The Church of The Holy Rude (Rude means
Cross), Stirling [Church of Scotland] and the Star Pyramid
Outside the church is the Valley Cemetery. In past times was the site of
jousting tournaments and markets. The Cemetery has a Pyramid, built by
William Drummond in 1863.
William Drummond was a land surveyor and nurseryman whose immediate
descendants were a well known family in Stirling. They were responsible
for a wide range of activities both locally and nationally. These
included the establishment of an agricultural museum in the 1830's, an
extensive seed and nursery business, exploration in Africa and the
Drummond Tract Enterprise, the foremost 19th century publisher of
religious pamphlets.
 William was the eldest son of the well-known Stirling family which
included Peter Drummond and his nephew Henry. He was one of the
instigators of the Valley Cemetery and his obsession with religion can
be seen in the Martyrs' Monument and the Star Pyramid (also known as
Salem Rock).
He commissioned the Star Pyramid from William Barclay in 1863 - note the
white marble Bibles incorporated by Barclay round the base of the
edifice and the names of religious tracts (published by his brother
Peter's "Drummond Tract Enterprise"). The Pyramid is dedicated to
all those who suffered martyrdom in the cause of civil and religious
liberty in Scotland. William planted a Pleasure Garden round the
Pyramid, complete with trees and plants. He also paid for five of the
six statues seen in various parts of the graveyard and donated trees to
be planted round the National Wallace Monument.
This area was laid out as a public pleasure ground by local nurseryman
and evangelist, William Drummond. The Star Pyramid, with its texts and
emblems, was nearing completion in April 1863, when a bible and the
Confession of faith were sealed into a chamber within the structure. It
recalls the principles of the Reformation and publicised the famous
Drummond Tract Enterprises.
The pyramid is on a raised plinth of 4 steps
and has a set of steps leading to it. Each of the faces are very
similar. On one face is a circular marble plaque, the text of which is
very worn and some of the lower part is readable.
Each of the sides has (from bottom to top):
▪ sunken relief text with a
reference to verses from the Psalms:
▫ Union Banner, XLV CIII
▫ Rock of Ages, XCV
▫ Covenant Rest, CXXXII CXLV
▫ Thrown of Right, XCVI XCVII
▪ marble bible
▪ carved circular rosette
▪ thistle
▪ crown
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- The first church on this site was built in the 12th Century and is
in the shadow of
Stirling Castle. The
oldest part of the church, still standing, is the section adjoining the tower which
dates from the 15th Century. It is the second oldest building in
Stirling after the castle, and dates its existence back to the reign of
David I (1124 - 1153) as the parish church of Stirling.
In 1452, the town and it's wooden church were burned in revenge after
King James II murdered the Earl of Douglas.
Inside the church each local craft guild maintained an altar to its
Patron Saint. Some burgesses built their own private chapels but only
the chapel built for St. Andrew remains. The nave has a fine medieval
timber roof, whilst the tower has small pits. These pits are musket and
cannon ball marks, probably caused when
Parliamentarian General Monck used the tower as a gun battery to attack
Stirling Castle in 1651.
A plaque on the floor marks the spot where the infant, King James VI was
baptised in 1567. The child was christened in a gold font sent by
Elizabeth of England. He was carried into the chapel by the Count of
Brienne, as proxy for his godfather the king of France. Queen Elizabeth
and the Duke of Savoy were also godparents. The ceremony was conducted
by the Archbishop of St. Andrews according to Roman Catholic rites while
the Protestant lords stood outside the chapel.
Mary, Queen of Scots, worshipped in the Holy Rude and John Knox preached
there, and James VI was crowned there. There are many interesting
features to discover in the building and indicating its checkered
history.
In 1656, during the fierce religious disputes of the 17th century, the
Church was divided into two by a wall – through which the rival
ministers of the two halves voiced their disagreements. The dividing
wall was only removed in 1936.
Because of its close links with the castle, the church always had the
close support and patronage of the Stuart kings (especially in the 15th,
16th and early 17th centuries). It is reputed to be the only church in
the United Kingdom other than Westminster Abbey to have held a
coronation and still be a living church today.
In the graveyard, the graves of merchants and traders are carved with
signs and symbols of their craft or trade. |