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

  SM90168_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600014698)

Summary

Description

This monument consists of the remains of a 13th-century parish church with associated ground and funerary and monumental sculpture. It has been scheduled for many years, and this rescheduling is merely intended to clarify, without extending, the protected area and status of the monument, as these are not perfectly clear in the 1920s documents.

The church measures roughly 12m by 6m with the nave/chancel divide marked only by a step. There are two lancet windows in the E wall with a further small window in each of the N and S walls of the chancel. The main entrance to the church is towards the W end of the N wall and retains several voussoirs from its arched entrance. The E gable has a pronounced lean which has been stabilised, probably in the 16th or 17th centuries, by two massive buttresses at the corners. To the south of the chancel is a burial enclosure. The walls of the church are largely complete, though the gables and the S wall have suffered considerable losses.

Against the W wall of the church stand eight grave slabs. To the SW of the church is a free standing disc-headed cross.

The scheduled area includes the church, the historic tombstones and the entire graveyard as defined by the fence which borders its N, E and W sides and the top of the cliff to the S. The area is irregular in shape, measuring a maximum of 80m NE-SW by 65m NW-SE, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Statement of National Importance

This monument is of national importance as a well-preserved medieval chapel. The quality of the carving, both on the chapel and on the associated grave slabs, indicates the importance of the site in the Middle Ages. The dedication suggests that the site may have an early Christian origin though there has been no evidence to support this. The archaeology of the site has the potential to increase our knowledge of life in Argyll in the Middle Ages. The monument's importance is recognised by its status as a Property in Care of the Secretary of State.

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.