The following text is an updated version of the booklet History of The Old High Church Inverness by the Rev FJL MacLauchlan, MC MA, minister of the Old High from 1950 to 1962.

 The Old High Church

In 565 St. Columba preached to King Brude and his people at Inverness. The King and his court accepted Christianity, and Columba revisited the town on more than one occasion. In his biography Adamnan tells us that he preached on the banks of the River Ness.

It was customary in the early days of Christianity in Scotland for kings to grant lands to churches and it is reasonably certain that St. Columba founded a church in Inverness and that the land for this purpose was granted by King Brude, who also granted him the Island of Iona. There is every reason for believing that the first Christian church — probably a wooden structure, extremely primitive and of rude design — stood on the little riverside mound, known from of old as St. Michael's Mount, or Mound, where the present church stands.

The simple fabrics where the Celtic Church worshipped were not capable of lasting. The Roman Church replaced these with more substantial buildings. They were dedicated to saints and care was taken that they should be erected on the venerated sites of their predecessors. A new church was built in Inverness — no doubt on the site already hallowed by centuries of worship — and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. By the year 1371 its roof was in disrepair, but the structure itself was described by the Bishop of the diocese as "a noble, strong and distinguished place (nobilis, validus, et insignis)." Part of its tower is still in evidence, being the lower portion of the present church tower. A new aisle was added in the 15th century. At one time the church embraced several chapels and altars, dedicated to various saints and liberally endowed.

The Parish Church — the Church of St. Mary of Inverness — was standing in 1711 on St. Michael's Mount and the site and some of the stone-work have been used for public worship since the time of William the Lion. The first reference to the church in any document now extant is contained in a charter granted by William the Lion sometime between 1164 and 1171. It runs as follows:

"William, by the grace of God king of Scots, to all good men in his whole land; Greetings: Know that I have given and granted to God, and the Church of Saint Mary in Inuirnys, and Thomas, Priest, parson of the said Church, one plough of land in perpetual mortification. Whereof I will that the foresaid Thomas hold the foresaid land as freely and peaceably as any other mortification in my dominion is freely and peaceably held. Witnesses — Nicholas, chancellor; Matthew, Archbishop of St. Andrews; David Olifard, Richard Comyn. At Elgin."

In 1233 a monastery was founded by the Black Friars, immediately to the north of the Church. A single pillar remains of what must have been an extensive building, besides certain foundations and what appear to have been vaults. The names, "Friars' Street and Friars' Lane," indicate the immediate vicinity of the precincts. The stretch of the River Ness called "Friars' Shott," just below the church, was, as the name indicates, the fishing ground of the friars.

King Robert the Bruce granted to the Preaching Friars of Inverness an endowment often pounds sterling to be paid annuallythrough the hands of the Provost for the time "out of the rents of our burgh of Inverness." The monastery continued until the Reformation, when it fell into disuse. In 1562 Queen Mary visited Inverness and in 1567 she made a grant of all the churches, chapels and church lands with all pertinents "formerly pertaining to me Dominican or Preaching Friars of our said Burgh to the Provost, Bailies, Council and Community of Inverness ... for the Ministers and hospitality of our Burgh or Inverness." This charter was confirmed by King James VI in 1587. The monastery building soon fell into disrepair, and the last we hear of them is in a deed of sale by which, in 1653, the Town sold the ruins to an officer of Cromwell's army, named Colonel Lilburn, for the erection of Cromwell's Fort.

The Reformation does not seem to have been attended with much violence in Inverness nor was any appreciable damage done to the Church — perhaps owing to the simplicity and austerity of its

architecture. Robert Pont, the son-in-law of John Knox, was sent north as superintendent of the Church, and laboured here for five years.

The establishment of Episcopacy and its subsequent disestablishment, were equally free from rancour. Between 1661 and 1689, when the Episcopalians were in the ascendant, the Kirk Session continued to function as before. According to a writer of the period, "One part of the Church is used for the English Kirk and another for the Eirshe Kirk, and when a chaplain was here they had Church of England service in one of them at another hour."

Kirk Session Records dated 25th August, 1746, refer to certain repairs which were required consequent on the use of the Church by the Government forces to house the prisoners captured at the battle of Culloden Moor. Those condemned to death were taken out and executed in the Churchyard. Two stones can be seen, near the west door, one with two curved hollows and the other with a V-shaped groove. They are nine paces apart and in direct line. It is thought that the prisoner, blindfolded, sat on the one, or stood or knelt behind it, while the musket of the executioner rested in the groove of the other.

A happier note to record is that the Lieut.-Colonel of the Government troops stationed in Inverness in 1751 was James Wolfe, the hero of Quebec and that he made it his regular practice to attend this Church on Sundays. In a letter to his father dated Inverness, 12th January, 1752, Wolfe wrote, "We are allowed to be the most religious foot officers that have been in the North for many a day . . . See the variety and change of things: in most of our quarters we have been looked upon no better than as the sons of darkness, given up to Satan; here we are white as the snow that covers all the hills about — not from any want of temptation to sin, you may believe, but from sudden conversion and power to resist." (See "Life and Letter of James Wolfe," by Beckless Willson).

By 1746 the old building had become ruinous and the Presbytery of Inverness decreed that it was encumbent upon the Heritors of the Parish and the Town Council of Inverness to have the church rebuilt.

After considerable delay the Town Council agreed that a new Church be built on the public credit at an estimated cost of £1,000 to a plan submitted by George Fraser, Deputy Auditor of the Excise, Edinburgh.

Thus, on St. Michael's Mound, the site of successive churches built there following St. Columba's visit to King Brude in 565, work on the new church commenced in 1770. The required timber was imported from Riga. Incorporating a tower, the building was completed in 1772 but the cost had risen to £1,450.

Accordingly the Town Council arranged to raise further loans and to sell and rent seats, the Provost, Magistrates and Councillors having first call, followed by the Heritors, Incorporated Trades and the general public. At that time the church could accommodate 1,860 persons. Incidentally, the Heritors included the Duke of Gordon, John Forbes of Culloden and Alexander Baillie of Dochfour.

The first minister of the new church was the Rev. Murdach Mackenzie and the Provost of Inverness was Phineas Mackintosh. It is interesting to note that both gentlemen mentioned were sons-in-law of John Hossack, an earlier Provost of Inverness. Following the Battle of Culloden Provost Hossack sought to intercede with the English Authorities regarding the ill-treatment of wounded Jacobite prisoners but, on the orders of General Hawley, the Provost was kicked downstairs.

In 1776, Sir Hector Munro, M.P. Inverness Burghs, donated £1,000 towards extinguishing part of the debt incurred by the Town Council. By 1811 the seat rents had yielded an annual revenue of about £84, which figure subsequently rose to £130 per annum.

Within the next twelve years the seat rents collected by the Council were, apparently, sufficient to pay off the £500 of original debt remaining on the fabric and meet the charges for extraordinary repairs carried out in 1811.

The Church has been closely associated with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders since the Regiment was first established in Inverness. Visible indications of this connection are numerous.

There are four Colours hanging over the Stalls in the Choir Apse. These are the King's Colours of the 6th and 7th (Service) Battalions and the King's Colour and the Regimental Colour of the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion. A Regimental Bay has been created in the window below the Pulpit. On the right hand wall can be seen the Regimental Memorial Bronze Plaque which was brought down from the Cameron Barracks when the depot was closed down.

Below it is an additional Plaque covering World War II. Two Memorial Books, similar to those in the National Shrine in Edinburgh Castle and containing the names of all Cameron Highlanders who fell in both World Wars, lie on the shelf below the window.

The two oak stands previously holding these books when they were located in the Guard Room Verandah, have been converted into two tables. One is in the West Porch and the other in the East Porch. On the left facing wall of the window is a tablet describing the four Colours and giving the dates when they were laid up.

The War Memorial and also individual memorials within the Church bear the names of many Camerons who fell in action. Another interesting Memorial can be seen on the East stairway — the wooden cross brought home from the battlefield of Martinpuich in 1916.

From the year 1720 the Church bell has rung the curfew each night, except for the period of the Second World War.

When the bell was undergoing repair in 1883, it was found to bear the inscription, "Johannes Burgeses Luys me fecit 1658. Soli Deo Gloria."

The Bible in the show-case in front of the pulpit is the English Bible of 1611 (King James' Bible), the First Edition. It is in Black Letter, with chapter headings in roman type. It belongs to the Inverness Kirk Session Library (founded in 1720).

This edition is often known as the "Great 'He' Bible," on account of the reading in Ruth 3, 15, where the translation is "and he went into the city.' The other issue, or issues, of the year 1611 translate "and she went into the city."

The front of the gallery ("the breist o' the laft") is furnished with chairs, instead of a pew, for the accommodation of the Provost and Magistrates at the annual Services for the Kirking of the Council and on national occasions. On the book-board are eight large Bibles, each bearing the coat-of-arms of Inverness embossed in gold and the date 1775.

The beautifully carved Communion Table and Lectern are a memorial to the Very Rev. Dr. Norman Macleod. The floor of the Sanctuary is of Iona marble, representing the ground which Saint Columba trod. The stained-glass windows, of various dates, are worthy memorials of distinguished servants of the church in past days.

The organ is a two-manual instrument built by Henry Willis, and underwent an extensive repair in 1977 at a cost of £7,000. The plan of the church is a style common in the construction of churches in the latter part of the 18th century, with the pulpit central, or nearly central, to the long wall.

The acoustics are excellent, the accommodation ample and the position of the Communion Table — placed forward on the apse, symbolises the Reformation conception of the congregation as God's family gathered round His Table. In the Vestry are portraits of six ministers of the First Charge dating from 1852 to 1969 and including the Rev. Donald MacDonald, M.A., D.D., who officiated from 1852 to 1889.

Other long ministries were those of the Rev. Doctor Norman Macleod who served from 1890 to 1906, and the Rev. Donald Macleod, M.C., T.D., B.D., minister of the First Charge from 1907 to 1939 and, thereafter, senior minister until 1955.

Also in the vestry is a portrait in oils of the Rev. Doctor Alexander Rose, M.A., D.D., minister of the Third Charge from 1798 to 1801 and of the Second Charge from 1801 to 1850. Dr. Rose was responsible for collating information in respect of Inverness Parish for the Old Statistical Account of Scotland.

The burial place of the Robertsons of Inshes, which stands on the right at the top of the steps as one approaches the Church, bears the date 1661 and is claimed to be a unique specimen of 17th century Scottish Decorative masonry.

The unique clock with Japanese design in gilt, and now back in church, was made by Francis Perigal, who was in business as a clockmaker in Bond Street, London, from 1770. It is reasonably that this particular clock was in the church when the building was first opened for public worship.

Other items of historical interest include two brass trays, one of which is engraved "Parish Church, Inverness, 1737, and had obviously been in use in the earlier church. There is also an iron chest (for storing Deeds and Minute Books) which was presented in 1712 to the Kirk Session of Inverness by James Thompson, Kirk Treasurer.

Now laid up in the church is the Field Communion Set used by the Rev. Doctor Caskie (The Tartan Pimpernel) Minister of the Scots Kirk in Paris during the Second World War.

In 1802, John Baillie, an Inverness carpenter, bequeathed to the Kirk Session a legacy of £50 to provide six silver cups and these beautiful cups are still in regular use at Communion.

The church was reseated and otherwise internally improved in 1891 and was re-roofed in 1898. The centre of the gallery was subsequently reseated in 1954.

In 1971 the Old High (First Charge) and St. Stephen's congregation were established as a linked charge under the Ministry of the late Dr Ian F Mclntosh until his death in October 1992. He was succeeded by the Rev Colin M Anderson, B.A., B.D..S.T.M., M.Phil., who had previously been Chaplain to Glasgow University. After Mr Anderson's retirement in the two congregations were united on 30 October 2003, with both buildings retained for worship. The first minister- and the current incumbent- of the united charge of Old High St Stephen's was inducted in August 2004- the Rev Peter W Nimmo, B.D. ThM., previously minister of High Carntyne, Glasgow.

This booklet, now revised and enlarged, was compiled by the Rev. F. J. L. MACLAUCHLAN, M.C., MA.,who ministered here from 1950 until 1962.