Carmichael Church

The original Church of Kirkmychel, founded by Queen Margaret in 1068, was located on Kirkhill, the site of the Carmichael family mausoleum. The church was destroyed by Cromwell in the mid-17th century. The Earls of Hyndford at Carmichael obtained the patronage of the Church of Scotland at the beginning of the 18th century and gave them the grounds for the existing church a mile to the west while incorporating the old equivalent grounds in the Estate policies around East Mains. In 1750 Sir John Carmichael, third Earl of Hyndford and fourth Lord Carmichael, built the present 450 seat church. The handsome stone building incorporates the original belfry, bell, and outside stone steps leading to the Laird’s loft from the original structure, as well as many gravestones from the original church yard. The bell is inscribed: “Daniel Carmichael cast this bell at Carmichael mill in 1666”. Originally there were three lofts: one for Carmichael House, one for Eastend House, and one for the Douglas farm of Drumalbin. The building was remodeled in 1905 to a design by Sir Robert Lorimer and only the Carmichael loft was retained. A number of fine stained glass windows were installed (the picture shows one window depicting the Arms of the third Earl of Hyndford). Soon after this time the church was nearly destroyed by fire when set alight in the midst of a spirited campaign to give women the vote; only the thick beams of hard local oak saved it from total destruction. Recently the Church reorganized and combined the three neighboring parishes of Carmichael, Pettinain, and Covington into a single parish named Cairngryffe after a hill located between the three former parishes.

Regular Sunday Worship in Cairngryffe Kirk in Carmichael Village is held at the following times:-

January - April 2009 11:00 am
May - August 2009 09:30 am
September - December 2009 11:00 am
January - April 2010 09:30 am

Catholic Mass is held in St Mary's church in Lanark.