Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

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

  SM13613_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014540)

Summary

Description

The monument includes the structure known as the Lindsay burial aisle, the buried remains of the medieval church of Edzell parish and the core of the surrounding burial ground. The medieval church may have been built in the 13th century, while the Lindsay burial aisle was probably added to the S side of the existing church nave in the 16th century. However, a fragment of 9th-century stone sculpture found in the churchyard suggests there may have been an ecclesiastical site here from the early Christian period, as does the site's traditional association with St Drostan. The monument is situated about 100m NE of the West Water at around 60m above sea level.

Most of the medieval church was demolished following the erection of a new church in the village of Edzell in 1818. The upstanding burial aisle is a rectangular stone structure measuring about 7.5m N-S by 6m transversely, with a modern timber and slate roof. A rounded archway in the N elevation formerly gave access to the medieval church. The internal face of the S gable contains a wide, arched recess below a window and there is also a narrow recess at the S end of the E wall. There are low earthworks to the N of the aisle that suggest the position of the demolished church. A bank to the S and E of the aisle may signify an early churchyard boundary.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. On the S and E sides, the scheduling extends up to but does not include the boundary walls of the burial ground. The scheduling specifically excludes all burial lairs where rights of burial still exist and all memorial stones that date to after 1800. The monument was first scheduled in 1959, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this. 

Statement of National Importance

This monument is of national importance because of its inherent potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of medieval and later churches and burial grounds in Scotland. It is rare because of evidence for particularly long-lived ecclesiastical use of the site, spanning a period from at least the 9th to 19th centuries. The burial aisle survives as a romantic fragment of the parish church, but there is also high potential for the presence of well-preserved archaeology that can make a significant contribution to knowledge and understanding of medieval churches and burial grounds. The monument's significance is enhanced by the capacity to compare it with other early church sites in Angus and to relate the church to the adjacent motte and bailey castle and its successor Edzell Castle. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our ability to appreciate and understand the development of churches in Angus and their role in medieval society.

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.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

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.