The roofless ruin of this Old Kirk in Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, is now a scheduled monument. It was founded in 1149, however, various sources note there were earlier churches on this site and it’s thought that there was a Kirk here from the end of the fourth century. This existing structure has been rebuilt a couple of times, first in the 16th century then again in 1760.

French troops removed the roof of the Kirk to build a bridge over the River Devon after Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange destroyed the Tullibody Bridge to prevent them from retreating to Stirling at the end of 1560. Sir William was a Scottish Politician and Soldier who initially fought for the Scottish Reformation. He eventually vowed his allegiance to Mary Queen of Scots, became her champion during times of need and held Edinburgh Castle on her behalf from 1568 to 1573. Following the abdication of the Queen, the Marian Civil War ensued and Edinburgh Castle was eventually surrendered by the ‘Queens Men’ on May 28th 1573 when Kirkcaldy was taken prisoner and held at Holyroodhouse. Great efforts were made to save him from reprisal of his enemies, but they were all in vain. John Knox had prophesied that he would be hanged and so Sir William was taken and hanged at the Cross in Edinburgh on 3rd August 1573.

As it had become dilapidated, the Old Kirk was again renovated in 1760 with the bellcote being added in 1772, then latterly, the western windows and a south porch in the 1800’s. In 1904, St Serf’s Parish Church was built to the north of the Old Kirk which sadly thereafter, became disused.

There are many interesting grave stones and slabs to look at and ponder within the grounds of Tullibody Old Kirk but none more so than the ‘Maiden’s Stone’ and the story of forbidden love and tragedy woven around it.

The ‘Stone’ is an ancient sarcophagus, topped with what remains of a coping stone lid. It’s said that this is was the coffin of Martha Wishart, the maid of Myretoun. In 1450, Martha, a beautiful maiden and only daughter of wealthy landowner, the Laird of Myretoun, fell prey to the young and very handsome local priest, Peter Beaton. He seduced her while she fell in love with him. On hearing the news she was pregnant, Beaton abandoned her to her shame. The unscrupulous and ambitious priest had toyed with her heart for access to her family connections. His sights were on rising through the ranks of the community and the church. Martha kept her pregnancy secret from those outside the family, languishing and dying of a broken heart before her child was born. On her deathbed, she requested her parents place her grave by the door of the Kirk so each time the priest entered he would be required to walk past her. Beaton blocked up the Kirk’s north door following Martha’s internment, establishing a new entryway through a south door in order to avoid passing her grave. Soon, the locals knew the truth and Beaton was shunned by the community he’d contrived to become such a lofty member off. The Abbot of Cambuskenneth heard of Beaton’s transgressions and it’s said that the news of his errant behaviour reached as far as the Vatican. One day however, Beaton simply disappeared, a story circulating that he had wandered off, a madman. Or, had he instead met vengeance in the form of a grieving Father?