The Auld Kirk

Situated on the banks of the River Ayr, the Auld Kirk of Ayr dates back to the 17th century.

The Auld Kirk of Ayr has been a centre of worship in the town of Ayr for over 800 years; first of all in the original building down near the harbour (only the tower remains) and then since 1654 in its present
location.

The Auld Kirk was built on land that previously stood the 12th century Church of St John which had been seized by Cromwell. The present church was built between 1655 - 1662, with many areas of interest in and around the Kirk, such as the beautiful stained glass windows that adorn the building.


The church has been there to help the people of the town through:
• the 14th century Wars of Independence in the time of Robert the Bruce;
• the Reformation in the 16th century;
• the Union of the Crowns and the eviction from the original building by Cromwell in the 17th century;
• the Disruption in the 19th century;
• two World Wars in the 20th century;
and now in the 21st century it is still there as a beacon of light to all in need.

Inside the Church is the pew where Robert Burns' father, William Burness, is believed to have sat each Sunday and where possibly the young Robert formed his first impressions of the Kirk. It is also believed that the great Bard was baptized in the Kirk.

The gravestones within the Kirkyard tell many a tale about those who have gone before, such as a headstone dedicated to John Aitken, chief patron to whom Robert Burns dedicated his poem Cotters Saturday Night.

Few days in Scotland could be described as bleaker than those termed "The Killing Times", a period of 50 years in the 1600's when many people died after signing a Covenant which whilst giving due authority to the monarch for things earthly, they only saw Christ as their leader of the church. This flew in the face of thinking in England, where the monarch had divine rule over the Church. This had never been acceptable in Scotland, especially not since the Reformation and thousands stood firm, denying Charles I (and later Charles II after the reinstatement of monarchy) the authority he demanded of them. To this day, to illustrate the fundamental difference between the two Protestant churches of Scotland and England, the Queen is head of the English Church, delegating through bishops. In Scotland she is only a member of the Church of Scotland and has no powers over the National Assembly whatsoever.

Covenanting ministers were ejected from their churches and ministers who supported the king's wishes were put in place. It became an offence not to attend the king's church, and an even graver offence to attend open air churches (conventicles) held by covenanting ministers. Many suffered grievously for holding onto the Presbyterian faiths, not only willing to suffer death, but to fight for it.

This came to a head on November 13, 1666, at St. John's Dalry in Kirkcudbrightshire after an elderly man was beaten by soldiers as he was unable to pay a fine for not attending church. Local covenanters drew pistols on the soldiers, wounding one of them. With punishment a certainty for this act the crowd went through southwest Scotland, including Ayr, gathering an ever growing band of 'soldiers', finally amassing some 1200.

At Rullion Green, one mile from Penicuik, they were intercepted by General Thomas Dalziel of The Binns, Commander in Chief in Scotland and his forces and in the ensuing battle 52 covenanters lay dead and the others fled into the Pentland Hills. Many were rooted out and executed at various courts around Scotland, one of which was set up in Ayr.

Eight men were sentenced to death at the Ayr court: James Smith, Alexander MacMillan, James Mcmillan, John Short, George MacCartney, John Graham, John Muirhead and Cornelius Anderson. But the local hangmen refused to do the deed. The authorities were aghast! No-one was willing to put these men to their deaths, so they hit upon the idea of offering freedom to any of the condemned men who was willing to hang his compatriots. No doubt this was to send a message that Covenantors were not so pious and upright as they claimed to be. Sadly Cornelius Anderson accepted the bribe (sad to say he was a citizen of Ayr) and the wretch was given copious amounts of brandy to fortify him. So drunk and possibly raving, he hanged his fellow Covenantors on the 27th December 1666. The heads and hands of the hanged men were cut off and displayed publicly as a warning to all of rebellious nature and their bodies buried in the kirkyard where they still lie, marked by a stone erected by the Incorporated Trades of Ayr which reads on one side:

Here lie seven Martyrs for our Covenants,
A sacred number of triumphant Saints,
Pontius McAdam the unjust Sentence past,
What is his own the world will know at last,
And Herod Drummond caus’d their Heads affix,
Heav’n keeps a record of the sixty-six.
Boots, thumbkins, gibbets were in fashion then,
LORD, let us never see such Days again.

And on the other:

Here lies the corpse of James Smith, Alexander McMillan, James McMillan, John Short, George McKertny, John Graham and John Muirhead who suffered martyrdom at AIR 27th December 1666 for their adherance to the Word of GOD and Scotlands Covenanted work of Reformation.

This small tribute was done by the Incorporate Trades of AIR anno domoni 1814. For the Righteous shall be keept in everlasting rememberance.

And what became of the traitorous Cornelius Anderson? He moved to Ireland, a sad and demented individual. He eventually died in a house fire - rumour has it by his own hands.