Lyne Kirk is an ancient church situated on top of a mound adjacent to the A72 trunk route 4.5 miles west of Peebles in the ancient county of Peeblesshire. The church was founded in the 12th century, in the reign of William the Lion, as the Chapel of Lyne in the dependency of the nearby Stobo Kirk, and overseen by the Bishopric of Glasgow. While still part of the diocese of Glasgow, Lyne became a parish in its own right in the 14th century. Reverend Hew Scott, author of the Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae remarked in that publication that he believed Lyne was the cradle of Christianity in Peeblesshire.
Towards the end of the Bishopric of Glasgow, Lyne Kirk was falling into disrepair and, in 1600, was described as ruinous. In 1644, the church was greatly renovated and refurbished to form the fine building seen today. The renovations were carried out by John Hay, 8th Lord Yester. In 1889, Francis Charteris, Earl of Wemyss carried out further major renewal work on the church.
The interior of the church is mainly 17th century with a pre-Reformation font and a new porch was added in the 19th century. The kirkyard contains many fine gravestones including the beautiful 'Adam and Eve' gravestone, from 1712, depicting the temptation, by Lucifer, to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.