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Forrester tomb effigy, Corstorphine Kirk
Believed to be the effigy of Sir Adam Forrester, Justice Clerk, Provost of Edinburgh, Deputy Governor of Edinburgh Castle and Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, who acquired the lands and lordship of Corstorphine in 1374. His shield, centre, displays three chained buffalo horns; that on the left is quartered to denote marriage to a member of the Orkney family of St. Clair.
Corstorphine - Old Parish Church - The Baptistery and Adam Forrester's Tomb
A Fujifilm FinePix S5700 S700 — 0.4s ?/3.5 ISO 100 at 6.5 mm
N 0 B 230 C 0 E Jul 9, 2009 F Jul 14, 2009
G UNITED KINGDOM > Scotland > Lothian > Edinburgh > Corstorphine
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Edinburgh, Kirk Loan, Corstorphine Parish Church, interior. View of lion at the feet on the Knight effigy on the tomb of Sir Adam Forrester.
Scope and Content Monument to Sir Adam Forrester, Corstorphine Old Parish Church, Corstorphine, Edinburgh Corstorphine Old Parish Church dates from the early 15th century, and became a collegiate church in 1429, founded by Sir John Forrester. It stands, surrounded by its churchyard, in Kirk Loan, at the historic centre of the old village of Corstorphine. This monument to Sir Adam Forrester, who died in 1405, shows his recumbent figure, with his feet resting on a dog or lion, on a tomb-chest within the wall of the south transept. The panels under the tomb bear the armorial shields of the Forrester family. In 1374 Sir Adam Forrester, a Lord Provost of Edinburgh, bought the estate of Corstorphine. In 1404 he built a private chapel, later used as a burial place for himself and his family, and incorporated into the 15th-century church as the chancel. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.
Sir Adam died in 1405 shortly after the completion of his chapel, and would have been buried in his chapel. The site of this is not exactly known but would have been within the precincts of the present day church, probably in the area of the south transept or Chancel.
In 1128, Corstophine Church, then a dependent chapel of St Cuthbert's, was granted to Holyrood Abbey by David I. This chapel was a church before 1158. In this church were altars to the Holy Trinity and St Ann (mentioned in the latter part of the 15th century).
In the churchyard and adjoining the aforementioned church, a chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist was founded by Sir Adam Forrester, of Corstorphine (died pre- 1405). His son, Sir John Forrester, erected the chapel into a collegiate church pre-1436/7. An inscription in the church attributes the foundation to 1429. The foundation charter is no extant. Up to 1633 the collegiate church and parish church seem to have existed side by side. The collegiate church, however, was dissolved in 1634 and the collegiate building became the parish church in 1646 when the old parish church was removed and a new aisle, attached to the collegiate fabric, built apparently on the site of the old church.
H Scott (et al) 1915-61; I B Cowan and D E Easson 1976.
The modern parish church, except for its modern accretions, represents the old collegiate church. Its plan comprises a rectangular chancel, a nave less in width and height, transepts at the W end of the nave, and a tower surmounted by a low-set stone spire, beyond which a small porch extends to the main entrance. From the N wall of the chancel aisle and transept are modern: a drastic restoration was projects a two-storeyed revestry or sacristy. The N carried out in 1828, when the nave was largely rebuilt, the N transept and 17th century aisle were removed, and a new transept and aisle erected. Further restorative work has been done in recent times.
RCAHMS 1929, visited 1920.
This church, which is still is use, is generally as described.
Visited by OS (BS) 2 December 1975.
NT 2003 7277 A watching brief was completed in January and February 2004 during pipe trench works in the churchyard. Several stone floor slabs were lifted, and the ground beneath excavated. No archaeological features or artefacts were observed.
Archive to be deposited in the NMRS.
Sponsor: Irons Foulner Consulting Engineers.
R Inglis 2004
Here are some photos showing one of the Lords Forrester of Corstorphine in Corstorphine Kirk in Edinburgh. Quite a unique looking plate aventail/reinforcement protecting his neck and an interesting looking plackart attaching the faulds around his waist to his cuirass/chest plates. Someone more informed than me said that it's not a plackart, but something that predates plackarts. I think the highlight, for me, is his nearly complete sword hilt, scabbard and dagger. Out of the 20 Scottish knight effigies that I saw on my trip, the majority of them had intact hilts and scabbards, whereas this seems to be far less common in England and Wales. Obviously just my experience, but it seemed to be quite a noticeable difference
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Adam Forrester Genealogy