Documents

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The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM1107_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600003896)

Summary

Description

The monument consists of the shell of a single-aisled church. A church is mentioned on this site in 1209, although the remains of the present church mostly date from the seventeenth century, with some late medieval elements incorporated into the fabric. The building was abandoned in 1836 and has been used as a burial aisle since. The monument was first scheduled in 1926, and included two 11th century cross slabs. These cross slabs have since been removed: the present rescheduling amends the schedule to take this into account.

The church is rectangular, measuring 22.4m long and 6.6m wide internally. The walls are about 1m thick and constructed in random rubble. There is a round-headed door at the E end below a twin light lancet window, which are probably the only medieval windows remaining in the church. There is a stone on the outside of the E wall bearing the date '1706'. This date stone may relate to the refurbishment or alteration of the church. The W gable has a square headed door below a square headed window. All the walls stand to virtually their full height. The W gable is crowned with a crude ball-finialled birdcage bellcote. The S wall is pierced by five windows with a very narrow door half way down its length which is approached by several steps from the interior. The N wall is of similar appearance though without the steps . At the E end of the N wall there is an arched recess built to house a tomb. Above this are inserted fragments of a seventeenth century heraldic carving with a coat of arms and Latin inscription commemorating Patrick McKie of Cumloden. The aforementioned cross slabs, apparently head stones of 11th-century date, had stood a few feet out from the wall in the NE corner of the church in this recess, before they were removed.

The area to be scheduled includes the walls of the church. It also includes the land within 1m of the walls, but excludes any gravestones there. To the E the scheduled area extends to the top of the slope down to the Penkiln Burn. The area within the walls is included excepting those areas where burial rights still exist. The area is rectangular measuring 28m E-W by 11m, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

This monument is of national importance because it demonstrates the transition in ecclesiastical architecture brought about by the reformation. The church has potential to provide important information on the nature of Medieval Christianity, and the nature of the transformation to the reformed Protestant Church. The stair rising to the narrow door in the N wall is probably part of the arrangements for the kirk pulpit. A church is recorded on this site in 1209, when it may have been associated with the nearby motte. Despite the fact that the church has been used as a burial aisle there remains the potential for undisturbed areas of archaeology.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

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Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.