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Churchyard, Laigh Kirk, Kilmarnock

A Category B Listed Building in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.6098 / 55°36'35"N

Longitude: -4.498 / 4°29'52"W

OS Eastings: 242747

OS Northings: 637967

OS Grid: NS427379

Mapcode National: GBR 3G.MQJP

Mapcode Global: WH3Q9.W878

Plus Code: 9C7QJG52+WQ

Entry Name: Churchyard, Laigh Kirk, Kilmarnock

Listing Name: Bank Street, Laigh Kirk Graveyard and Gatepiers

Listing Date: 3 July 1980

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 380558

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB35876

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Kilmarnock, Laigh Kirk, Churchyard

ID on this website: 200380558

Location: Kilmarnock

County: East Ayrshire

Town: Kilmarnock

Electoral Ward: Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse

Traditional County: Ayrshire

Tagged with: Churchyard

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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

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