Building record MAB41874 - KINNEFF PARISH CHURCH

Kinneff Old Parish Church, associated graveyard, and site of earlier church.

Kinneff Old Parish Church, associated graveyard, and site of earlier church. The medieval church, dedicated to St Arnty, is referred to in 1242 and belonged to the priory of St Andrews. The current church has had numerous extensions and additions and is now only in occasional use. The Crown Jewels of Scotland were hidden here from Cromwell between 1651 and 1660. It was rebuilt almost entirely in the 18th century, with only the foundations and parts of the old walls being re-used. The present church is a T-plan structure with a north-west stair tower. It was rebuilt in 1737 as a rectangular building but was enlarged in 1876, when the north aisle and stair tower were built. The church is rubble built and harled, with ashlar sandstone window and door surrounds and bellcote. The roof is slated. The west gable has a tall, square, bellcote with the bell hung in the central opening. The bell is dated 1679, made in Holland. It has a small stone finial with a small metal cross. Below are two small round-arched windows. The east gable has a single, round-arched window. The south elevation has six pointed-arch windows with simple Y-tracery and latticed glass. The east and west windows were originally doors which were blocked up and made into windows to match the others in the elevation. The north elevation is dominated by its later central aisle, which has rectangular windows in the gable and east face. Attached to the west is a small, gabled stairtower with an entrance door to the north and a tall pointed-arch window in the west face. A stone panel above the door dedicates the enlargement of the church. A portion of a small late Celtic cross-slab, thought to be from the walls, was found among rubbish in 1876 but it cannot be traced now. About 1788-9 an earthen pot containing about one and a half pounds of small silver coins of Edward of England and Alexander of Scotland was found while digging the grave of Lady Ogilvie of Barras (Kings contemporary in the mid 13th Century).

Period Notes
Earlier church dedicated in 1242; rebuilt 1738; additions 1876. Listed 18/08/1972.

DA 29-37, DA 29-37 (Ground Photograph). SAB15991.

DB 19-25, DB 19-25 (Ground Photograph). SAB15992.

DC 2-5, DC 2-5 (Ground Photograph). SAB15993.

ORDNANCE SURVEY, 1871, Ordnance Name Book, No13(1864) 59 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1360.

JERVISE, A, 1879, EPITAPHS & INSCRIPTIONS,VOL 2, 169 (Bibliographic reference). SAB889.

EELES, FC, 1899, NOTICE OF A CELTIC CROSS-SLAB RECENTLY DISCOVERED AT KINNEFF, KINCARDINESHIRE. IN PSAS(1898-9) 163-7, PSAS 33, 163-7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB465.

ALLEN, JR, 1903, EARLY CHRISTIAN MONUMENTS OF SCOTLAND 3, 204-5 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3.

MITCHELL, A, 1908, MACFARLANES GEOG COLL 1906-8, 257-8 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1155.

WATT, JC, 1914, MEARNS OF OLD, 131 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2005.

COWAN, IB, 1967, THE PARISHES OF MED SCOT, 114 (Bibliographic reference). SAB242.

SHEPHERD, I, 1996, ABERDEEN AND NORTH-EAST SCOTLAND (2ND ED), p. 116 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4829.

SDD, n.d., BLDS OF ARCH & HIST INTEREST, KINNEFF 1 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1827.

Author unknown, n.d., MEARNS LEADER, 07/09/84 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1258.

RCAHMS, n.d., S KINC LIST, No215 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1512.

Nov 10 2011 , 2011-11-10 014-015, 2011-11-10 014-015 (Ground Photograph). SAB20758.

Sep 17 2011 , GR IMG_0893-0902, GR IMG_0893-0902 (Ground Photograph). SAB13292.

Record last edited

Jun 21 2024 4:55PM