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

  SM90067_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014604)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the roofless remains of the collegiate church, with rubble walls standing to the height of the gables and wallhead, together with the land around the church. The monument is being rescheduled to extend protection to the area around the church (the original scheduling included only the church itself).

John, Lord Sempill, founded the church in 1504, in the grounds of his castle. It was served by a college of priests whose function was to pray for the souls of the founder and his family. The original building was a plain rectangle with a tower at the W end and a revestry projecting from the N side. Internally the choir was divided from the nave by a screen and rood loft supported on corbels.

A second loft rested on corbels at the W end of the nave. A number of original openings survive, including a pair of large traceried windows in the south elevation. Lord John was killed at Flodden in 1513 and following this event, the church was extended to the E to contain a burial monument for him and his wife. The polygonal apse was added at this time.

The plainness of much of the building is in sharp contrast to the flamboyant decoration seen in the tomb and in the late Gothic tracery in the windows of the apse. A carved stone, now lost, was noted within the church in the 19th century, apparently a cross-socket, which may have been used as a font.

While some accommodation may have been provided in the church and tower, it is probable that priests and officials of the college were housed in quarters provided for them close to the church. The buried remains of these buildings, along with the remains of a possible cemetery, are likely to exist in the area around the church.

Further doors and windows were added in the post-medieval period, probably related to the use of the church as farm buildings. Following this the interior was divided into three private burial places by two modern walls. The Ministry of Works removed most of these burial monuments during a campaign of restoration and consolidation around the time that the church was brought into Crown ownership in 1949. The Sempill vault was infilled at this time.

The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described, together with an area around the church within which related remains may be expected to survive. The area is irregular in plan with maximum dimensions of c.42m N-S by 62m E-W, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract. The modern fence is excluded from the scheduling.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as the well preserved remains of a collegiate church, under the patronage of one lordly family. The church contains one if the finest examples of a medieval burial monument in Scotland. The immediate surrounding area has the potential to provide important archaeological information regarding the infrastructure of such collegiate establishments, and an associated cemetery. The importance of the site is further reinforced by its status as a Property in Care of the Scottish Ministers.

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.