December 4th – A Christmas Carol (but not that one)

Exploring the rare books brought to light through a simple search for “carols” brought up a few oddballs, and this is one of them.

This earnest – and lengthy – battle-cry of a hymn is tucked into the Hay Flemming collection, as part of a volume of several pamphlets bound together.

Taken from the Fife Sentinel, this self-declared carol falls heavily into the “religious song” aspect of the definition of carol. It is a vigorous rally in support of “Scotland’s” faith:

“The “wooden walls” of England,

The glory of the seas!

But thy wood-walls, bleak Scotland,

More glorious far than these.”(1)

The ones deal forth their thunder,

“Where-ever sea-surf beats;

In ours – seen sight of wonder!

God with his people meets.” (2)

Excluding the clear religious themes, the only feature of the 39 verses provided which fall under the promisingly titled “A Christmas Carol”, is that it was written on Christmas day, 1843.

The New College Librarian at the University of Edinburgh provides the context for this carol, which was published in the wake of the formation of the new Free Church of Scotland in 1843. Known as the “Great Disruption”, the new congregations often held services in the open, and these verses “would have been sung to a popular hymn tune, inspired by the verse from Psalm 132 “Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.” [see: The wood-walls of Scotland : a Christmas Carol | New College Librarian]

The carol builds on this theme as the Scottish landscape as a church:

“He makes his clouds a covering

to wrap devoted men;

His angel-myriads hovering

O’er many a Sabbath-glen” (20)

“We drink the air of freedom,

from wild-flower, breeze and tree;

Church-walls we scarcely heed ’em,

‘Neath heaven’s own canopy.” (28)

Yet the “Great Disruption”, with church services held outwith the “Church of our fathers”, indeed, outwith any walls at all, was inconceivable for some. Mrs Jane Playfair’s distress leaps from the page of her diary. Second daughter of James Playfair DD (1738-1819), Principal of the United College of the University of St Andrews, she records the “Disruption” as follows:

“What a dismal day is this sabbath, so many ministers forsaken their pulpits & their flocks & seceded from the church of their fathers boasting that they are now the free presbyterian church. It grieves my heart to see such delusion as I think now they must preach in barns or in the open air” (28 May 1843)

And she notes shortly after, that “this is a calamitous time!”(10 June 1843) [msdep14/2/37].

In contrast to Jean Playfair’s point of view, “Wood Walls’” lyrics celebrate both the formation of a new church and the move of congregants into Scotland’s wild landscape. A landscape beloved, too, of many of the photographers held within our photographic collections, with these more recent images of Scottish glens in winter certainly seeming to reflect the sober tone of this unusual Christmas carol.

Reference:

“The wood-walls of Scotland : a Christmas carol, from the Fife Sentinel, with additions.” (1844, Hay AC911.28)
The wood-walls of Scotland : a Christmas Carol | New College Librarian