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Aberdalgie Church, on the north side of the valley, looks across the surrounding farms to the Ochil Hills and bears witness to centuries of worship in a Scottish rural parish. The pre-Reformation church of Aberdalgie came within the Diocese of Dunkeld and the ancient churchyard bears eloquent testimony to the men and women who have worshipped here through the centuries. |
The earliest patrons of Aberdalgie were the Oliphants. In 1304, Stirling Castle was defended for three months against Edward I by the deputy Governor, “Sir William Oliphant of Aberdalgy and his cousin, Sir William de Dupplin.” Sir William Oliphant is buried in the churchyard at the site of the old church. The top stone of his vault, the finest example of Belgian Tournai marble in the country, is preserved in the church on the south side next to the pulpit. Aberdalgie was united with the parish of Dupplin in 1618. The Oliphants were succeeded as patrons in 1625 by the Kinnoull family. The present church was erected by the Earl of Kinnoull in 1773. The Kinnoull burial vault is beneath the east end of the church. A “T-Plan” church of local sandstone, Aberdalgie features a fine Laird's loft and a Georgian retiring room which now serves as the church office. In more recent times the church has benefitted from the interest of the Dewar family who became lairds of Dupplin in 1911. Under the patronage of John Dewar, first Baron Forteviot of Dupplin, the prominent Scottish architect, Sir Robert Lorimer, remodelled the interior in 1929. With extensive use of Austrian oak and east-facing reorientation the church is characterised by a sense of peace and simple dignity. Worship Times 15 January 2012, 12 February 2012, 26 February 2012, 11 March 2012, 25 March 2012 |
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The Stewartry of Strathearn (Church of Scotland) is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC030799 Church Congregation Number 281695 |
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