Report of the Meetings for 1895. 227 



the church since he became incumbent in 1847. At that time 

 the church had a gallery at each end, and a third gallery running 

 from east to west of the building. These galleries not only 

 obscured the under portion of the arches below the upper tier, 

 but considerably even that. Into the under arches and many 

 of the capitals, the supports of the galleries were sunk, which 

 sadly mutilated them. In fact a more discreditable deforming 

 of beautiful and unique architecture could not be well conceived. 

 How long this hideous state of deformity had existed he could 

 not well say — perhaps for 150 years. 



Among a few of the Heritors a better spirit arose, and they 

 were anxious to redeem the discredit of such a desecration, and 

 bethought themselves of a way of effecting it. Sir William 

 Molesworth— a man of archteological taste, and in full sympathy 

 with the setting in movement for greater decency in ecclesiastical 

 buildings, and actuated by a desire to promote in Scotland the 

 restoration of her ancient noble buildings, which were rapidly 

 allowed to fall into decay, and her churches also, which were 

 most incongruous pieces of patchwork, and melancholy specimens 

 of parsimony on the part of those who swallowed up her re- 

 venues. With him the Heritors corresponded. He sent Mr 

 Mathewson, then head of Her Majesty's Works in Scotland, to 

 examine and report on the structure. He reported on the 

 beautiful and unique character of the remaining fragment of the 

 north wall of the choir, and gave an estimate of the cost of 

 renovation. The President of the Board of Works limited Mr 

 Mathewson to that fragment, and allowed the Heritors to fulfil 

 their obligation of providing suitable accommodation for the 

 parish. He, after considerable correspondence, agreed to give 

 £800 for this object. The matter was proceeded with, but in 

 the course of lowering fully six feet the floor, he discovered the 

 bases of farther columns of a lighter character ; and for the 

 restoration of these an additional sum, he thought of £60, was 

 given, and the whole restored in order to bring it to what was 

 conceived to be the original state. 



A plan prepared by Mr Hamilton, which would have had a 

 transept about 30 feet wide and 20 broad on the north wall, was 

 proposed and almost adopted. This would have rendered the 

 edifice complete so far as it went, but unfortunately it was 

 abandoned for that which still remains — the miserable, bald, 

 unsightly thing. 



