MHG8130 - Old Kiltearn Parish Church
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (2)
- CHURCH (Built, Medieval to 16th Century - 1058 AD to 1588 AD)
- CHURCH (Re-built, 18th Century - 1790 AD to 1791 AD)
Protected Status
Full Description
NH66NW 1 6165 6522.
Church (NAT) OS 6" map, Ross-shire, 2nd ed., (1907)
Kiltearn church was built 1791, but its particularly inconvenient situation suggests that site is that of an early church (NSA 1845), possibly Culdee (Bain 1899). Said to be dedicated to St Tighernac (Macrae 1923). (But see NH66NW 15).
NSA 1845; R Bain 1899; N Macrae 1923.
Pulpit installed in Lochgoilhead Kirk, Argyll in 1955
Kiltearn Parish Church has been disused for c20 years. It is still roofed, but slates are soon to be removed for safety (Info from Mr Macrae, Sexton, Kiltearn parish church).
On outside of E wall of church, part of a former arch can be seen, probably belonging to an earlier church. There are several 17th and 18th century gravestones in graveyard. The sexton recalled that former minister, now in Brechin, had said church was on site of a monastery. No confirmation obtained for dedication mentioned by Macrae.
Visited by OS (R D L) 5 May 1963.
The building was listed at Category B in 1971.
The building was photographed by A Puls of the Highland Council in 2009.
As part of Evanton Community Trust’s Kiltearn Old Kirk project, professional archaeologist L McKeggie was hired to lead volunteers in learning how to undertake a standing building survey, followed by sessions on site to do a full photograph survey, plan and selected elevation drawings. The present building was a substantial renovation in 1790 or 1790 but incorporates some elements of previous structures. <1>
Also in 2017, Susan Kruse of ARCH led volunteers in recording and photographing all gravestones in the old kirkyard. In all 378 memorial stones, 72 lair markers and 48 stones which were either lair markers or headstones were recorded, ranging in date from 1670 to 2014, with over 50 stones dating before 1800. A database and listing of all names was produced, available on the Evanton Community Trust website (see links) and in printed and digital forms at the Cornerstone Café in Evanton. Copies of the gravestone record and listing have also been deposited in the Family History Search Room of Highland Archives. Susan Kruse of ARCH also led volunteers in researching documents of the old kirk, identifying a number of ministers, and a number of details about the old kirk. Binders with information from the project are available at Cornerstone Café in Evanton, and have been deposited with Dingwall and Alness libraries.
GIS spatial data amended in 2018 according to OS MasterMap. <2>
See also:
NH66NW0098 Graveyard
J Aitken : 12/12/02
Sources/Archives (15)
- --- SHG1941 Text/Publication/Volume: Bain, R. 1899. History of the ancient province of Ross. 57.
- --- SHG2307 Text/Publication/Volume: Hay, G. 1957. The architecture of Scottish post-Reformation churches, 1560-1843. 89, 194, 272; plan.
- --- SHG2414 Text/Publication/Volume: Leonella Longmore. 2000. Land of Churches.
- --- SHG2489 Text/Publication/Volume: MacRae, N. 1923. The romance of a royal burgh: Dingwall's story of a thousand years. 289.
- --- SHG2597 Text/Publication/Volume: NSA. 1845. The new statistical account of Scotland by the ministers of the respective parishes under the superintendence of a committee of the society for the benefit of the sons and daughters of the clergy. Vol. 14, Ross and Cromarty, 327.
- --- SHG2670 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1979. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of Easter Ross, Ross and Cromarty District, Highland Region. . 26, No. 225.
- --- SHG3139 Text/Publication/Article: Stell, G. 1986. Architecture and society in Easter Ross before 1707. SHG1943. 99-132. 124-5.
- --- SHG4497 Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
- --- SHG4498 Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
- --- SHG4499 Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
- --- SHG4500 Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
- --- SHG4501 Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
- --- SHG4502 Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
- <1> SHG27798 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Lynne McKeggie. 2017. Kiltearn Kirk Standing Building Survey. Evanton Community Trust. Digital.
- <2> SHG23361 Image/Map: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Mastermap. Digital. XY
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 6166 6522 (26m by 21m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH66NW |
| Geographical Area | ROSS AND CROMARTY |
| Civil Parish | KILTEARN |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (4)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB7915 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- http://www.archhighland.org.uk/kiltearn-old-kirk.asp (View the ARCH Old Kiltearn Church project website)
- http://www.ect.scot/index.php/projects/the-old-kiltearn-parish-church/2-uncategorised/12-the-old-kiltearn-parish-church (View the Evanton Community Trust website)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/13651 (View HES Canmore entry for this site)
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