St Andrew's Auld Kirk

The rocky headland that is the meeting point of the two bays that form the shoreline of North Berwick in East Lothian, is now home to the Scottish Seabird Centre, but just outside the entrance to this building, and also underneath it, you can find the remains of St Andrew's Auld Kirk. An unassuming, white building is all that remains along with some low sections of wall, and it would be easy to walk past on your way to the more well-known attraction, but it is certainly worth a quick stop as it has a fascinating history.

The church became derelict in 1656 when its entire eastern half was swept away in a storm, and at this point there had been a place of worship on the spot for over 1000 years. Monks from Lindisfarne are thought to have constructed the first church on this site, thought to be in the 7th century, and this would have likely been a timber structure. No trace of this earliest church has been found so much of this is speculation.

At some point in the 12th century a simple rectangular church of stone was constructed. This would have comprised a small chancel and nave and would have been for the use of the local community and any passing pilgrims. The pilgrims would have been a big part of the local economy and the money they spent in the area was helpful in providing funds to build a number of extensions to St Andrew's Auld Kirk.

One of the first extensions took place in the late 13th century when a chapel was added on the north side of the church, and this was followed by a tower in the early 15th century and aisles to either side of the original nave in the late 15th century. The last thing to be added was the small porch on the south side of the church, which is all that is left today.

As mentioned earlier, a storm in 1656 destroyed much of the church, sweeping it away into the sea, and at the time some people felt this was divine retribution due to rumours that the churchyard was used as a gathering place for witches during the 1590s! These rumours led to over 100 people being accused of witchcraft, including some very high-profile locals. Many were tortured to extract confessions which led to the North Berwick Witch Trials, which lasted for two years.

The main alleged witches directly involved in the trials were:

Agnes Sampson Barbara Napier, sister-in-law of Archibald Douglas of Carshogle.

Doctor Fian (John Cunningham)

Euphame MacCalzean

Geillis Duncan

Robert Grierson

Lennit Bandilandis

The Porter's wife of Seaton

The Smith of bridge Hallis

The Wife of George Mott - Margaret Acheson Alanis Muir

Along with many others that were not named.

It is thought that Shakespeare was influenced by these trials, and the rumoured rituals, and used them in his famous Scottish tragedy, Macbeth.

After a new church was built in North Berwick further inland, St Andrew's Kirk, much of the Auld Kirk was used by locals to build homes in the town and only the porch was left. It was used as a base for the Coastguard Rocket Patrol from 1850, who used it to launch lines out to ships caught on the nearby rocks.

A number of archaeological digs have taken place on the site, in the 1950s and the year 2000, and some of the items found are displayed in the porch, including a table gravestone and part of a gravestone that may have marked the resting place of a 13th century Knight. Over 30 skeletons were also discovered in the year 2000 including one man who had been stabbed four times in his back and twice in his shoulder and ribs.

Just outside the entrance to the porch is a stone, Celtic cross that stands as a memorial to Catherine Watson, who drowned while trying to save a young boy from drowning in the East Bay. On the day she died, 27th July 1889, she was only 19 years of age.