Of the important churches which existed here in the twelfth century no
trace now remains. The parish church was in a state of ruin at the
beginning of the sixteenth century, when a new one was built, which in
turn followed its predecessors, and in the year 1747 another church was
erected, the ruins of which still exist.
The following description of the church taken down in 1747 occurs in
_Our Journall into Scotland_, p. 15.[216] “They have a very pretty
church where the hammermen and other tradesmen have several seats
mounted above the rest, the gentlemen below the tradesmen in the ground
seats; the women sit in the high end of the church, with us the choir,
there is one neat vaulted porch in it, my Lord Bucplewgh’s (Buccleuch)
seat is the highest in the church, and he hath a proper (private)
passage into it in at the outside of the vaulted porch. On a corner of
the outside of the choir is fastened an iron chain with a thing they
call the Jogges,” &c. “The form of it is a cross house, the steeple
fair, handsomely tiled as the Royal Exchange at London, it having at
each corner four pyramidal turrets, they call them pricks; my Lord
Maxfield’s house at Langham being of the form of the steeple. The church
was tiled upon close joined boards and not lats” (laths).
[Illustration: FIG. 1494.--Selkirk Parish Church. Slab in Wall of
Church.]
The grave slab shown in Fig. 1494 is built into one of the walls of the
existing ruins. It is of red sandstone, and measures 6 feet 4 inches
high by 2 feet 5 inches wide. It is very much mutilated, and from its
exposed situation and the friableness of the stone, it is rapidly
decaying, and unless some proper means are taken to preserve it, will at
no distant date be obliterated. The figure represents that of a stout
yeoman with hands folded on the breast, having a belt round his waist.
On a shield at his feet is a bend, any other charges which may have been
on it being obliterated. The inscription in raised letters is more than
half gone, but from the first syllable of the place of Aikwood being
still legible, and in
[Illustration: FIG. 1495.--Selkirk Parish Church. Stoup.]
conjunction with the arms, it is supposed by Mr. T. Craig Brown[217] to
commemorate one of the Scots of Harden, who lived at Aikwood or Oakwood,
a tower still standing not far from Selkirk. The stone probably dates
from about the early part of the sixteenth century.
The following figures represent three stoups in the possession of Mr.
Craig Brown, Selkirk. Fig. 1495 shows the five sides of one of these. On
one face is a lion rampant, and on the adjoining space to the right is a
human face, the mouth of which forms an opening for emptying the basin.
On the space to the left is carved the figure of a buck or hart. The
other two faces are broken. On one is the hind quarters of an ox having
a long tail and cloven feet, and on the other the forequarters and head
of a hare in full flight.
The lion may be heraldic or it may have a symbolic meaning. The hart is
probably an allusion to the beginning of the xlii. psalm--“As the hart
panteth after the water brooks.” This verse is inscribed on a font of
the eleventh century, at Potterne, Wilts,[218] and the figure of a hart
is of frequent occurrence on Celtic and Norman work, where, as is now
generally
[Illustration: FIG. 1496.--Selkirk Parish Church. Stoup.]
believed, it has a symbolic meaning. The ox and hare, being also animals
referred to in Scripture, are probably to be considered in the same
category. This example is from Peebles, and was given to Mr. Brown by a
gentleman who believes it was found at some ruined building there. It
measures about 13 inches across on top by 9¾ inches high, and the bowl
is 4 inches deep.
[Illustration: FIG. 1497.--Selkirk Parish Church. Stoup.]
Fig. 1496 shows two views of a stoup, which is square, with the angles
cut off, converting it into an unequal-sided octagon. It is decorated in
a very curious manner with signs and letters of which we can give no
explanation. It was found built into an old house at Selkirk when it
was taken down many years ago. A mason took possession of it and used
it for a flower pot, and chiselled a hole in the bottom. The fragment
measures about 14⅝ by 16 inches. The basin is 11 inches over by 10
inches deep.
Both of these specimens are cut out of red sandstone.
The third stoup (Fig. 1497) is cut out of hard blue whinstone, and has
an unfinished appearance. It is decorated with shields, some having an
incised cross, and with foliage of a Gothic character. The plan on the
under side is in the form of a Greek cross. It measures about 18 inches
in diameter by 10½ inches high, with a basin 11 inches wide by 9 inches
deep.