Description

Enclosed circa 1710. Rubble walls with flat ashlar copes. Walls later lowered to serve as retaining walls, outer wall surfaces rendered.

STONES: several 18th century stones, some table tombs with baluster feet, a few good 19th century classical stones. Memorial to John Nisbet 1683, Covenanter stone renewed by public subscription, 1823.

GATEPIERS: pair of square ashlar gatepiers with panelled shafts and projecting square neck copes, tall wrought-iron lamps with glazed coach lamps surmounting; later wrought-iron gates.

Statement of Interest

A-Group with Laigh Kirk. The kirkyard was formerly much bigger. In 1710 the first part of Bank Street was built on part of the older Laigh Kirk burial ground. Now the Kirk is sited in the NE corner of the kirkyard, which is raised from the road and accessed by a flight of steps. The area immediately around the church used to form the focus for old Kilmarnock, but it lost its pivotal role around 1780 when new streets were formed which met at Kilmarnock Cross. The kirkyard has many notable memorials and interesting stones, for example Covenanters Ross, Shields and John Nisbet of Loudoun who were hanged at the Cross. Many have unusual inscriptions such as "Sacred to the memory of Thomas Finlay, John Cuthbertson, William Brown, Robert and James Anderson (natives of this parish) who were taken prisoners at Bothwell, June 22nd 1679, sentenced to transportation for life, and drowned on their passage near the Orkney Isles. Also John Finlay who suffered martyrdom 15th December, 1682, in the Grass-Market, Edinburgh." The Laigh Kirk and its ministers also feature in Robert Burns' poem "The Ordination."

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17791425

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
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  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)