Westruther
This parish is not ancient, having been formed around the middle of the seventeenth century (1649). Originally, it belonged to the parish of Home, from which, at the Reformation, it was disjoined and annexed to the parish of Gordon. Due to the distance of the church of Gordon from the Westruther and Bassendean district, a minister was appointed in 1647 to the chapel of Bassendean. To better accommodate the people in the northern part of this parish, a church was built at the village of Westruther in 1649, at which point it was constituted a separate and independent parish.
The original church of Westruther, therefore, cannot claim any great antiquity. It is now disused, and the ruins, which stand in the center of the burial ground, are rapidly falling into decay. Originally, it was a plain building, covered with heather on the exterior and unceiled within, but it was much larger and more commodious than it now appears. In 1752, it underwent significant alterations and repairs, including being reduced to about one-third of its original dimensions. This change was likely necessitated by the large numbers who joined the Secessionists at that time. The building, now almost entirely overgrown with ivy, has a picturesque and even venerable appearance.
There are several interesting stones in the churchyard.
These words appear on one side of a medium-sized stone:
"Here lies the remains of the dust of John Wright, who died March 28, 1781, aged 27 years."
On the other side:
"Remember man as you pass by
As you are now, so once was I,
And as I am, so shall you be.
Remember man that you must die.
But mind withal, the day will come
Whereon thy judge will doom
You for the deeds that you have done.
He who loves God's abode and to combine
With saints on earth shall one day with them shine."
On a small stone:
"Here lys Gilbert ... who died in Re...cleugh
the 27 of December the year 1701."
On a small, very plain stone, in large letters:
"Here lyes James Redpath and his children, 1 May 1699."
On a small, thick stone:
"1674 G.F.I.Y."
SOURCE: The Churches And Churchyards Of Berwickshire By James Robson 1893, updated 2025 Nathan Zipfel