GORDON
In the reign of David I (1124–1153), the advowson of the church of Gordon was acquired by the monks of Coldingham. In 1171, these monks exchanged the church of Gordon with the monks of Kelso for the chapel of Ersildun and the church of St. Lawrence at Berwick. Richard, Bishop of St. Andrews, who died in 1177, confirmed to the monks of Kelso the church of Gordon, along with the entirety of the parish of Gordon and Spottiswood. On May 27, 1270, the diocesan Garnelin granted to the monks of Kelso that the churches of Gordon and Home, which they enjoyed for their proper use, should be served not by vicars but by honest chaplains and sufficient clerks, for whom he and his successors would be responsible.
In the ancient parishes of Gordon and Westruther, there were several chapels in earlier times. In 1309, the monks of Kelso agreed that Sir Adam Gordon might have a private chapel at any place within the parish of Gordon, with all oblations, provided this arrangement did not prejudice the mother church. In return, Sir Adam removed all claims on a carucate of land with the usual easements in the district of Westruther, which had been granted to the monks by Sir Andrew Fraser and for which they had agreed to pay two franks annually.
CHAPELS IN THE PARISH
There was also a Chapel at Huntleywood, two miles west of Gordon, in the same parish, founded around the middle of the 14th century and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In old charters, it is referred to as "the chapel of the blessed Virgin Mary of Huntlie, commonly called the Chantory." It appears to have existed for some time after the Reformation, as it is mentioned as late as 1638. No vestige of the building remains today, and its exact location is unknown, though a field about a quarter-mile southwest of Huntleywood still bears the name "Chapel Lea."
At Spottiswood, five miles north of Gordon, there was another chapel under the church of Gordon. Its site is now within the parish of Westruther, where further details are provided.
THE CHURCH OF GORDON
No trace remains of the original church of Gordon, which was demolished over a century ago. The current building, erected in 1763, is a low, plain structure, long and narrow, designed in the traditional style of ancient churches. A modern wing was added to the back, and a stone set into it bears the inscription:
"Erected by Gordon Fewers, 1815."
A unique discovery was made several years ago during the installation of a heating apparatus in the church. Workers uncovered a pit about a yard square in the center of the building, containing 76 skulls and numerous thigh bones, as if they had been removed from another location and deposited there. The skulls were noted for their extraordinary thickness, and the thigh bones were longer than those of past or present generations. The teeth were remarkably well-preserved. Further along the passage, several complete skeletons were found lying east to west. All remains were reinterred in the churchyard.
The interior of the church is extremely plain. According to session records, one of the seats was designated the Wedderlie seat, reserved for the Edgars of Wedderlie.
COMMUNION CUPS
There are two silver communion cups engraved as follows:
The engraving on the silver communion cups reads:
"Belonging to the Parish of Gordon, 1763."
The Churchyard
The churchyard contains a few stones of minor interest.
On a medium-sized stone marking the burial place of Thomas Henderson, formerly the schoolmaster of Gordon, who died on January 13, 1772, the following lines are inscribed:
"Ah he was great in body & in mind
A loving Husband & a Father kind
As he most men Excided in his Stature
So he Exceled in his Literature
But although he is gone & greatly mist
God's will be done we hope he is Blest."
The following lines appear at the foot of a modern stone:
"He drooped like a flower that was nipped in the bud
He took the repose of the gentle and good
He blest us he left us our tears they flowed on
We desire that beautiful land where he is gone."
On a neatly carved wooden slab are these simple yet poignant words:
"Sadly missed."
Ministers of Gordon Since 1574
Archibald Fairbarne, reader — 1574 to 1585
Thomas Storie — 1609 to 1625
Francis Collace, M.A. — 1625 to 1647
Norman Leslie, M.A. — 1647 to 1657
John Hardie, M.A. — 1659 to 1662
James Straton, M.A. — 1663 to 1682
John Findlay — 1682 to 1685
Thomas Mabane, M.A. — 1685 to 1689
John Hardie, M.D. (reinstated) — 1690 to 1707
David Brown, M.A. — 1708 to 1726
John Bell — 1727 to 1767
Alexander Duncan, M.A. — 1770 to 1800
Robert Lundie — 1801 to 1807
Walter Morison — 1807 to 1814
David William Gordon — 1814 to 1824
James Paterson — 1824 to 1855
William Stobbs, M.A. — 1855 to 1885
Thomas Porteous, M.A., B.D. (present incumbent) — 1885
The Free Church at Gordon
The Free Church was erected in 1843 and has undergone several alterations since then. It is a comfortable and commodious building. The current minister is William Adamson MacCallum, who has served since 1895.
SOURCE: The Churches And Churchyards Of Berwickshire By James Robson 1893, updated 2025 Nathan Zipfel