HELP US TO SAVE KIPPEN OLD KIRK AND KIRKYARD

When we launched this GoFundMe page early in 2022, Kippen Heritage had already raised over £5,000 towards the repair of all that remains of Kippen Old Kirk and now, in the summer of 2023, we have donations and grants totalling over £40,000 and need just £8,000 more for the necessary works.

HERE IS OUR UPDATE FOR JULY 2023

With many thanks to all our generous donors and loyal supporters, we felt this was the perfect time to update you all on the fantastic progress you have helped us to make since we launched this fundraiser almost 18 months ago.

Your support in the village and abroad, plus the fundraising efforts of our management committee, have seen our donations reach a stunning total of £11,000. Thank you!

We have also had much needed help from Kippen Community Trust which has set aside grants for Kippen Heritage of just under £30,000. We are very grateful for this magnificent sum and it means we are now on the home straight.

Stirling Council too, has given us great support, and, with their help and encouragement, we are optimistic that we can overcome the last few remaining administrative obstacles and start on site very soon. Spring 2024 is our goal, but it could be earlier.

THIS IS THE LAST PUSH AND WE NEED YOUR HELP TO GET TO THE FINISH LINE!

With £8,000 more we will be able to start work on making the site safe and open to visitors. We are asking again if you can dig just a wee bit deeper and help us to restore this crucial element in the core of the historic village of Kippen. We can never thank you enough for all you have already done, and we look forward to celebrating our success with you in 2024.

THE BACKGROUND

Until the Old Kirk is repaired the Kirkyard gate remains locked, but your donations will help us to ensure both the Kirk and Kirkyard are saved for the community, and for the many visitors who come from far and wide, seeking out the last resting place of their ancestors. 

The names in the Kirkyard document the trades and occupations that existed in the village and surnames such as Dougall the clockmakers, Rennie the blacksmiths, Welsh the joiners, the ministers, schoolmasters, masons, weavers, farmers and more, whose names remain with us. Many emigrated and scattered their names worldwide; there is the grave of William Bell whose son Robert went on to found the community of Kippen in Ontario, the Mills who went to Utah. Their stories are now coming back to us through their descendants.

There are the lairds who supported the community; the Leckies, the Galbraiths, the Forresters, the Stirlings and of course the Ures of Shirgarton, a name which conjures up covenanting times and the bravery of James Ure, whose remains lie in the Kirkyard.

There is the sad tale of Jean Key who was abducted and forced to marry Rob Roy’s son, his subsequent trial and death sentence and a story of a legal battle over inheritance between the Ures and the Wrights of Easter Glinns.

So, we invite you to help us open the gates again so that we can continue with our research and maintain the old burial ground and welcome visitors once more.

http://kippenheritage.org.uk/