Description

The monument consists of the remains of the collegiate church of St Mary, founded within a pre-existing chapel in 1382. It is suggested that this was substantially rebuilt during the early fifteenth century using coursed rubble with freestone dressings; most walls are preserved to near wallhead height.

The church is rectangular on plan, with 2 post-medieval burial enclosures on its N side, the western of these re-using the N and E walls of the sacristy. The group of buildings measures approximately 19m E-W by 12m N-S.

The choir, occupying slightly over half the length of the church, is externally divided by buttresses into 3 bays,and there are clasping buttresses at NW and SE corners; the SE buttresses are gables. The choir has 2 blocked windows to the S and one to the E, the E and SE of which contain remains of flowing tracery of very high quality.

The nave has a trefoil-headed lancet to the S and another (blocked) to the N; a window in the W wall is blocked by a secondary buttress. The church is entered by a door at the W end of the S wall, with dog-tooth moulding in revived 13th century style. A tomb doubling as an Easter Sepulchre in the N wall of the choir also shows dogtooth decoration. The floor level has been raised within the church.

The sacristy retains part of a barrel vault, and was incorporated into a burial aisle built for the Kennedies of Colaine in the 17th century.

The area to be scheduled is irregular in shape, measuring a maximum of 65m E-W by 25m N-S, and includes the church, the present walled enclosure, and a further area to the S and E into which burial is likely to have extended, as defined by the edges of pavements and property boundaries and shown outlined in red on the accompanying map.

The monument consists of the remains of the collegiate church of St Mary, founded within a pre-existing chapel in 1382. It is suggested that this was substantially rebuilt during the early fifteenth century using coursed rubble with freestone dressings; most walls are preserved to near wallhead height.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as the well-preserved remains of a collegiate church of medieval date containing architectural detail of high quality and surrounded by a contemporary burial ground. Study of the standing fabric and of below-ground remains provides, and has the potential to provide further, evidence to enhance understanding of medieval ecclesiastical architecture and practices, funerary practices and demographic studies.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NS 30 NW 6.

Reference:

Cowan, I B and Easson, D E, 1976, 'Medieval religious houses, Scotland: with an appendix on the houses in the Isle of Man', London, 224.

Macfarlane, W, 1907, Geographical collections relating to Scotland, in Mitchell, A and Clark, J. T. 7.

MacGibbon, D and Ross, T, 1896-7, 'The ecclesiastical architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the seventeenth century', 3v, Edinburgh, Vol. 3, 338-43, Fig. 1272.

Piggott, S and Simpson, W D, 1970, Illustrated guide to ancient monuments: volume vi Scotland, Edinburgh, 57.
Historic Environment Scotland Properties
Maybole Collegiate Church
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/maybole-collegiate-church
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Related Designations

COLLEGIATE CHURCHLB37688
Designation TypeListed Building (A)StatusRemoved

Source: Historic Environment Scotland