Legerwood Kirk
History
There has been a religious establishment at Legerwood since, at least, 1127 as John, a priest at Ledgaresude, as it was known, was a witness to a charter of that year. Walter de Lauder granted the church to the monks of Paisley Abbey in 1164 and they held the church and its tithes until the coming of the reformed church in Scotland in 1560. There is more mention of Legerwood in 1296 when the vicar, Walter, swore fealty to Edward I of England in 1296 at Berwick-upon-Tweed. The church still retains its original Norman chancel.
Noted minister
The Reverend William Calderwood was minister at Legerwood from 1655 to 1709 but was evicted from his charge for 27 years for his refusal to conform to the Act of Glasgow – failure to preach with the Episcopalian prayer book as advocated by the Stuart kings in London Charles I and Charles II. William Calderwood died in 1709. In 1684 the congregation of Legerwood were fined for attending Conventicles. The minister's manse was not built until 1812.
See also
References
- ^ Scottish Borders Heritage
- ^ Groome, Francis (1896). Spathaky, Mike (ed.). Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland. p. 480. ISBN 1-904107-00-1.
- ^ New Statistical Account of Scotland page 347
Further reading
- The Borders Book, edited by Donald Omand. ISBN 978-1-874744-50-4