St Serf's Old Kirk Tullibody About 15 years ago I lived in a village in Scotland called Tullibody. There's an old church there which is recognised as one of the oldest in Scotland - the ruins of which can be dated back to the 12th century. St Serfs is its name. Having some time on my hands between courses at the nearby University I decided I wanted to draw a sketch of it and sought permission from the Minister of the New church which stood alongside. Permission granted I walked among the ruins (from the outside) seeking a good angle for the sketch. As I approached the doorway (which can be seen in the image accompanying this account) - I was aware of a change in the atmosphere. Walking around the building, it seemed  the nearer I got to the remains of the front door archway the more 'troubled' I felt. Clusters of small carved headstones bearing the Skull and Crossbones didn't help either (It was traditional in Scotland to mark the grave of anyone who died of the plague with a Skull and Crossbones lest anyone ever opened the tomb and released the plague once more).

Upon moving away from the door the 'Oppresive' feeling I had lifted - move toward the door and it returned. It made me think hard about where I wanted to sit and sketch, I didn't like the feeling I was getting near the door and yet that would be an obviously good choice to sketch as it was such a good feature of what remained of the Old Church. In the end I decided to sit at the old back wall and sketch the remains of the bell tower (which again can be seen in the image - minus the bell) . I had been happily doing this for some 20 minutes when I heard the faint sound of someone sobbing. At first I thought it was a child that had possibly wandered inside the ruins so I listened hard as the dangerous nature of the ruins made it no safe place for a child to venture. The sobbing grew louder and I realised that this was no child - it was a female adult.

Leaving my sketch pad and pencils on the ground I walked round to the doorway and once more the 'Opressive' feeling hit me but as it did so then so too did the sobbing grow louder. Thinking it must be coming from inside, I walked through the arched doorway and as I did so the sobbing grew less intense. I looked at the walls to try and figure out how they could baffle the sound or redirect it to try and better understand where it originated. More skulls and assorted deathly carvings stared back at me. Looking around there was clearly no-one there. I stepped back outside and the sobbing grew louder, stepped inside again and it grew faint once more.

Totally bemused I stood in the doorway itself facing into the building and the sobbing seemed to come from my left but almost from the wall itself. I made a really quick decision that it must be an echo bouncing from the wall from elsewhere (possibly from someone grieving in the nearby graveyard) so I removed myself completely and went back to sketching. As I sat down the sobbing ceased and I heard no more.

Completing the sketch I went over to the new church to thank the minister for allowing me the time on the grounds. I explained to him about the 'sobbing' I had heard and asked if he had heard it too. At first he thought I was joking but when he realised I wasn't his face gave me a serious look. 'You do know about Lady Alexander?' he asked.

'No' I replied.

'Back in the Sixteenth century when Catholicism was the religion of the land, she fell in love with the Priest of St Serf's and he promised to give up his vows and marry her. He never did. It is recorded that she died of a broken heart. Her family were the main benefactors to the Church and in her last will and testimony it stipulated that she be buried inside the wall of the doorway.'

'Why?' I asked.

'So that every time the Priest entered to deliver a sermon, he would have to walk straight past her and be reminded of his lying, cheating tongue'.

'Which side of the Doorway?' I asked.

'The left as you enter.' The Minister replied.

I'm convinced that on that day - I heard the sound of Lady Alexander crying from the walls on the left of that doorway.