Building record MAB27746 - OLD CHURCH, OLD DEER

Remains of a 15th Century church, comprising a nave and chancel, now roofless, but with walls standing to their original height.

Remains of a 15th Century church, comprising a nave and chancel, now roofless, but with walls standing to their original height. The walls appear to be partly rebuilt especially the south wall of the chancel near the east end. The church probably occupies the site of an early Culdee settlement founded by St. Columba and St. Drostan in AD 580, the predecessor of the Abbey of Deer. According to the minister, it is known locally as the Church of Deer and there is no definite evidence to indicate a dedication to St Drostan. The chancel was almost entirely reconstructed in 1731 (with thinner north and east walls) upon the death of Anne Stuart, wife of James Ferguson of Pitfour to whom a monument was constructed against the internal south elevation. The nave was converted to a burial aisle when the new church was built to the west in 1789, the western end being truncated to make room for the new church. Opinions vary on which architectural elements are in their original positions. There are marks of an old doorway in the north wall, there has also been a square-headed doorway in the south wall. There are two piscinas in the nave, one on the chancel arch on the north, the other on the south wall which had a projecting basin, now sliced off. The most interesting feature of the church is the locker or ambry in the north wall of the nave. The top is of dropped arch form, and the arch, jambs and sill are checked for a door. Above the door is a pointed arch with a kind of tracery enclosing a cross pattern cut out of granite. In the east wall is a finely carved heraldic stone. On the exterior of the south wall of the nave is an arched tomb recess for a monument, probably medieval in date. Several post medieval memorial stones were built into the external north elevation. Desk-based assessment by GUARD in 2008 considered the potential of the area around the church as the potential site for containing traces of the early medieval monastery of Deer, and concluded that there was reasonably strong grounds for interpreting the site of Old Deer Church as the site of the monastery. Ground Penetrating Radar and gradiometry surveys of the interior of the old kirk were carried out in 2010 by GUARD. A previously unrecorded grave and a linear anomaly that may be related to the Old Deer monastic settlement were located in the chancel of the old kirk, and a further unmarked grave was found within the Russell mausoleum. A single trench was excavated here in October 2011 by MAS as part of the Book of Deer Project, targeted on the anomaly revealed by the 2010 geophysical survey. The anomaly was shown to be circa 1.5m from the interior of the south wall of the chancel and to extend east-west for circa 3m and was assessed as being about 0.50m wide and at a depth of between 0.71 and 0.90m. It was recorded from the chancel arch to the burial enclosure built against the south wall of the chancel but there was no reference to the anomaly extending east of the burial enclosure or west into the nave. The trench was placed across the line of the anomaly, extending on the west to the wall of the chancel arch and on the south to the south wall of the standing ruin. It was hoped that this would allow the possibility of determining the stratigraphic relationship of the anomaly to the standing building. A cut was discovered at the north end of the trench which post-dates the raising of the ground level within the church and it is possible that this was an attempt to dig out a grave that was abandoned after an adjacent stone wall was encountered and that stones removed from the north face of the wall were backfilled above. It is however also possible that it represents the investigative efforts of Robert Gibbon in the 1920s who writes that 'By digging at one side a hard bottom was reached about 2 ft. 6 ins. below the surface'. Building debris, in the central and southern areas of the trench, used to build up the levels in the standing ruin must have been deposited before 1731 when the Ann Stuart monument was built and it would appear that by this time useable stone, such as floor slabs, had been taken for reuse elsewhere. The trench also exposed the east face of the south wall of the chancel arch and the base of the southwest corner of the chancel wall. Below present ground level, the base of the southwest corner and the south wall is circa 300mm wider than the exposed wall above present ground level, giving a full width of circa 800mm, comparable to the chancel arch wall. Below ground level there were clear traces of lime render on the inner faces of both the south wall and the chancel wall. The evidence is clear that these sections of wall are contemporary. The base of the protruding lump of masonry attached to the south wall at the southwest corner of the chancel was also revealed by the excavation. This masonry is described by Fawcett as a possible base for a stair to the blocked doorway above and to the south of the chancel arch, which Fawcett interprets as the doorway into a rood loft. The excavation shows this masonry to be abutting the original full width of the wall, with the base of the masonry tailing into the wall at the level of the top of the deep layer of building rubble which raised the internal level of the chancel, probably in or around 1731. The base of the masonry was, therefore some 750mm above the floor associated with the chancel arch. If it is a remnant of a stair the lower part has been removed (possibly soon after the Reformation when a rood loft would probably have been removed). It is clearly an addition to the wall, not a part of the primary construction. The upper part of this masonry has been cement rendered and a brick added to the top. Mortar found at the south end of the trench appears to be a foundation for floor slabs and is clearly contemporary with the use (as opposed to necessarily the construction) of the surviving walls of the chancel arch and of the southwest corner of the chancel. It could date to any time between the 15th century date generally ascribed to the original parts of the standing building and the early 18th century when the building became ruinous. A wall at the north end of the trench (adjacent to the cut described above) is sealed by and therefore pre-dates the rubble levelling so is almost certainly pre-1731. Its position, partially blocking the chancel arch, would suggest that it either pre-dates the chancel and chancel arch or dates to the period when the chancel was no longer in use for worship. However, as the surviving part of the wall would appear to have been level with and sealed by floor slabs set on the mortar (48/51), it must be considered as most probably dating to before the floor. It may therefore belong to the documented 13th century church there is no evidence that it is earlier although it remains a possibility. The geophysical survey did not appear to encounter any sign of this wall within the present nave so it is difficult to speculate on its function. Ground penetrating radar survey was carried out within the chancel in 2012 to locate the extent to which the wall recorded in 2011 extended into the nave and to identify any associated walls. There was no clear evidence of the wall extending into the nave or east into the burial enclosure. Two trenches were dug by Cameron Archaeology in 2015 just outside the Scheduled area at the east end of the ruined church to examine anomalies identified by geophysical survey in July 2015. The excavation recorded mortar spreads (which may gave produced the anomalies) and a spread of stones but no other archaeological features. Analysis of the architectural and documentary evidence by R Fawcett (2015) concluded that the western compartment of the church is almost certainly the shell of the medieval nave, truncated to its present length in 1788. The walls embody several medieval features, including what may have been a sacrament house, the arch of a canopied tomb and two piscinae. Despite being extensively rebuilt on several occasions whilst serving as a roofless burial enclosure for the Keith Earls Marischal, the Fergusons of Pitfour and the Fergusons of KInmundy, it appears likely that the eastern compartment of the church perpetuates the footprint and some of the fabric of the medieval chancel. Partly on the basis of the depiction on the 16th century Pont map it is possible that there may have been a tower at the west end of the nave. Most of the carved, moulded, heraldic and inscribed stones built into the walls of the nave appear to have bee assembled there following their removal from other locations within the building. Many may have originated from the chancel. Small-scale trenching in September 2016 as part of the Book of Deer project included one trench located in the area of the western part of the medieval church which recorded the south wall of the earlier church. On the north side of the trench were burials associated with this church. See also NJ94NE0154.

Period Notes
Culdee settlement founded in AD 580, or possibly (according to another source) in AD 719.

Timeline for the Old Parish Church: 1219 - Deer Abbey founded by William Comyn, Earl of Buchan. The church in Old Deer was possibly established at the same time (Fawcett, 2008, 459). 1256 - Reference to Old Deer Church when money granted from it to Aberdeen Cathedral (Fawcett, 2008, 459). 1649 - New pulpit built and ‘…they appointed Mr. George Clark, Schoolmaster, all the room from the great south door eastwards as much as shall be left when the new pulpit shall be builded.’ (Gibbon, 1927, 178). 1731 - Church ruinous and preaching done in churchyard. Monument to Ann Stuart set in S wall of the chancel and the walled enclosure built around the lair. Considerable reconstruction of the chancel as a burial aisle (Gibbon, 1927, 178 and Fawcett, 2008, 459). 1762 - Records of the measurements of the church: N wall 69’ 2” long with no door, S wall 69’11” long with two doors, E and W walls 21’” and 21’2” wide respectively, with no doors (Gibbon, 1927, 178). This suggests that the chancel was no longer regarded as part of the church and that only the nave (21m x 6m) was included. It does raise the question as to why the arch is not mentioned- possibly this may have been because there was just a door/grill to the burial aisle, rather than a proper external door. 1789 - New church built and nave truncated and W wall rebuilt (Fawcett, 2008, 459). If the 1762 measurement of the nave is correct, the nave was reduced in length from 21m to the present 6m.

ORDNANCE SURVEY, 1871, Ordnance Name Book, (1870) 89 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1360.

MACGIBBON, T, 1896, ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND 1, 278-81 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1141.

McCLEOD, NK, 1899, THE CHURCHES OF BUCHAN, 35 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1238.

SIMPSON, W.D., 1952, DEER ABBEY (Bibliographic reference). SAB1684.

GUARD, 2008, THE MONASTERY OF DEER ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESK BASED ASSESSMENT AND FIELD EVALUATION: PROJECT DESIGN, PD (Bibliographic reference). SAB2633.

GUARD, 2008, THE MONASTERY OF DEER ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT: ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT (2ND DRAFT) (Bibliographic reference). SAB2637.

FORSYTH, K., 2008, THE STONES OF DEER, P.400-402 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2499.

GUARD, 2009, THE MONASTERY OF DEER ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT: DESK BASED ASSESSMENT & FIELD EVALUATION, DBA (Bibliographic reference). SAB2613.

GUARD, 2010, OLD DEER GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY (Bibliographic reference). SAB2612.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2011, BOOK OF DEER PROJECT EXCAVATIONS 2011, OLD DEER, ABERDEENSHIRE, pp.14-24 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4723.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2011, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND. NEW SERIES, VOLUME 11, 2010, pp.26-7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5535.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2012, BOOK OF DEER PROJECT EXCAVATIONS 2012, OLD DEER, ABERDEENSHIRE (Bibliographic reference). SAB5033.

ROSE GEOPHYSICAL CONSULTANTS, 2012, GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY REPORT OLD DEER, PARISH CHURCH, Geophysics report (Bibliographic reference). SAB3143.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2013, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, NEW SERIES, VOLUME 13, 2012, p.25 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5487.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2015, BOOK OF DEER PROJECT 2015: ADEN COUNTRY PARK AND OLD DEER PARISH CHURCH: DATA STRUCTURE REPORT, Excavation DSR (Bibliographic reference). SAB6723.

FAWCETT, R, 2015, OLD DEER MEDIEVAL CHURCH: AN ANALYSIS OF THE THE ARCHITECTURAL EVIDENCE (Bibliographic reference). SAB4147.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2016, BOOK OF DEER 16, OLD DEER, ABERDEENSHIRE: DATA STRUCTURE REPORT (Bibliographic reference). SAB8019.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2016, OLD DEER CHURCH, ABERDEENSHIRE: WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION FOR UP TO FIVE TRENCHES IN 2016, WSI (Bibliographic reference). SAB6732.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2016, OLD DEER VILLAGE, ABERDEENSHIRE: WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION FOR SCHEDULED MONUMENT CONSENT FOR UP TO FIVE TRENCHES 2016 (Bibliographic reference). SAB8022.

CAMERON ARCHAEOLOGY, 2016, OLD DEER VILLAGE, ABERDEENSHIRE: WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION TEST PITS, 2016 (Bibliographic reference). SAB8020.

Apr 10 1997 , AAS/97/04/CT46, AAS/97/04/CT46 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16701.

Apr 10 1997 , AAS/97/04/G8/11-13, AAS/97/04/G8/11-13 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16700.

Jan 1 1976 , AAS/GR/76/CT103, 107, 109, AAS/GR/76/CT103, 107, 109 (Ground Photograph). SAB32441.

Jul 24 1985 , EV 1-12, EV 1-12 (Ground Photograph). SAB14804.

Jun 9 2010 , DG1690-1, DG1690-1 (Ground Photograph). SAB13013.

Mar 1 2011 , AAS/2011/2/DG3400, AAS/2011/2/DG3400 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB20638.

Mar 17 2005 , AAS/05/1/CT35-6,38, AAS/05/1/CT35-6,38 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB18294.

Mar 17 2005 , AAS/05/1/CT92-3,95-8, AAS/05/1/CT92-3,95-8 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB18295.

Mar 18 2008 , AAS-GR-08-03-001 to 005, AAS-GR-08-03-001 to 005 (Ground Photograph). SAB36115.

Nov 13 1997 , AAS/97/13/CT13-7, AAS/97/13/CT13-7 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16976.

Nov 13 1997 , AAS/97/13/G28/15,16, AAS/97/13/G28/15,16 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16975.

Sep 8 2006 , DG746-758, DG746-758 (Ground Photograph). SAB18768.

Record last edited

Jan 3 2025 4:07PM