The name, St Clement's, was adopted by the congregation in 1929 and is a name drawn from deep within the history of Dingwall's parish church.

An early 16th century gravestone in the kirkyard tells that St Clement's chapel, attached to the old kirk of Dingwall, was built in 1510. A new stone-arched chancel was built for the kirk at that time and one purpose of this new chapel of St Clement would have been to accommodate an existing altar of the church, one which had been dedicated to St Clement at a much earlier time.

This is likely because other churches in eastern Scotland, bearing the name of St Clement, were so dedicated in the early Middle Ages by Danish seafaring merchants. Moreover, the historic landing place for trading boats at Dingwall was on the bank of the tidal river Peffery "at the back of the kirk". This possible connection of the kirk with Scandinavian seafarers could also correlate with the the derivation of the placename, Dingwall. It is believed by many that this is "thing vollr", old Norse for "place of justice". If so, this Viking place of justice would have been somewhere close to the church, as is the case at Tingwall in Shetland. For, in the early 11th century, the Norse Vikings had converted to Christianity.

The ruins of the St Clement's Chapel, or Aisle, of 1510 stand in the kirkyard to the north of the present church. In 1929 the United Free Church re-united with the Established Church of Scotland. This resulted in two Church of Scotland congregations in the town of Dingwall. The parish church of Dingwall then took the name of St Clement's Parish Church.

Today St Clement's continues to be the place of worship of an active Church of Scotland congregation, led by its minister and pastor, Rev. Russel Smith.

Rev. Russel Smith
8 Castlehill Road
Dingwall IV15 9PB
Scotland, UK
Email: russel@stclementschurch.fsnet.co.uk

Clerk to the Session
David MacDonald
4 Castle Gardens
Dingwall
IV15 9HY
Scotland, UK
Tel: 01349 863063
Email: DMacDon@aol.com

Services are held in the church every Sunday at 11.30am. During the months of September through to May, evening worship takes place at 6.30pm. In the summer months of June, July and August an early morning service of family praise is held in the church hall at 9.15am. Visitors to Dingwall are assured of a warm welcome.

The St Clement's church hall, built in 1913, has recently been considerably restored and improved. The hall is now provided with access for the disabled and similarly accessible toilet facilities. It is a valuable resource for congregational activities, such as the Sunday School, the Guild, and the Trail Blazers youth group. Use of the hall is also readily made available to local voluntary groups.

The improvement of the church hall was achieved by a congregational fund-raising campaign entitled "2001" and its success marked 200 years of continuous worship in the present kirk building. Such was that success, in camaraderie, fellowship and outreach, the campaign continues, as "2001+", in working to ensure the future of this historic church and its modern congregation.