Largo Kirk

Largo Kirk

We were up at an unholy hour this morning. The occasion was the reading of the King James Version of the Bible in its entirety.

In 1601, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, meeting at Burntisland, asked King James VI to produce a new translation of the Bible. James took this work with him to England when he went there in 1603, and in due course the "authorised version" was published in 1611.

Here in Largo, it was decided to mark the 400th anniversary with a reading from beginning to end of the whole work. It began last Wednesday, and will continue, 14 hours a day, until next Wednesday.

Mrs jml has been involved with some of the organization, and she has been up at 5.30 each day so far. I volunteered to take a turn first thing today which is why I was also up so early.

I like this church very much. It is where we were married in 2002, and I find its history fascinating. In 2009, I was given the opportunity to do a session on Trafalgar Square's 4th plinth. I chose to exhibit posters of three famous men who have passed through this church:

Sir Andrew Wood, King's Admiral and Captain of the Yellow Carvel, a model of which is on display in the church;

Alexander Selkirk, the original castaway portrayed as Robinson Crusoe; and

Admiral Durham who was one of Nelson's captains at Trafalgar (my original reason for choosing this project for the 4th Plinth). He was also one of the most successful frigate captains of the Napoleonic era, earning more prize-money, it is said, than any other. Not only that, he was present at the capture of the first French ship (1793) to surrendered the new flag, the Tricolore; and as Admiral of the West Indies (1815), he received the final Tricolore to be lowered as Napoleon's armies surrendered. Besides which, his brother, General Durham, once owned the house we live in - it was gifted in 1812 to his 'feuar in Kirkton of Largo'.

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Since this blip does not contain either of the puppies, I have added a back-blip: Mucky Molly.