Description

The monument consists of the fragmentary remains of the old parish church of Crimond, and its burial ground.

The remains of the church are believed to have been built in the early 15th century, although the single remaining wall exhibits evidence of later alterations, and earlier description of the building suggest it was repaired just after the Reformation. The church may have been founded as early as the 13th century as it was apparently erected into a prebend of Aberdeen Cathedral by Bishop Richard de Potton in 1262 and definitely appears as such in 1437. The church was abandoned when a new church was constructed in 1812, after which it very quickly became completely ruinous; by 1840 the church was reduced to the portion of S wall that still survives.

The remains of the church are extremely fragmentary, with the only upstanding fragment a stretch of the S wall, built of random rubble masonry. It measures about 8m in length, 2.3m high and 0.8m in width. The wall incorporates a very unusual square-headed window with cable mouldings on the exterior face. Two very fine armorial panels, probably cut down from the ledger slabs of post-reformation table tombs, have later been built into the ingoes for their protection. To the W of this window is another, smaller and perhaps original, window which is now blocked up. Towards the W end of the wall is a large, round-headed opening, which may have accommodated a memorial, and slightly further W there is the scant remains of a doorway. At the E end of the wall there are the remains of another doorway, on this occasion with a exterior rebate. The gate piers of the burial ground have been constructed of salvaged graveslabs, one dating to 1617, the baluster legs from table tombstones and what appear to carved pediments perhaps from a pair of dormer windows or perhaps from a bellcote. The burial ground has a good collection 18th-century monuments

The area to be scheduled includes the church and the burial ground, including the gate piers, in which associated remains may be expected to be found. The area is roughly quadrangular in shape and has maximum dimensions of 38m E-W by 30m N-S as marked in red on the attached map. All modern burial lairs still in use are excluded from the scheduling.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as the site of a medieval parish church, perhaps dating to the mid-13th century which served as a prebend of Aberdeen Cathedral and which continued to serve as the parish church until the early 19th century. As such it has great potential to contribute toward an understanding of medieval art, architecture, religious practices and material culture. The survival of numerous fragments of very fine post-Reformation carved stone accentuates the importance of the monument.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

The monument is recorded by RCAHMS as NK05NE 1.

References:

Cowan I B 1967, 'The Parishes of Medieval Scotland' SCOT REC SOC, Vol. 93.

ORDNANCE SURVEY NAME BOOK (COUNTY), Original Name Books of the Ordnance Survey Book No. 21, 10.

Pratt J B 1901, BUCHAN, Revision, Aberdeen, 179.

Scott H et al eds. 1915-61, FASTI ECCLESIAE SCOTICANAE: THE SUCCESSION OF MINISTERS IN THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND FROM THE REFORMATION, Revision, Edinburgh, Vol. 6, 212.

Spiers S M 1999, THE KIRKYARD OF CRIMOND WITH RATTRAY, Aberdeen.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland