Legerwood Kirk

Legerwood Kirk stands in the Scottish Borders, half a mile east of the hamlet of Legerwood. It sits on an unclassified road east of the A68, six and a half miles south-east of Lauder. The church serves a wholly agricultural parish with few houses. There has been a religious site here since at least 1127. In 1164 Walter de Lauder granted the church to Paisley Abbey. The church retains its original Norman chancel from the 12th century. In 1296 the vicar Walter swore fealty to Edward I at Berwick-upon-Tweed. The Reverend William Calderwood was minister from 1655 to 1709. He was evicted for 27 years for refusing to use the Episcopalian prayer book. The congregation were fined in 1684 for attending Conventicles. Visitors find a quiet church on an agricultural estate. The Norman chancel remains intact inside. The manse, built in 1812, stands nearby. The surrounding fields stretch out with few buildings in sight. The church offers a peaceful view of the Borders landscape.