Building record MAB12524 - ST BRIDE'S CHURCH, KIRKTON OF CUSHNIE
Please read our guidance about the use of Aberdeenshire Historic Environment Record data.
Summary
Remains of church, standing to gable height at East end with an entrance in the South.
Protected Status/Designation
- Listed Building (C) 9221: St. Bride's Churchyard, excluding Scheduled Monument No 5620, 'St Bride's Church, Cushnie', Cushnie
- Scheduled Monument 5620
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NJ 5063 1086 (63m by 62m) Centred at - Polygon: Unknown Extent |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NJ51SW |
| Authority | Aberdeenshire |
| Civil Parish | Leochel-Cushnie |
Type and Period (6)
- CHURCH (12th Century to 17th Century - 1100 AD to 1686 AD)
- HOLY WELL (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1560 AD)
- COFFIN REST (17th Century to 20th Century - 1600 AD to 1999 AD)
- GRAVESTONE (17th Century to 20th Century - 1600 AD to 1999 AD)
- CHURCHYARD (12th Century to 20th Century - 1100 AD? to 1999 AD)
- VAULT (17th Century to 20th Century - 1600 AD to 1999 AD)
Full Description
Remains of church, standing to gable height at the east end with an entrance in the south. It remains ruinous within its churchyard. A lintel bears the date 1637, and a broken stone 14??. The church is rectangular in plan, with lower walling of possibly Medieval date. There is some evidence of secondary works, particularly at the east gable where upper structural components were entirely rebuilt, apparently in 1637 given the date of a skew putt attested in historical sources. An armorial slab of the Lumsdens lies within and bears the date 1637. The bell, dated 1686, which belonged to the church, is now at Lynturk Church. The church was heather thatched until circa 1792. A photograph taken in circa 1906 shows the masonry fabric to have survived entirely up to that date, including a fine bird-cage bellcote at the west gable apex, but now much of the ruin is obscured by vegetation and collapsed walling.
The burial ground is no longer used. St. Bride's well, a holy well, is now covered by the Cushnie well. There is now no trace of the earlier well. A stone-arched vault in the churchyard, underneath a tool store, contains three stone platforms for resting coffins. A graveyard survey recorded 47 individual monuments dating from the end of the 17th Century to the early 20th Century, although further fallen or buried monuments may lie elsewhere particularly closer to and within the church ruin.
A former manse is located to the east (MAB12559).
GR/99/CT311 - 313, GR/99/CT311 - 313 (Ground Photograph). SAB37203.
Author unknown, 1799, OLD STATISTICAL ACCOUNT, VOL IV, 175 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1845.
ORDNANCE SURVEY, 1871, Ordnance Name Book, No53(1867) 71 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1360.
JERVISE, A, 1879, EPITAPHS & INSCRIPTIONS,VOL 2, 188 (Bibliographic reference). SAB889.
RITCHIE, J, 1912, PSAS 46(1911-12) 285-302, 317 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1516.
EELES, F. C., 1958, THE CHURCH AND OTHER BELLS OF ABERDEENSHIRE, PSAS 91(1957-8) 84-111, 89 (Bibliographic reference). SAB443.
ADDYMAN ARCHAEOLOGY, 2014, ST BRIDE'S CHURCH AND CHURCHYARD, KIRKTON OF CUSHNIE: HISTORIC BUILDING SURVEY AND ASSESSMENT FOR FORESTRY COMMISSION SCOTLAND, Building survey (Bibliographic reference). SAB5469.
ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2017, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 17, 2016, p. 19 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6497.
Author unknown, n.d., NSA, VOL XII, 1127 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1269.
Other Statuses/References
- Authority: ASH;
- NMR Card Number: NJ51SW2;
- NRHE Numlink: 17606;
- Old Historic Environment Record Ref: NJ51SW0002;
External Links (3)
- https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB9221 (Historic Environment Scotland Portal Link)
- https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM5620 (Historic Environment Scotland Portal Link)
- https://www.trove.scot/place/17606 (trove.scot link)
Sources/Archives (9)
- --- SAB1269 Bibliographic reference: Author unknown. n.d.. NSA. VOL XII, 1127.
- --- SAB1360 Bibliographic reference: ORDNANCE SURVEY. 1871. Ordnance Name Book. No53(1867) 71.
- --- SAB1516 Bibliographic reference: RITCHIE, J. 1912. PSAS 46(1911-12) 285-302. 317.
- --- SAB1845 Bibliographic reference: Author unknown. 1799. OLD STATISTICAL ACCOUNT. VOL IV, 175.
- --- SAB37203 Ground Photograph: GR/99/CT311 - 313. Colour Transparency. GR/99/CT311 - 313.
- --- SAB443 Bibliographic reference: EELES, F. C.. 1958. THE CHURCH AND OTHER BELLS OF ABERDEENSHIRE, PSAS 91(1957-8) 84-111. Y. 89.
- --- SAB5469 Bibliographic reference: ADDYMAN ARCHAEOLOGY. 2014. ST BRIDE'S CHURCH AND CHURCHYARD, KIRKTON OF CUSHNIE: HISTORIC BUILDING SURVEY AND ASSESSMENT FOR FORESTRY COMMISSION SCOTLAND. Building survey.
- --- SAB6497 Bibliographic reference: ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND. 2017. DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 17, 2016. p. 19.
- --- SAB889 Bibliographic reference: JERVISE, A. 1879. EPITAPHS & INSCRIPTIONS,VOL 2. N. 188.
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Events/Activities (1)
Record last edited
Jul 27 2026 7:24PM
