Description

The monument consists of the remains of the old parish church of Forgan (formerly Forgrund) which appear to date from the 16th century, although containing elements possibly dating to the 12th century. The roofless T-plan church is situated in its old graveyard. It is aligned E-W and measures 22.5m E-W by 7.8m N-S over walls 0.6m thick. The N aisle projects 5.4m and is 6.3m wide. The building is constructed in random-rubble masonry with long and short quoins, many of which have been robbed.

The walls survive to wallhead level (c.5m) except for the W portion of the S wall which has fallen to under 2m. The aisle is entered through a semi-circular archway (span 5m) with imposts. All the gables are intact (8m high). The church has three square-headed entrances, two in the S wall and one in the W wall of the N aisle. Most of the windows are square-headed and date from the later building phases of the church, although in the E gable is a semi-circular headed window possibly dating from the late 12th century. Joist holes in the N and E gables indicate that these parts of the church were once galleried.

Attached to the SW is a 19th- century burial enclosure. Behind the W gable are wall footings extending for 5m indicating the presence of an underlying structure. In the E end is a tombstone bearing the date 1578. In the N aisle is another stone incised with a spade and scythe crossed.

The area to be scheduled is rectangular, measuring a maximum of 40m E-W by 50m N-S, to include the church and burial ground, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as a fine example of a well documented medieval parish church, which was granted to the priory of St Andrews by David I circa 1150 and confirmed by Pope Adrian IV in 1156. As such it provides architectural evidence dating from the 12th to the 18th century and has the potential to provide further evidence, through excavation, which may explain the construction phases, chronology and burial history of the church.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NO 42 NW 18.

References:

RCAHMS 1933, Inventory for Fife and Kinross, No. 266.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland