Fogo Parish Church
Please come and visit our Flower Festival this Saturday 16th. (10 a.m. until 4 p.m.) and this Sunday 17th. June (12 noon until 4 p.m. — there is a welcome waiting for you. There will also be a Songs of Praise on Sunday at 4 p.m.
A special leaflet has been prepared to assist you when you visit. It is printed here as well.
“Welcome to Fogo Parish Church for our Flower Festival reflecting on the history of the church and its current Christian life.
This short leaflet has been prepared to help you get the most out of your visit.
We are blessed with having a most attractive little building nestled into a sheltered hollow in the centre of the village of Fogo. The name is derived from ‘Foghow’ which is the name that was used when the church and surrounding land was gifted to the monks at Kelso by King David 1 in the 12th century. I have read that the term ‘fogo’ means an area of rough tufted grass but the term is also associated to other word meaning ‘a place of fire’.
The Tironensan Order originating from Tiron Abbey in Perche, Normandy, (France) who built the Notre-Dame of Roxburgh at Kelso sent a monk to found a place of Christian worship here, the Chapel of St Nicholas, of which there are no visible signs today. There is a plaque, on the wall beside ‘the monk display’, showing the seal of the order. There are more details about this in the display on the wall.
This makes Fogo Kirk a very early site of Christian worship. Although the original cell may not have been where the current building is today it is wonderful to consider the ancient roots of this parish, which I am sure adds to the spirituality of the present building.
There is a map in the display showing where the original building may have been and it is hoped that this site may be investigated at some time in the hope of finding archaeological evidence.
The building, on the present site, would originally only have been very small and the vestry, as it is used now, is probably the oldest part. During the time of Henry VIII the monasteries in the Borders were destroyed and there is a record of the destruction of ‘Fogoe Towne’ between the 14th-15th of September 1545. Any trace of a building present then, and there may have been two, would have been razed to the ground.
The church was substantially rebuilt in 1683. There are records of major repairs done in 1755 and1817 when the pulpit was installed along with the box pews.
The two lairds’ lofts each with its external staircase were built slightly later. The west loft is that of the Trotter family of Charterhall and the east one the Harcarse (Hogg) family. The Trotter family originally had a box pew but in 1854 had the loft built at their own expense. There is still a close connection with the Trotter family to this day but the Harcarse (Hogg) family sadly have died out due to a loss of the male line.
The box pews were family pews built to keep draughts out and dogs in. It was commonplace at this time for dogs to come to the church with their owners, usually farmhands, and of course the family would walk to church so the dogs came too! I am sure at times this made for a lively and noisy service. In September 2017 an animal service was held in the church and the box pews were used as originally intended. The dogs present were all very well behaved and seemed to know that they were welcome. My own 10 week puppy went sound asleep!
The communion table was gifted by Col. David Milne of Wedderburn in 1898. The communion chalices dating from 1662 are purported to be the oldest communion plate still in current use in Scotland. They were gifted by Mr George Trotter of Charterhall and made in Edinburgh.
I have not mentioned any ministers but there is a list on the incumbents within the display.
In 2016 Fogo Church was put into guardianship by the Presbytery of Duns for a three year period. There have been structural repairs done to the building internally and externally, most notably the installation of a heat air exchange pump. The latter has dried out the fabric of the kirk preserving it and also, not least, made it a warm and hospitable place for Sunday worship. The final thing that needs doing is the repainting of the interior and this will happen shortly.
The Reverend Dr Dane Sherrard is the interim moderator. Plans are advancing for the church building to be owned by a Trust and the current congregation to continue as a Church of Scotland congregation. We are growing and lively and the wall display will, I hope, give you a taste of our activities.
Several of the displays are accompanied by art work done by individuals from our congregation which have been inspired by their spiritual life. We are very grateful to them for lending us their work.
We also have a display in recognition of 100 years of Women’s Suffrage. Also this year, 2018, marks 50 years since the Church of Scotland agreed to admit women to the ministry. This was celebrated at The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh in May
This weekend we are concluding the flower festival with a Songs of Praise at 4pm on Sunday: do come and join in.
I so hope you have enjoyed your visit here today. Don’t forget to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and cake before you leave.
Thank you for coming and haste ye back!
“Everyone is always welcome at Fogo Church.”
Have a look at our website; www.fogokirk.org
Thanks to:
Pete Gibbens for information,
Molly Hodges for photography
Ref: The Churches and Graveyards of Berwickshire by Alan Binnie”