Description

The monument consists of the site of the E and SE portion of the precincts of the Cistercian abbey of Coupar Angus, which was that order's wealthiest house in Scotland.

Little remains visible of the abbey buildings apart from a gatehouse into the precincts, which is already scheduled, and several architectural fragments, which are no longer in their original location. However, the results of trial excavations, metal-detector activity and stray finds indicate that there are likely to be considerable remains below the ground in the area lying to the NE, E and SE of the present Abbey Church, which perpetuates the site of its pre-Reformation predecessor. The remains will take the form of building foundations and ruins, traces of ancient boundaries and deposits of material lost or discarded at the time of the abbey's construction and use. The sole visible topographical feature is the fragment of boundary bank, which appears as an earthwork but is possibly a turf-covered collapsed wall. This forms part of the E limit of the area, and also formed part of the old burgh boundary. It is thought to be at least as early as the Abbey and may precede it: it may be a fragment of the perimeter of a Roman marching camp used in defining later land boundaries. The bank is surmounted by a track which continues to the S and SW, marking its now-vanished course.

The area to be scheduled consists of the entire area likely to have been within the abbey precinct which has not yet been built over, and is bounded on the E by a line 10m E of the E edge of the raised track running along the old boundary, called Thorn Alley, and on the S by a line similarly drawn 10m S of the S edge of this track. On the N the boundary is the S side of the boundary of Candlehouse Lane and on the W it is also defined by modern property boundaries, which are excluded from scheduling. The area to be scheduled has maximum dimensions of 400m N-S by 200m E-W, and is marked in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as the only surviving portion of the precincts of the wealthiest Cistercian house in Scotland. It is highly likely that important architectural remains and archaeological deposits survive below the ground surface. Study of these would contribute significantly to our knowledge of Medieval monastic and secular life, the development and construction of monastic architecture, the continuity and adaptation of land divisions and the medieval economy in general.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NO23NW 13.0.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland