Church of Scotland reject bid to buy old kirk made famous by Burke and Hare

A community group is calling for a review after its bid to buy an old kirk with connections to notorious grave snatchers Burke and Hare was rejected by the Church of Scotland.

Newton Parish Church in Danderhall was put up for sale earlier this year but locals were hoping they could purchase the historic site and repurpose it to hold weddings and funerals as well as teach the community about it’s rich history.

The church has been a part of Barbara Watson’s life for as long as she can remember. As well as getting married here, the graveyard holds a part of her family history.

“It’s been contentious, historically been contentious, with the bulk of the people who lived around here,” Barbara told STV News. “The miners, the agricultural workers, of which I am a descendant – my family still live in this area today.

“But in more modern times, I have been married here twice, my sisters were married here, my parents are still alive – they want to have a church service and be buried here.

“It’s such an integral part of the whole community.”

When it was announced the building would be going up for sale, the local community group – Friends of the Old Newton Parish Church – rallied together in the hopes of buying the small kirk and turning it into a community hub where they could preserve the building’s history.

But their bid was rejected.

“We need to retain our heritage,” said Helen Graham from Friends of the Old Newton Parish Church. “This heritage is really special, this history is really special, so we don’t want that ripped apart.

“We want to keep it. We want to repurpose and retain that.”

There’s lots of rich history surrounding the church and legend has it that a gravestone in the grounds still bares the mark of a musket ball shot at notorious murderers Burke and Hare as they attempted to steal a body from its graveyard.

The Church of Scotland said that after receiving numerous offers for the kirk, the general trustees went with another Christian organisation – who were also the highest bidders.

A spokesperson for the Church of Scotland said: “We recognise that for the Friends their unsuccessful bid has caused disappointment and sadness, but as a charity, our decision must be in the best interest of the national and local church.

“We hope that some comfort can be taken from the fact that this decision will allow the building to remain open as a place of worship.”

The group are now calling for a review of the decision – over fears the church’s history and what it means to the community may be lost.