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

  SM7850_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600013236)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of early 15th-century pilgrims' houses associated with the pilgrimage centre which developed around the medieval parish church of St Mary, and its nearby healing well, in the late medieval period.

Documentary sources indicate that the houses were built in the early 15th century and demolished in the early 16th, with much of the masonry being re-used in the construction of a tower house, built for Oliver Sinclair ca. 1540. The tower house was extended and adapted in the 17th century to form the parish's tithe barn and was converted to a permanent dwelling in the late 1990s.

Excavation to the immediate W of the tithe barn in 1995 revealed the in situ and demolished structural remains of two buildings believed to form part of the pilgrims' houses complex. A watching brief to the immediate S of the tithe barn identified similar evidence of other demolished structures. The tithe barn stands near the centre of a long ridge of high ground with the holy well lying 200 ENE. It is likely that the pathway which linked the houses with the well followed the crest of the ridge.

The area to be scheduled is approximately oval in shape and follows the contour at the base of the ridge of ground on which the tithe barn sits. It has maximum dimensions of 38m N-S and 95m ENE-WNW and includes the excavated remains and the remainder of the ridge, on which associated remains are expected to survive. Excluded from the scheduling is the tithe barn itself and an area around it which extends 3m beyond its walls. The area is marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as the remains of 15th-century Pilgrims' houses associated with the pilgrimage centre at St Mary's Church, Whitekirk. The monument has the potential to increase our understanding of the nature of medieval pilgrimage in Scotland and our knowledge of the domestic and ecclesiastical architecture of that period.

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.