6 days ago
Couple claim they shouldn't be forced to return 'priceless' bells to historic Scots church
Mark Huitson and Rachel Bonde believe they removed from Holywood Church near Dumfries are linked to the Knights Templar and had to be taken away 'as a matter of security'.
A couple claim they shouldn't be forced to return 'priceless' bells to an historic church as they are among the 'most significant and valuable medieval discoveries in Scotland'.
Mark Huitson and Rachel Bonde believe the bells and plaques they removed from Holywood Church near Dumfries are linked to the Knights Templar and had to be taken away 'as a matter of security'.
They claim they intend to return them once the category B listed building is sold – but the council wants them put back sooner.
The couple, who bought the church in 2019, lost a previous appeal to the Scottish Government against the move earlier this year.
But have now made a fresh plea to Holyrood after being hit with a listed building enforcement notice as the bells still haven't been put back.
Their response to the council's enforcement notice, lodged with the Scottish Government, states: 'The sole basis of the owners' removal of the bells from Holywood Church and any associated archaeology was in context of the owners' discovery of the bells' evidenced, unique, extraordinary and priceless Knights Templar attribution.
'The owners' assert their re-discovery of the bells' 12th century provenance, attached to a Templar preceptory, and its sponsor's Templar attribution is one of the most significant and valuable medieval discoveries in Scotland, the only significant provenanced Knights Templar artefacts in the world, and as such the bells should be judged and treated as artefacts of national importance.'
They say the previous decisions by the council and Scottish Government were based on Historic Environment Scotland's listed building description, which only mentions 'two church bells of medieval date' which have 'special interest' to the site's history.
The response adds: 'Without authoritative disavowal of the owners' attestation, and the public having access to interrogate the evidence of the bells' extraordinary and priceless Knight Templar attribution, and with no supportable counter to that discovery from those deemed the most appropriate 'experts'; returning the bells to a dilapidated property without appropriate robust security measures in keeping with the bells' historic and fiscal value would be catastrophic, in terms of protection and safety.'
The couple are looking to sell the building – which they bought with planning permission to convert into a three building house – and do not plan to remove the bells permanently.
However, they believe returning them before the building is sold would put the bells 'under needless and unacceptable risk'.
And the response states they are looking for 'authoritative authentication of the discovery to facilitate a sale without the further misrepresentation of the historical building record'.
This would also help provide an 'honest valuation' for the property.
As a result, the bells 'will remain offsite as a matter of security while new owners are procured'.
In their response to the appeal, the council states that 'no supporting evidence, method statement has been provided by the appellants to support the removal on health and safety grounds, with no location of the relocation of the bellsprovided'.
They add: 'The serving of the enforcement notice was deemed necessary to return the bells and plaques to the church in order to preserve the features and historic interest in the category B listed church.'
