Description

The monument comprises a church of medieval date, which survives as an unroofed structure, and the site of a medieval hospital, within an associated burial ground. The church was first scheduled in 1931, but is being rescheduled in order to include the remains of the hospital and any related archaeological remains.

The monument occupies an area of level ground which lies to the west of the Neil Burn, at a height of around 100m OD. The main body of the church consists of an unroofed rectangular structure measuring 20.6m from E to W by 8.3m transversely. On the north wall there is an ornate arched doorway of early Gothic style. Further architectural features take the form of two lancet windows in the W gable wall, and three in the east. On the basis of the doorway, it has been suggested that the main fabric of the church dates to the 13th century, but it is possible that the windows in the E gable were later additions or insertions. The building continued to be used as the local parish church until a new structure was completed in 1861. A granite belfry was added to the west gable in the 17th Century. Abutting the east end of the church there are the footings of another rectangular structure of similar dimensions, although its NE corner has now been destroyed by the line of the modern road. This is thought to be the remains of the hospital, founded in the 13th century by Thomas Durward. The hospital took possession of the church prior to 1231, and the possibility that the adjoining structure represents the remains of the hospital is strengthened by the fact that two windows have been built into the wall high in the E gable. Such features have been noted in monastic buildings elsewhere, and their presence would allow the sick being tended in the upper floors of the adjacent hospital to hear the service as it progressed in the church below. The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and also to a local saint, St Echard.

The area proposed for scheduling includes the remains described above and is defined by the former extent of the burial ground (i.e. excluding its modern extension which lies on a lower terrace to the South). It is a slightly distorted rectangle on plan, measuring about 75m NW-SE by about 60m due E-W, as marked in red upon the accompanying map. Any burial lairs within the area where burial rights still exist are specifically excluded from the scheduling.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
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Source: Historic Environment Scotland