That Sunday in 1801 there was no minister available at the High Church so the congregation at the Laigh Kirk was lerger than usual.
There had been rumours that the church was structurally unsafe. The church was nearly full and as the Rev. James Mackinlay made his way to the pulpit a piece of plaster fell from the ceiling.
This caused panic in the church. People rushed to get out, some fainted, some were injured, this made the situation worse. In the scramble for safety bodies piled up, people became jammed on the staris and in the corridors.
Rev. Mackinlay managed to control the panic and the people calmed down, only then did they realise the extent of the damage.
The piece of plaster which fell from the ceiling that day, was so small that even if had struck one of the people present in the church that day it would not have caused any injury.
That afternoon in 1801, thirty people lost their lives.

No more sermons were preached in the Laigh Kirk.
It was on the 20th April 1802 the Laigh Kirk was pulled down and new foundations were laid for the new Laigh Kirk, which stands there today.
The lower part of the tower which is dated from the 15th centuery is all that remains of the original church.