he Cathedral Church stands about 6.4kms inland from San Thome Cathedral and 3km South West of the Fort. It was modelled on the church of St Giles-in-the-Fields, London. The burial ground to the NE of the Church is enclosed by a railing, said to have been made from musket barrels, pikes and discarded weapons, found in Tipu's arsenal at Seringapatam in 1799. These tombs, with their distinctive profile, are those of Scotsmen, including one Macleod, from St Kilda, on the far West Coast of Scotland.

Recent publications on the Scots in India have identified administrators, such as Sir Henry Dundas; linguists, such as William Kirkpatrick; antiquarians such as Leyden and Walker; botanists such as William Roxburgh; and educationalists, such as Grant Duff. As merchants, Scots were only gradually accepted by the existing mercantile establishment in India. Jackson and Wedderburn of Dundee first began trading in 1742, and James Finlay and Co. of Glasgow in 1750. The lure of the exotic East was strong, and especially the chance of 'shaking the pagoda tree' ('pagoda' = an Indian coin) and returning home a nabob with a huge fortune. Military employment, whether purchased or a dire necessity, also brought the Scots to India, where the dark shadow of death was never far-distant.

Rev. James Ovington, writing in 1690, had recorded 'a Proverb among the English there, that Two Mussouns (monsoons) are the age of man.' 150 years later, it was still the case that 6 out of 7 British officers sent to India never returned. Disease, the sea voyage or enemy bullets sent many to their grave. Furthermore, officers could seldom afford to return home on 'furlough' with half pay, and many simply remained in India. There was a flurry of letter-writing as ships prepared to weigh anchor, but also many months of inclement weather, when no ships sailed and there was no news to, or from the 'exiles' in India. Sometimes, letters quite literally missed the boat. 'The Swallow Packet sailing a day sooner than was expected prevented me sending the letter and journal which I now have the Honor to enclose,' wrote Alexander Dirom from Fort St. George to Sir William Fawcett, Adjutant General, on 24th October 1791.