St Mary’s Bell

This old church bell was a gift from of the Earl of Elgin to St Mary’s church in Dairsie in 1734. This is the church I attended with my parents in the summer months and the nearby village church was used in the winter and is where the bell now sits since St Mary’s was closed in the 1960s. Once again it will be on the move as next year the village church is also due for closure like so many other churches in Scotland.

Fortunately this church is united with our town church and it is likely that will be where it will go along with some other precious items from the village church. Along with other members of the congregation with a keen interest in Dairsie I went along this afternoon just to have a chat with the faithful locals and hear the history. My involvement goes back almost 70 years as it is also the village where I attended primary school.

I was interested to learn from one man how the bell was almost stolen one night by a gang but the neighbouring farmer heard the thumping of it being trundled down the stone stairs from the bell tower and he phoned the police who arrested the gang. It was then stored for a long time on the farm until it was mounted in the frame where it now sits.

The extra shows the view from the car park - one that I have blipped in the past.