THE
KIRK OF SAINT TERNAN
This is one of the few Parish churches in rural Scotland that dates from pre-Reformation
times and is still in use for public worship. The
church is dedicated to the memory of St. Ternan who, it is believed, was born
to a Pictish family in the Mearns in the first half of the fifth century A.D.
After training in his native country, he went to Ireland, took part in
missionary work and became Abbot of a monastic settlement in Leinster.
Thereafter he returned to Kincardineshire and probably settled in Banchory
where his religious community was an important missionary centre.
It is not possible to trace a connection between Arbuthnott Church and Ternan
during his life, but it is known that the church was dedicated to his memory
from very early times. There is
every indication that a church existed on the site of the present kirk before
the chancel was dedicated on 3rd August A.D. 1242 by the redoubtable David de
Bernham, Bishop of St. Andrews. Following
instruction from the authorities in Rome he carried out Services of
Consecration throughout his wide spread diocese in the years 1241 through to
1244 and on to 1249. Effectively
140 out of the 234 churches in this diocese received his scrutiny and blessing
at that time.
The Parish of Arbuthnott was brought into being as a result of the Norman
influence that pervaded all Scottish affairs during the reigns of Margaret and
her sons. The fact that there was
a kirk at Arbuthnott is established through surviving documents that relate
the long dispute that arose between the Thanes of Arbuthnott and successive
Bishops of St. Andrews. This was
only settled by a decree of the Synod of Perth in the year 1206. The fact that this dispute was concerned with the
relationship between the Thanes of Arbuthnott and the Bishops as owners of the
Kirkton lands and that it was also related to the management of the Kirkton
lands as agricultural subjects, is evidence of the long standing close
association between the church, the land and its people and their daily lives.
Arbuthnott was developing as an agricultural community in the latter
part of the 12th century and the close tie between the eldership of the church
and the agricultural community can still be seen in all kirk affairs today.
The chancel is the earliest part of the church. It is built in the early English style and is lit by five
small lancet windows and contains a piscina1
under the eastmost south lancet. The lancet windows and the top part of the
east gable have been considerably altered. From earliest times the chancel served as a burial place for the Norman
family of Allardyce to whom the lands of Allardyce were granted in 1165, or
thereabouts.
The bell tower was dedicated to the church by Sir Robert who also gave two
bells to ring for the services and offices. The Arbuthnott Aisle is a
beautiful example of late Scottish Gothic with upper and lower floors. The lower one, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, has a stoup2
and an aumbry3. It contains a tomb, the top of which is believed to be the stone effigy
of Hugo le Blond of Arbuthnott. The
tomb beneath the effigy is of a later period, probably mid 16th century and
contains the remains of James Arbuthnott of that Ilk, son of Sir Robert, the
builder of the Aisle. The four
shields on the coffin are those of the Stewart, Arbuthnott, Arbuthnott and
Douglas families. The room above
the Lady Chapel was destined for the use of the Parish priest and it would have been in this room that James Sibbald, Vicar of Arbuthnott, who
died in 1507, would have completed the famous Missal of Arbuthnott in the year
1492. The long association
between the church and the family of Arbuthnott is evident in the construction
of the bell tower and the Aisle in the late 15th century, the commissioning of
the Missal and other religious books, the donation of the communion plate, and
other church vessels, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. At the Reformation, Alexander, the first Protestant minister of the
church was a member of the Arbuthnott family, whose memorial stone is seen in
the north wall of the church close to the pulpit. He later became the first protestant Principal of King's College,
Aberdeen, and was Moderator of the General Assembly. The other large plaque in the north wall above the centre of the nave
is a memorial to another Sibbald, John, of Kair, who was minister of the
Parish in the middle of the 17th century. He it was who gave a library to the church which was for many years
housed in the upper part of the Arbuthnott Aisle.
Towards the middle of the 18th and into the 19th century the structure of the
church became decayed. The nave was restored in the middle of the 19th century
when galleries were added to three sides and the pulpit was set against the
south wall. In 1890 fire
destroyed the greater part of the nave and another restoration, which included
the re-roofing of the chancel, was carried out by the architect Marshall
Mackenzie of Aberdeen. It may
have been at this time that the lancet windows were altered.
In the mid-20th century further attention was given to the church and heating
was installed. The outside of the
church and Aisle were pointed and the care of the graveyard became the
responsibility of the Local Authority. Recently
the church organ was completely overhauled, electrified and given a new pedal‑board,
it is known to be among the best church organs in Grampian.
Outside
the church to the west a slight depression in the churchyard marks the
original boundary of the burial ground. Beyond
this depression and to the west stood the original school of Arbuthnott, which
building was demolished about the year 1920.
The plan shown gives an indication of the probable periods of
construction of the present church. However,
considerable alteration at intervening times has caused the shape of windows,
doorways and other parts of the building to be altered. Probably the bell tower and the Arbuthnott Aisle are the only two
constructions that remain in their original state. This plan has been drawn by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and
Historical Monuments of Scotland to whom the Kirk Session are grateful for
their permission to reproduce it here.
Glossary:
1.
Piscina: A stone basin for water always located on the south side of the
altar. It would have been used by the Priest during and after
services when water for cleaning was needed.
2. Stoup: One of
these is situated at the entrance to the church by the south door and at the
entrance to the aisle. Each would have contained holy water to
"cleanse" the visitor as he entered the building.
3.
Aumbry: A form of cupboard or wall recess in which the host (the blessed bread
water and wine) would remain until required by the officiating priest.
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