CHURCH of SCOTLAND
LAGGAN
The
present Parish Church in Laggan was built in 1785 and
the Duke of Gordon acted as patron.The Minister at the
time was Rev. James Grant and the manse was the house at
Gaskbeg Farm and he was allowed £20 in lieu of a manse
and his stipend was £70. It was however his wife Mrs
Anne Grant who is celebrated and remembered for her
writings especially "Letters from the Mountains". Her
comments reveal the nature of life in the Highlands at
the end of the eighteenth century.
In the
1800's there was a fire in the church and the interior
was rebuilt as it is today. The pine was taken from
local forests and the eight pine pillars that hold up
the roof are reputed to be unique. The high pulpit and
Precentors pulpit below are very distinctive. This put
the minister on the same level as the local Lairds,
whose pews were upstairs In the gallery, Cluny
Macphersons facing the pulpit and Glentruim on the left
hand side. It is interesting to note the width of the
seats, how they diminish towards the back, where it was
standing room only for the coachmen. The stained glass
window was also put in at this time.
A
minister of note was the Rev. Neil Ross who was the
minister from 1923 until his death in 1943. Dr Ross was
a famous Gaelic and Celtic scholar and was created a
C.B.E. in 1938 The organ was donated by Andrew Carnegie
in 1911, The church is very active today, its members
taking part in all facets of community life.
Services are held every Sunday at 10.00am and the
minister the Rev Douglas Stevenson resides at the
manse in Newtonmore. He can be contacted on 01540
673238 or by e-mail at
dfstevenson@lineone.net.
Monarch of
the Glen Tea Towels are being sold in aid of
Laggan Church
Out Reach Fund Click
here for details