Special Exhibition : 400th Anniversary of Rev. George Gillespie (1613-1648)
Covenant or Crown? Learn about the life and times of this important Scot
Who was George Gillespie? What was Kirkcaldy like 400 years ago?
George Gillespie was born in Kirkcaldy in 1613, the second son of Kirkcaldy Old Kirk minister Rev. John Gillespie, a staunch Presbyterian often called "The Thundering Preacher".
In his short life of 35 years, George Gillespie became a leading churchman, an eloquent preacher and debater, a statesman in turbulent times and an author of the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), which remains the Presbyterian subordinate standard for matters of faith, conduct and church government today.
When he took ill with consumption (tuberculosis) in 1648 he was Minister of the High Kirk of St. Giles in Edinburgh and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Seeking recuperation in Kirkcaldy where his brother was Minister, he died in December 1648. Such were the denouncements he had made of bishops that on the orders of Archbishop Sharp, his tombstone was broken at the Mercat Cross in Kirkcaldy. It took 100 years for it to be replaced with the one still in the south porch, erected by George Gillespie's grandson .
Visit our exhibition on George Gillespie's life and times. The original exhibition was displayed in 2013 on the quadricentenary of Gillespie's birth and is available for viewing in the Old Kirk. It is exhibited in the summer during June, July, August and September on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 3pm (last entry).
The Kirk (and its tower) is open to visitors at other times outwith these months, and the display can be brought out on request and with reasonable prior notice.
