Balmerino Parish Church

Before the construction of the church, numerous churches were used in the parish. The immediate predecessor was a church constructed in Kirkton around the beginning of the 17th century: according to one source in 1595 and in 1611 according to another. This church was used by the parishioners until the construction of the current church in 1811. During the construction of the church, the parishioners attended the church in Kilmany where services were alternated weekly between the two ministers. Thomas Chalmers, minister of Kilmany, preached one week and Andrew Thompson, minister of Balmerino, preached the other. (back), who was minister of Kilmany in his late twenties and early thirties,…

The church was constructed in 1811 with a capacity of 400 people. The ground it was built on was then a moor. Larch trees were planted around it. The original layout differed greatly from the present layout. The pulpit was built in the middle of the south wall. In front of the pulpit sat the communion table which spanned nearly the full length of the church. The gallery, the front of which was a half oval, spanned the full length of the church. On the south wall of the church sat two doors: one on the east end and one on the west end. Above these doors were windows. Opposite the two south doors were doors on the north wall, both of which led upstairs to the gallery. The gallery was lit by…

The church was opened on 17 November 1811 by Dr George Campbell, the minister of Cupar. The first Psalm sung in his service was Psalm 122. He proceeded to read Luke 8:18.