Description

The monument consists of the remains of the old parish church and graveyard of King Edward (Kineddar) which was dedicated to St Peter.

There was a parish church here in 1124 but it is possible that an earlier religious cell existed here, dedicated to St Aidan. The parish church is situated in an old walled graveyard with an arched gateway built in 1621. The original, oriented, building was rectangular-plan, lengthened in 1570 with a S aisle addition in 1619.

Although the church has been considerably remodelled in the 17th and 18th centuries, portions of the medieval fabric, consisting of the W gable and part of the adjoining walls, survive to full height. The E end has been removed. A 19th-century stone roofed burial vault has been built within the nave near the W end. The main body of the church measures 7.3m N-S, with an estimated length of at least 21m E-W, over walls 0.8m thick.

The aisle projects 8.05m from the S wall. There is a blocked segmental-headed entrance in the S wall of the

nave. Surviving in the N wall is a small pointed-arched window with deeply splayed jambs. An isolated fragment consisting of an arched tomb with thistle ornament lies in line with the N wall. In the W gable is a round-arched, segmental-headed entrance with a roll moulding.

Above this are inserted armorial tablets and an ogee-headed niche. The belfry of 1619 has fallen but has been replaced by a reconstruction based on the original. Another entrance pierces the W wall of the S aisle: above this is an armorial panel to John Urquhart. The area to be scheduled is irregular, and is defined by the exterior wall of the graveyard, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as a church, albeit incomplete, dating from the 12th century and possibly occupying the site of an early Christian foundation linked to St Aidan. As such it preserves evidence and has the potential to provide further evidence, through a combination of archaeological excavation and historical research, which may clarify the ground-plan, and construction phases of the present church and indicate the precise location of an earlier structure. In addition, analysis of any evidence retrieved would add to our understanding of ecclesiastical architecture, burial practices and parish development in Scotland during the Middle Ages.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NJ75NW 2.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland