Building record MAB37306 - MENMUIR PARISH CHURCH

Former parish church, now used as a storage space, and a graveyard.

Former parish church, now used as a storage space, and a graveyard. The church was built on the site of its predecessor in 1842 by David Smith of Dundee, architect, incorporating a burial vault dated 1639. The graveyard is early 18th century. A church of Menmuir parish was dedicated to St Aidan and is mentioned in 1275, which was probably on this site, although it may have earlier origins as suggested by fragments of early medieval sculptured stones. The previous church was built in 1767, probably on the site of the medieval parish church. Of the carved stones, two were found in circa 1843, and a third was found in the session house in 1987, but was originally in the graveyard. The church is shown on the 1st and 2nd edition OS maps as a rectangular church with the burial vault on the north elevation and a graveyard to the south and east. The interior was refurnished in circa 1947, and the church was closed in 1995. The church is constructed from stugged, squared and coursed red sandstone, with margins and a base course. There are shallow pointed-arched openings with chambered arises. The windows are two-light and have Y-tracery, and have stone transoms on the north, west and south elevations. The east gable has a cruciform finial. The west gable has entrances flanking the window with two-leaf panelled timber doors, and a square finialled bellcote at the apex. There are saddlebacked-coped skews and moulded skewputts to the pitched, grey slated roof. The burial vault on the north elevation is of the Carnegys of Balnamoon. It features an elliptical arch surmounted by a heraldic panel that is initialled S.A.C and D.G.B for Sir Alexander Carnegy and Dame Giles Blair. There are various later inscribed stone plaques set within a gabletted frame with a carved angel head at the apex. The vault is enclosed by a low sandstone ashlar wall with a moulded cope and topped by cast-iron decorative railings. There is a taller rubble coped wall to the east with additional memorial plaques. The interior of the church features a coombed and ribbed ceiling with corbels and foliated bosses. A raked timber gallery to the west wall is supported on painted cast-iron columns, with cusped corbeling to the balustrade. The graveyard contains several monuments and headstones of interest, notably that to Keatren Fairweather, 1702. Some of the headstones feature heraldry or symbolic carvings. It is enclosed by coped red sandstone rubble walls, with a retaining wall at the south. To the north and west there are tooled ashlar square gatepiers, with cast-iron gates with scrolled arrowheads. The western gatepiers are flanked by a narrow section of low wall topped with railings, and connects to the west elevation of the church. The north gatepiers adjoin the Carnegy vault. Two of the sculpted stones are cross-slabs that were formerly in the graveyard, and are carved in relief on both faces. Number 1 measures 3 feet 5 inches (1 metre) high. It has a cross to the front and equestrian and other figures on the back. Number 2 measures 1 feet 2 1/2 inches (37 cm) high. It has an equestrian figure on the front, and part of a standing figure on the back. The third was found in the session room, and bears what was originally believed to have worn interlace and be a part of an early medieval cross-slab, similar to the other two. Re-examination in 1995 by Atkinson shows it is not interlace, but that the pitted surface most closely resembles the 'fire-making stone' from Carlungie Souterrain (NO53NW0014). The stones are part of a collection of six, with three found in the garden of the manse to the south (NO 5342 6431). They were stored together in the church, and moved to the Meffan Institute, Forfar, following the closure of the church in 1995.

Period Notes
A church is mentioned in 1275, and was probably on this site. It may be earlier, given the two early medieval cross-slabs found within the graveyard. It was replaced in 1767, and again by the present church in 1842, which incorporates a burial vault dated 1639. The interior was re-furnished in circa 1947, and the church was closed in 1995. The graveyard is early-18th century. The church and graveyard were listed on 11/06/1971.

A/82651/CS, A/82651/CS (Photograph). SAB29194.

A/82652/CS, A/82652/CS (Photograph). SAB29198.

A/82653/CS, A/82653/CS (Photograph). SAB29195.

A/82654/CS, A/82654/CS (Photograph). SAB29196.

A/82655/CS, A/82655/CS (Photograph). SAB29199.

AN/3150/PO, AN/3150/PO (Photograph). SAB29197.

AN/3150/PO, AN/3150/PO (Photograph). SAB22017.

B/61425, B/61425 (Photograph). SAB24173.

B/80074/PO, B/80074/PO (Photograph). SAB22018.

B/80075/PO, B/80075/PO (Photograph). SAB23596.

B/80076/PO, B/80076/PO (Photograph). SAB22019.

B/98468/S, B/98468/S (Photograph). SAB23597.

D/08591, D/08591 (Photograph). SAB29200.

D/08630, D/08630 (Photograph). SAB29201.

OSA, 1791-9, [Untitled], Vol.5, 150 (Bibliographic reference). SAB9586.

NSA, 1845, [Untitled], Vol.9, (Angus), 657-8 (Bibliographic reference). SAB6295.

Chalmers, P, 1848, [Untitled] (Bibliographic reference). SAB6232.

Chalmers, P, 1848, [Untitled] (Bibliographic reference). SAB6244.

Jervise, A, 1853, [Untitled], 241-4 (Bibliographic reference). SAB11977.

Stuart, J, 1856, 1, 29 (Bibliographic reference). SAB9276.

Stuart, J, 1856, 1, 29, 41 (Bibliographic reference). SAB9275.

Stuart, J, 1856, 1, 41 (Bibliographic reference). SAB9277.

Warden, A J, 1880-5, [Untitled], Vol.4, 351-2, 362 (Bibliographic reference). SAB10178.

Jervise, A, 1882, [Untitled], 303-4 (Bibliographic reference). SAB12191.

Allen and Anderson, J R and, 1903, [Untitled], 263, (iii) (Bibliographic reference). SAB4901.

Allen and Anderson, J R and, 1903, [Untitled], 263-5 (Bibliographic reference). SAB12196.

Allen and Anderson, J R and, 1903, [Untitled], 264, (iii) (Bibliographic reference). SAB4912.

Hay, G, 1957, [Untitled], 246 (Bibliographic reference). SAB11884.

Stevenson, R B K, 1961, Proc Soc Antiq Scot 92, 43 (Bibliographic reference). SAB10332.

Stevenson, R B K, 1961, Proc Soc Antiq Scot 92, 43 (Bibliographic reference). SAB10333.

Stevenson, R B K, 1961, Proc Soc Antiq Scot 92, 43 (Bibliographic reference). SAB10334.

Cowan, I B, 1967, Scot Rec Soc 93, 146 (Bibliographic reference). SAB11663.

Coutts, H, 1970, [Untitled], 63, No.23 (Bibliographic reference). SAB11052.

RCAHMS, 1983, [Untitled], 21, No.150 (Bibliographic reference). SAB9180.

RCAHMS, 1984, [Untitled], 11, No.32 (Bibliographic reference). SAB9427.

Atkinson and Watson, N K and, 1987, Discovery and Excavation, Scotland, 58 (Bibliographic reference). SAB11203.

Atkinson and Watson, N K and, 1987, Discovery and Excavation, Scotland, 58 (Bibliographic reference). SAB11204.

Atkinson, N, 1995, Discovery and Excavation, Scotland, 94 (Bibliographic reference). SAB11585.

RCAHMS, 2003, EARLY MEDIEVAL SCULPTURE IN ANGUS COUNCIL MUSEUMS (Bibliographic reference). SAB1613.

AKD ARCHAEOLOGY, 2020, KIRKTON OF MENMUIR, ANGUS: PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF: WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION , WSI (Bibliographic reference). SAB7916.

Record last edited

Aug 21 2024 4:06PM