Abbey

Peter Chalmers, minister and antiquary

The Dunfermline Historical Society recently received a portrait photograph of the Reverend Peter Chalmers, a minister of the Abbey Church, a local historian and an influential figure in Dunfermline life in the 19th Century. Jean Barclay has researched his life and in “REVEREND DOCTOR PETER CHALMERS,  1790-1870” she summarises his achievements in education, charitable work and historical research and also his difficulties in coping with the Great Disruption of 1843.

Abbey Graveyard Research Group

Inverkeithing Local History Group

Sue Mowat, will present a talk on the Abbey Graveyard on Wednesday 13 October at 7.30pm in Inverkeithing parish church. Non-members £1.

The church is the part-medieval one with a clock tower in Inverkeithing main street. It is the first one you come to approaching from Dunfermline, on the left-hand side of the street.

This is the first in person talk we have advertised since the first lockdown.

George Robertson, Keeper of Dunfermline Abbey and Palace

George Robertson (1835 to 1916), was a businessman and antiquarian who played an interesting part in the life of Victorian Dunfermline. As well as running a shop, he was an officer in the Dunfermline Rifle Volunteer Corps, contributed sketches to Henderson’s “Annals of Dunfermline”, was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and was appointed by H.M. Board of Works as Keeper of the Abbey and Royal Palace. His namesake, and fellow local historian, George Robertson tells his story in “George Robertson FSA, Keeper of Dunfermline Abbey and Palace“.

Walter Scott’s Abbey Haul

Many of you will have visited Abbotsford House near Melrose, extravagantly built and furnished by Sir Walter Scott. But did you know that much of the ancient wooden panelling was “salvaged” from the old Dunfermline Abbey Church, when the new church was opened in the 1820’s. In “Sir Walter Scott and his “Hawl” from Dunfermline Abbey“, Jean Barclay explains what happened.

Elders with feet of Clay

In the fifth of our series of Tales from the Kirk Session, Jean Barclay recounts the stories of two kirk elders from the 1720’s who each got into trouble themselves. One was dealt with swiftly by Robert Ferguson’s case was more complicated. The tale unfolds in “Elders with Feet of Clay“.