Description

The monument consists of the remains of the parish church of Stow, dedicated to St Mary.

The church is thought to have been built in the 15th century, but earlier ecclesiastical associations may exist (either on this site or on the site of the Lady Chapel to the south of Stow). When the Scots conquered Lothian in 1018, the church of St Mary of Wedale passed into the diocese of St Andrews. It was famous throughout the Middle Ages for its privilege of sanctuary and for the fragments of an image of the Virgin, supposedly brought from Jerusalem by King Arthur.

The 15th-century church comprised a nave and chancel, although the latter was largely rebuilt in the 17th century. At the same time an external stair was added at the east end and a square aisle on the south side of the nave. Some of the red ashlar of the earlier church can be seen on the north nave wall and at the south-west corner, where there is a section of the old base course. The 17th century work is a mixture of rubble and freestone. The church measures about 24m W-E (including the external stair) by about 13m N-S (including the south aisle).

The old parish church of Stow was abandoned in 1876 when the present church was erected a little to the south. Some repair work was carried out by the owner in the early 1990s, but the church remains ruinous.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, measuring a maximum of 55m E-W by 30m N-S and includes an area around the church which is likely to include archaeological deposits associated with the church. It is marked in red on the accompanying map. Excluded from the scheduling are all post-Reformation gravestones and any burial lairs with existing burial rights.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation

Source: Historic Environment Scotland