Building record MAB6118 - ST DURSTAN'S CHURCH, ABERLOUR

Remains of pre-Reformation church, dedicated to St Durstan or Drostan, and graveyard.

Remains of pre-Reformation church, dedicated to St Durstan or Drostan, and graveyard. It is the south transept of a former church, first documented in circa 1226, and replaced in by the predecessor of the present parish church, which was built in 1812. It is constructed of uncoursed masonry with rubble infilling, and has a splayed window aperture with a square stone lintel, and a relieving arch above. It is within a large, irregularly shaped, walled burial ground constructed with rubble walls. It contains 17th and 18th century mural monuments. There are later walls at the east, west and south, mainly dating from 1869 and built by A. and W. Reid, Elgin. Square tooled ashlar piers flank the entrance from the lane by Lour Burn, with shallow pyramidal caps and a pair of spearhead cast-iron gates. A flight of steps is flanked at the top and bottom by similar piers, leading from the main road, also with cast-iron spearhead gates and similar flanking railings. Within the graveyard to the south of the remains of the church, there is the Macpherson Grant Mausoleum. It was built by A. and W. Reid in 1859-60. It is a tall, Gothic, tooled and polished ashlar buttressed rectangular mausoleum, with a pointed-headed entrance in the centre of the south gable. It has nookshafts, a hoodmould with carved stops and double leaf plank doors with decorative cast-iron hinges. There is a cusped niche above a coat of arms, apex crosses, saw-toothed skews and a steeply pitched slate roof. Some interesting mural monuments also survive, one dated to 1664 to Innes' of Kinermonie, and another dated 1761 to the Anderson family of Mudhouse, Craigellachie. The north portion of burial ground wall marks the boundary the between parish and burgh. Aberlour old parish manse was demolished in 1869, and the site was incorporated into the burial ground. The graveyard is still in use. Monumental inscriptions within the churchyard and cemetery have been recorded by the Moray Burial Ground Research Group.

Period Notes
The church was first documented in circa 1226. There are 17th and 18th century mural monuments in the graveyard, and the mausoleum was built in 1859-60. The old manse was destroyed in 1869, and the site was incorporated into the graveyard, which is still in use. It was designated on 09/11/1987.

JERVISE, A, 1879, EPITAPHS & INSCRIPTIONS,VOL 2, p.76-80 (Bibliographic reference). SAB889.

HOWAT, AJ, 1901, CHURCHES IN MORAY, 1 (Bibliographic reference). SAB729.

MORAY BURIAL GROUND RESEARCH GROUP, 2003, NEWSLETTER, Issue 16 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5098.

MORAY BURIAL GROUND RESEARCH GROUP, 2003, NEWSLETTER, Issue 7, p.9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5098.

MORAY BURIAL GROUND RESEARCH GROUP, 2014, MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS: ABERLOUR OLD CHURCHYARD, NEW CEMETERY , PARISH CHURCH, EPISCOPAL CHURCH, WAR MEMORIALS (Bibliographic reference). SAB7654.

Apr 13 2018 , AAS-GR-18-04-056, AAS-GR-18-04-056 (Ground Photograph). SAB35623.

Author unknown, n.d., NSA, No13(1836) 116 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1269.

Nov 2 2015 , AAS-GR-15-11-006 - 199, AAS-GR-15-11-006 - 199 (Ground Photograph). SAB35471.

Record last edited

Sep 5 2025 12:07PM