HISTORY

PRESTONGRANGE CHURCH

Although there was a church in Prestonpans from the 12th Century, all trace of it was lost in 1544 when English troops harried the Scottish LowIands. This was the revenge of Henry VIII for the refusal of the Scottish Parliament to allow the infant Queen Man to marry the Prince of Wales (later Edward VI) when they were aged two and seven respectively!

The story of the present Church begins with the appointment of the first minister; John Davidson, in 1595. Davidson was a fearless champion of the reformed faith in the generation after John Knox. He was an outspoken man, fit for his stormy time. He decried bishops, denounced those in the Church who took seats in Parliament and boldly criticised King James VI. He was briefly imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle in 1601 and to the end of his days forbidden to leave his parish.

Davidson began to build the first Preston Church in 1596. The two local Landowners; Lord Hamilton of Preston and John Kerr of Newbattle, were reluctant to provide for a parish church. Eventually, Hamilton donated the site but with little financial support and Davidson built, largely at his own expense, the Church, manse and school (where Latin, Greek and Hebrew were taught). This tightfistedness continued into the 17th Century when several ministers died deep in debt but this was also the time of the Covenanters who swore to defend the Presbyterian faith and its independence from the state. Among them were three Preston Church ministers whose adherence to the Covenant deprived them of their office. The eighteenth-century brought the Jacobite rebellions and the Battle of Prestonpans said to be watched by the minister of the day, Rev. William Carlyle (father of “Jupiter”), from the church tower. In 1774 the church was extensively rebuilt and the present shape of the cast-west aisles emerged. Galleries were also added and this meant that between 900-1000 people were able to be seated.

The next century saw the Disruption which rocked the Church of Scotland in 1843 and was caused mainly over the right of congregations to call their own ministers. The mass walk-out from St. Andrew’s Church in George Street, Edinburgh was repeated to a certain degree in Prestonpans when William Cunningham. minister at that time. left the Kirk with a large proportion of his congregation and established the Free Church in Prestonpans. Preston Church continued to flourish and in 1891 the north aisle and the east porch were added during the ministry of Rev. J Struthers who was there for forty-five years and whose research is the source of much of the information on Preston.

1929 saw the United Free Churches reunited with the Church of Scotland and then in 1981 came the union of Preston and Grange thus creating the new name: Prestongrange Church, during the ministry of Rev.Colin Morton. 1988 brought the First lady minister, Rev. Moira Herkes. and 1994 saw Rev. Robert Simpson and his family arrive in Prestonpans.

This was just in time to start the celebrations of the 400th anniversary in 1995 and one occasion was a visit from the then Moderator of the General Assembly. The Very Rev. James Harkness dedicated a marble plaque on Sunday. 7 January. 1996.

There were visits and messages from former ministers of Preston and Grange Churches and this led to the gathering together of items for a time capsule.
Photos, letters, a few Communion Tokens and copies of the hymn book and the booklet produced for the 1995 anniversary were gathered together and placed in a stainless steel box supplied by GGS Engineering of Macmerry which was then bricked up in a hole in the churchyard. Exactly where it is, is known only to a few!

Church and graveyard tours

These tours can be arranged by contacting the Session Clerk.

Heritage Lottery

The vision of the National Lottery Heritage Fund is ‘Inspiring, leading and resourcing the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future.’ Places of worship are amongst the UK’s oldest and most cherished historic buildings.

Over the past five years the Heritage Fund has invested more than £250 million in places of worship across the UK. It has helped thousands of people of all faiths and denominations to conserve, restore and make places of worship more accessible.

In July 2018 Prestongrange Church was awarded a National Lottery Grant of £37,300 for essential repairs to the Church Roof. This was matched with £37,300 from Historic Environment Scotland. As well as the roof repairs we have developed an exhibition area, trained volunteers to lead talks on the heritage of the Church and produced a new information leaflet and information board in the Churchyard. 

You can find out more about the National Lottery Heritage Fund at www.heritagefund.org.uk and Historic Environment Scotland at www.historicenvironment.scot