TRANSACTIONS. 43 
in the year 1744, while the Old Church was yet standing, to 
enquire into the condition of the fabric. These reports furnish 
important and reliable information, from which, when supplemented 
from other sources and considered in connection with the founda- 
tions and other remains brought to light, may be obtained a fairly 
complete idea of the design of the Old Chuveh. 
The church had long been in a state of dilapidation, and from 
time to time complaints were made, followed by ineffectual 
attempts to put the building in order, but it was evidently worn 
out and ruinous. At last several families removed from it and 
declined to worship there owing to its unsafe state. In these cir- 
cumstances the Presbytery was called in, and on the 22nd March, 
1744, that reverend court held a visitation at the church, when a 
remit was made to tradesmen in the following terms : “To inspect 
the state of the church as to the walls, roof and windows, accord- 
ing to their respective crafts, and bring in against the afternoon a 
just report of the state and condition of the church as to these par- 
ticulars, and what articles and pieces of reparation would be 
needful for putting the same in good and sufficient condition, as 
also to make up an estimate of the expense at which the needful 
reparation might be wrought and completed.” It will be observed 
that the terms of the remit would exclude the reporters suggesting 
that a new church ought to be built, and accordingly, although 
reparation of the old one would practically mean renewal, they 
preceed in these reports to describe in detail one portion of it after 
another as insufficient and to be re-built, until nearly every several 
feature of the old church receives mention, rendering the reports 
much more valuable for our purpose than they would otherwise 
have been. 
From these sources I proceed with the description of the Old 
Church as it stood in the year 1744, immediately before its 
demolition, in order to make room for the existing one. It com- 
prised three divisions, frequently referred to in the reports on 
which we are drawing, the central one being described as “the 
body of the kirk,’ and the other two as “ the two side aisles.” 
_ “ Middle walls” are mentioned as separating the aisles from the 
body of the kirk, and supporting the roof. These rested on 
arcades of three bays, each with a fourth bay on each side, not 
arched over. The pillars were six in number, with four half ones 
at the wall, giving four bays to each arcade, but only six arches 
are mentioned, not eight, as the number of spaces would require. 
