Hoddom,Kirtle/Eaglesfield & Middlebie Church
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Middlebie Church
 
The present church was built in 1928 and dedicated in 1929. 
Although this is a relatively new building, there has been a church here since the 9th century and probably even before that.  This has always been an important centre of Christianity, there having even been a Presbytery of Middlebie.

 

The architects for this building were J McLintock Bowie and the builders were James Rae & Sons, Eaglesfield.  The father of the present head of the firm was an apprentice stone mason at the time and Dod Rae, Elspeth’s father-in-law was a stone mason.  The church derives its appeal not from ornate adornment but from artistic lines and proportion, sound well chosen materials and honest skilful workmanship. A lot of the sandstone came from the previous church and a beautiful feature of the church is the variously tinted local stone, the red from Corsehill, the pinkish mauve from Meinside Quarry (donated by the then proprietor Mr Edward Smith) and here and there the yellowish stone from Linbridgeford Quarry (again donated by the proprietor Mr Chalmers).  The pulpit and communion table are of oak, the transepts are groined in Oregon pine and the pews are of Port Orford cedar.  A bargain - the total building costs were £4,741.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Glimpses of Middlebie Church 

  
 

  

The Middlebie Bell      

 

 

In 1648, the church bell of Middlebie along with a bell from Dornock Church was carried off in a raid by the Duke of Hamilton and is still on the other side of the Solway Firth in the porch of the church at Bowness.  The reason for this theft is unclear but the Duke had been at first an adherent of the Covenant but was always on friendly terms with Charles 1 and became what was known as an ’engager’, that is in favour of compromise.  The then minister Rev. Thomas Bell and his congregation had been strong opponents of compromise, and the Duke in passing carried off the church bell by way of reprisal.