's Kirk
Infobox Historic building
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name=St. Bridget's Kirk
location_town=Dalgety Bay ,Fife
location_country=Scotland
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size=St. Bridget's Kirk is a former church in the outskirts of
Dalgety Bay ,Fife ,Scotland . It is a shell of Medieval church, dating back at least as far as 1178, and was altered in the17th century forProtestant worship. It is now in ruins.History
The church was part of the old village of Dalgety, and the ruins are the only surviving feature of it. It was in existence by at least
11 March 1178 whenPope Alexander III issued a papal bull, calling for the founding of the "Church at Dalgetty with its appurtenances". The church was later appropriated by the nearbyInchcolm Abbey , and in 1244 it was consecrated byDavid de Bernham , Bishop of St. Andrews.In 1641, the Rev. Andrew Donaldson became minister at St Bridget's, and oversaw the building of a school. He opposed the imposition of the Episcopalianism of Charles I, and was deposed from the parish for his
Presbyterianism . He refused to leave and had to be forcibly removed from the church by soldiers despatched by ArchbishopJames Sharp . Donaldson was subsequently imprisoned, but due to the shifting political situation, was eventually allowed to return to the parish and resume his duties.St Bridget's was substantially altered in the seventeenth century, but by the early nineteenth century, had become unsafe. The roof was lost in 1830, and a new church was built half a mile inland.
The church today
The ruins are maintained by
Historic Scotland . The loft can still be accessed, and the church'spiscina survives in good condition. Several gravestones remain in the old churchyard, and a 'keep' is built into the churchyard wall, providing a place from which the churchbeadle s could guard againstbody-snatcher s. The west end of the church contains a burial vault built for the Earls of Dunfermline. [ [http://www.kayukay.co.uk/fife-attractions.html Fife Attractions] ]Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline was buried in the church. An open air service is held at the church every year in June.References
* [http://www.owenson.org.uk/kirk/was/oldkirk.htm History of the churches in Dalgety Bay]
External links
* [http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/places/propertyresults/propertydetail.htm?PropID=PL_255&PropName=St%20Bridget's%20Kirk,%20Dalgety Historic Scotland profile] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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