December 18th 1581

St John’s Kirk seats

From a purely material point of view the most important effects of John Knox’s visit in 1559 were not only the destruction of the religious houses in Perth but also the almost complete gutting of St John’s Kirk.

Nothing was left within but the bare walls and the pulpit. Such austere surroundings, which certainly provided no unnecessary distractions, were considered more appropriate for the proper worship of God. One corner of the church was in fact used as a store for wood and lumber.

As time went on a reaction took place against this extremely uncomfortable manner of worship. Some of the women started to introduce stools for their convenience during the sermon and the Session started to examine the prospects of permanent seating. To begin with they placed a ban on the importation of stools. They ordained the minister “to discharge all women’s stools on the kirk……if not done by the women the same to be done by others.”

They also ordered “the purging of the kirk of all kinds of timber,” but more importantly on December 18th a supplication was made “for appointing and making a seat where the bairns of the school shall sit and for appointing of places to such as, upon their own expense, would build seats to themselves.”

The Deacons of Crafts were then approached and agreed to build their own seats. The Deacon of Wrights for instance were given the area “betwixt the two pillars next the pulpit on the north side of the kirk.” Other trades were allocated similar areas and “sundry honest men” erected their own seats. Thus was the seating of the kirk begun.