The erection of the west end of the church is clearly referable to about the time (1489) when, according to the _Lord High Treasurer’s Accounts_ (already cited) small payments were made “to the kirk werk of Pertht.” It will be remembered that on the same day the payments were made to Walter Merlioune, the mason, and the conjunction of the two payments suggests the idea that Merlioune was the builder of the church. We have already partly traced his career[73] and found that in all probability he built the palace in Stirling Castle. The resemblance between the fretted work over the panels containing statues at Stirling Castle and that over the upper window in Halkerston’s Tower is certainly very remarkable. There is also a resemblance in this feature of Halkerston’s Tower to the large fretted panel over the outside of the east entrance to Linlithgow Palace. At Linlithgow the panel is filled with heraldic emblems, while at Perth it appears to have been intended to fill it with statues, as indications of brackets for supporting them are shown in three rows. There was a John Halkerston, “master of the work” to Mary of Gueldres at the building of Trinity College Church, Edinburgh, between 1461 and 1469. It is quite possible that he may in some way have been connected with the erection of the nave of St. John’s, and so his name became attached to this tower as it was to a steep wynd in Edinburgh. However this may be, all the details of the western part of this church obviously belong to a late period, corresponding with above date. The central tower (see Fig. 1046), which is about 31 feet square, could only have been built after the adjoining part of the nave was reared. It is a very simple structure, with one window in each face. The parapet and corbelling were renewed about forty years ago, following in the main [Illustration: FIG. 1046..--St. John the Baptist’s, Perth. The Nave, from South-West.] the old details, which were, however, much obliterated. A good deal of the stone facing was renewed at the same time.