In the distant past, the place of worship for the Cawdor district was probably the chapel at Urchany, a few miles from Cawdor, now marked only by a rectangle of stone foundations, bluebells and weeds. The roofless ruin of Barevan Church, some 2 miles to the south west of Cawdor Village was, in more recent times, the next place of worship. But as beautiful as Barevan undoubtedly was, it was remote and difficult for the congregation to reach.

In 1619, Sir John Campbell, 12th Thane of Cawdor, was returning from the Island of Islay and was caught up in a great storm. His boat was completely at the mercy of the weather and was in grave danger of sinking. As huge waves crashed into the boat he vowed to God that if he ever reached land safely he would build a a more accessible church. Fortunately, the storm abated and he survived. When he returned to Cawdor Castle he instructed that work on a new church begin immediately and the building was erected the same year in its present position.

The vestry and tower with its parapet & cape house is very much in the Scottish tradition. The masonry is generally sound coursed sandstone rubble, with freestone dressings. The steeple acted as a belfry, defensive lookout and dovecot, surmounted by a weather cock, in the emblem of St Peter, recalling the betrayal of Jesus. Inside the vestry, one door leads to the tower stair and another into a small chamber which was probably a place of confinement. The original church layout of 1619 ran east and west with the pulpit on the back wall lit by a small window on either side. The porch in the south east angle of the building covered two other doors: one into the main body of the church and the other into the lairds loft and pews. It was to the stone pillars of this entrance that delinquents were imprisoned in the "jougs": an iron collar locked around offender's necks and tethered to the pillar with an iron chain.

The moderator and church session were charged with overseeing the well being and morals of their congregation. Any hint of moral decline and the suspected individual was cited by the church officer to appear before the session for interrogation. Accused, if found guilty, could be banished from the Parish, jouged, fixed by arms and legs in stocks or fined. They were often made to stand in full face of the congregation (usually dressed in sackcloth) for several Sundays to be publicly rebuked. Among the Sabbath day offences punished by fine and censure were: absence from sunday service, vaiging or wandering about, cursing and swearing, playing and scolding, fighting, fishing, grinding or winnowing corn and baking bread. Twice, we find children appearing before the session for profaning the Sabbath by gathering nuts in Cawdor woods, in spite of being warned from the pulpit. Gradually, over the years, the session took a more lenient stance in their dealings with wrong doers and towards the end of the 19th century they no longer had to appear before the congregation but the last named couple to appear before the session did so in 1904. However, the "jougs" remain!

The church was altered and enlarged in 1830 and 1870. In 1904 the interior was gutted and practically all traces of the original church were removed. The sliding sash windows were removed and new windows glazed with cathedral glass were gifted by Frederick Archibald, the 3rd Earl Cawdor. Between 1952 and 1955, John, the 5th Earl of Cawdor gifted a communion table, chair and a plinth for the baptismal font. These items were made from a 260 year old walnut tree which had blown down in the grounds of Cawdor castle.

Cawdor church is one of the last churches in Scotland where the offering is still collected by the elders using long handled wooden ladles. These are open boxes on the end of turned poles and are presented to each member of the congregation after the Sunday sermon - an old but canny method that reduces any inclination to forget to give!

Today, ones lasting impression of the church is of a plain, yet charming building, with little pretension. Yet Cawdor Church has a visual attraction which is difficult to define. To us it looks wonderful at any time; when floodlit it is simply stunning. The people of Cawdor welcome you to our historic church. This is our place of worship and we invite you to worship with us.