I have fond memories of this church, with it being sited next door to the primary school which I attended for 7 years between 2003 and 2010. Sadly the primary school has since closed and been demolished.
Ancient records show that there has been a centre of worship at Crawfordjohn since the 12th century when it was a chapel dependent on the church at Wiston, which in turn linked back to the abbey at Kelso.Searches of the surrounding hills reveal stone circles which indicate worship from much earlier times. The site of the old Kirk at Crawfordjohn has been used in one form or another for centuries. The present building uses stones and foundations of greater antiquity, but the main building was erected in the 19th century. Early photographs reveal alterations during the early years of the 20th century, and also show the extension which housed a heating system, sadly no longer functioning!!Also shown is the later addition of a porch.
Among the earliest tombstones in the surrounding graveyard are some dated from 1691, and some of the stones have skull and crossbones on them. A survey by the South Lanarkshire Countryside Ranger Service revealed that 59 different species of lichen are found within the graveyard and such a diversity of species is fairly unique in South Lanarkshire.
To do this cache, go to the co-ordinates at the top of the page where you will find the war memorial shown in the picture.
N 55 AB.BFE W 003 FG.BDC
All the following information can be obtained from the war memorial:
Hugh Dillon was accidently killed in France on the AB September C9A9
First Letter of the surname of the first person on the list on the left side of the memorial =D
Third Letter of the forename of the third person on the list on the left hand side of the memorial = E
F= D/2
G= Ax2
Check Sum: A+B+C+D+E+F+G=27
Cache is a small tub with room for trackables. Well Done to Ayrshirelass for the FTF!
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro@gmail.com.
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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