Description

The monument includes the structure known as the Lindsay burial aisle, the buried remains of the medieval church of Edzell parish and the core of the surrounding burial ground. The medieval church may have been built in the 13th century, while the Lindsay burial aisle was probably added to the S side of the existing church nave in the 16th century. However, a fragment of 9th-century stone sculpture found in the churchyard suggests there may have been an ecclesiastical site here from the early Christian period, as does the site's traditional association with St Drostan. The monument is situated about 100m NE of the West Water at around 60m above sea level.

Most of the medieval church was demolished following the erection of a new church in the village of Edzell in 1818. The upstanding burial aisle is a rectangular stone structure measuring about 7.5m N-S by 6m transversely, with a modern timber and slate roof. A rounded archway in the N elevation formerly gave access to the medieval church. The internal face of the S gable contains a wide, arched recess below a window and there is also a narrow recess at the S end of the E wall. There are low earthworks to the N of the aisle that suggest the position of the demolished church. A bank to the S and E of the aisle may signify an early churchyard boundary.

The area to be scheduled is irregular on plan, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. On the S and E sides, the scheduling extends up to but does not include the boundary walls of the burial ground. The scheduling specifically excludes all burial lairs where rights of burial still exist and all memorial stones that date to after 1800. The monument was first scheduled in 1959, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this. 

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

This monument is of national importance because of its inherent potential to make a significant addition to our understanding of medieval and later churches and burial grounds in Scotland. It is rare because of evidence for particularly long-lived ecclesiastical use of the site, spanning a period from at least the 9th to 19th centuries. The burial aisle survives as a romantic fragment of the parish church, but there is also high potential for the presence of well-preserved archaeology that can make a significant contribution to knowledge and understanding of medieval churches and burial grounds. The monument's significance is enhanced by the capacity to compare it with other early church sites in Angus and to relate the church to the adjacent motte and bailey castle and its successor Edzell Castle. The loss of the monument would significantly diminish our ability to appreciate and understand the development of churches in Angus and their role in medieval society.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Further informationRCAHMS records the site as NO56NE 7. The burial aisle is in the care of Scottish Ministers.

Bowler, D, Perry, D, and Middleton, M, 2000 'Clearance and survey at Edzell Old Church, Angus', TAFAJ 6, 136-153.
Historic Environment Scotland Properties
Lindsay Burial Aisle
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/lindsay-burial-aisle
Find out more
Related Designations

Old Parish Church, churchyard excluding scheduled monument SM13613, Edzell LB11255
Designation TypeListed Building (B)StatusDesignated

Canmore

https://canmore.org.uk/site/223742/

Source: Historic Environment Scotland