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MHG39520 - Cemetery - Brims Ness

Summary

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Type and Period (1)

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Full Description

Chapel (NR) (rems of) Grave Yard (NAT)
OS 1:10,000 map, (1975)

The remains of what is said to have been a Roman Catholic chapel (Name Book 1872), whose former existence is mentioned in 1726 (W Macfarlane 1906-8) and 1769 (T Pennant 1774). The walls, which were fast falling to decay, have lately been repaired by the proprietor (and the) graveyard, lying along S base of the above chapel has lately been surrounded by a stone wall. It contains a few very old tombstones, many of which are rough and undressed having no inscriptions on them (Name Book 1872).
T Pennant 1774; W Macfarlane 1906-8; Name Book 1872.

The remains of this chapel survive to a height of 1.6m. The harled walls are now surmounted by slabs, the entrance being in the S wall. There are no windows. The N wall has been incorporated into the enclosing wall of the graveyard, which contains stones dating back to 1836. The last burial was in 1948.
Visited by OS (N K B) 2 October 1964.

No change. Visited by OS (N K B) 13 August 1981.

The walls of the chapel and its surrounding graveyard are visible in LiDAR data gathered by AOC Archaeology in 2011 as part of the mitigation for the visual impact on the archaeological landscape associated with the proposed Baillie Hill windfarm, Caithness. However, the data shows that the current wall around the site may not represent the original extent of the graveyard. A square earthwork is clearly visible, underlying the wall and extending beyond it to the southwest. Rig and furrow can also be seen in the LiDAR data to the further southwest and this stops at and therefore respects the square enclosure, indicating it to be at least contemporary with it. There are also possible indications of a rectangular building of a similar size to the current chapel ruin lying in an east-west orientation in the southwest corner of the square earthwork. The building appears to have a small outshot to the south off its west end. It may be the remains of a small farmstead with which the rig and furrow may be associated. If the square enclosure is the roiginal extent of the graveyard then graves may still exist beyond the current walls. <1>

Sources/Archives (7)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred ND 0401 7139 (38m by 39m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	ND07SW
Civil Parish	THURSO
Geographical Area	CAITHNESS

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