Tibbermore Church

Tibbermore Church, also known as Tibbermore Parish Church and historically dedicated to St Mary, is a former Church of Scotland parish church in the rural settlement of Tibbermore, approximately four miles west of Perth, Scotland. A place of worship existed on the site by around 1200 and may have originated as an oratory connected to the nearby residence of the bishops of Dunkeld. The present building dates principally from 1632 but probably incorporates masonry from its medieval predecessor. It was substantially remodelled in 1789 to designs attributed to James Stobie, when the church was lengthened, its windows rearranged and galleries installed at each end. A northern aisle was added in 1808 for workers from the nearby Ruthven Printfield Company, creating the present T-shaped plan. The interior was refurnished in 1874 by William Maclaren and retains its wooden pews, galleries and centrally positioned pulpit. Tibbermore ceased regular use as a parish church in 1986 and has been cared for by Historic Churches Scotland since 2001. The surrounding churchyard contains monuments dating back several centuries, including an unusual memorial to farmer James Ritchie decorated with his curling equipment and a recumbent figure of his bull.

Tibbermore Church has appeared in Outlander (2014–). Its preserved pulpit, galleries, wooden pews and enclosed interior represent the church in the fictional village of Cranesmuir, where Claire Fraser and Geillis Duncan are publicly tried for witchcraft.

In the first-season Outlander episode “The Devil’s Mark” (2015), Tibbermore Church represents Cranesmuir Church during the trial of Claire Fraser and Geillis Duncan. The two women are brought before local examiners after being accused of using magic, poisoning members of the community and associating with supernatural forces. Ned Gowan unexpectedly arrives to defend them and cross-examines witnesses whose claims include Claire’s treatment of the sick child Tammas Baxter, Geillis’s knowledge of medicines and Laoghaire MacKenzie’s accusation that Claire placed an ill wish beneath her bed. The church’s pulpit becomes the judges’ raised position, while the pews and galleries are filled with an increasingly hostile crowd. Despite Ned’s attempts to expose contradictions in the testimony, Claire and Geillis are found guilty. Claire refuses an opportunity to save herself by denouncing Geillis, and Jamie enters the church as the sentence begins to be carried out. Geillis then claims that she alone is a witch, exposes a vaccination scar that the crowd interprets as the Devil’s mark and gives Claire the year “1968”, revealing that she is also a time traveller. Her confession allows Jamie to escape with Claire while Geillis is taken away. Tibbermore was used specifically for the courtroom material; most of the surrounding streets of Cranesmuir and the square to which Geillis is taken were filmed in Culross.

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