Old Temple Kirk

One of the best parts of visiting the town of Temple was finding out the history behind its peculiar name. Formerly known as Balantrodoch (Gaelic for “Settlement of Warriors”), the town of Temple's previous and current names both come from the Knights Templar, the historied Christian armed order of the Crusades.

The ruins of this Old Temple Kirk stand on what was their main religious building and headquarters in Scotland. King David of Scotland granted the land of what is now Temple to the then recently-founded Knights Templar in 1128, almost 900 years ago! The Knights used this land to build their preceptory.

By the 14th century the Knights Templar order had been banned and many of their lands given to the Knights Hospitaller, including the recently-renamed Temple. Using the stone from the preceptory the Old Temple Kirk was built in its place.

Scotland has a veritable wealth of places with unique names. Gaelic influence is strongest in the likes of Auchtermuchty, while the Northern archipelagos of Shetland and Orkney are all about Norse heritage with Lerwick and the unfortunate-in-modern-times Twatt (found in both island groups).

So when I discovered that Midlothian has a town simply called Temple, I might not have been surprised but certainly intrigued. I was glad to find out you can see more than just stone walls here too, as the kirkyard cemetery features some very interesting gravestones carved on both the front and back.

The Scottish Reformation played a role in both this church becoming a ruin, and these peculiar double-sided carvings. With Catholicism being targeted, gravestone carvers had to change the iconography of their works, and Scotland's tombstones are often recognised for their peculiar memento mori themes of hourglasses and crossbones.

Temple's in particular are noted for examples where the back carvings depict aspects of the deceased's lives. Perhaps the most notable example is that of John Craig's, a farmer who died in 1742, shown in traditional clothing and accompanied by his two sons.

Since 2020, the Temple Old Kirk Friends charity has looked over this notable and historied ruin. Works in recent years have included key stabilisation of the walls, and their hope is that in the near future, it may once again be free from fences and fully accessible via paths. I particularly enjoyed walking around and admiring the small details, like this ouroboros on the back of a gravestone!

Is Old Temple Kirk accessible?

While most of the ruin can be seen from the pavement on the street, entering its lawn and having a closer look might be tricky for people with mobility issues. One of the aims of the Temple Old Kirk Friends is to eventually build accessible paths for all visitors.