Building record MAB8480 - BOTRIPHNIE PARISH CHURCH

Former church, no longer in ecclesiastical use, and remains of an earlier church.

Former church, no longer in ecclesiastical use, and remains of an earlier church. The earliest church on this site was mentioned in 1226. The present parish church was built in 1816-20, probably by George Angus of Edinburgh, to replace the earlier Botrophnie Church built in 1617, dedicated to St Furmac, but which was ruinous by 1794. There were alterations and additions by R. B. Pratt, Elgin, in 1901. Only the South aisle of the 17th century church remained by 1926. The present 19th century church has been little altered. It is a fairly simple rectangular, harl pointed, rubble church, with tooled ashlar dressings, and with a vestry at the east end that is built out of coursed rubble, with ashlar window/door surrounds and quoins. There is a long south facing elevation with a pair of large round-headed windows flanked by entrances in the outer bays, each with a round-headed fanlight and double-leaf plank doors. There is a square-headed gallery window in each gable under a relieving arch. A ball-finialled bellcote at the west gable apex is re-used from the old church in Keith (NJ45SW0032), with a re-hung bell, originally cast in 1753 by John Mowat of Old Aberdeen. There is a ball finial at the east apex. The minister's room, constructed in 1901, extends at the east gable. It is a single storey 2-bay building, with a round-headed door and window. Glazing from 1901 is used throughout, and there are slate roofs. There is a further 1986 extension at the rear of the Minister's room. Internally, the building retains the original five-sided galleries and large pulpit. The galleries extend around the north, east and west sides of the nave, and are supported by cast-iron columns. The original wooden panelled gallery fronts include original inset painted armorials of the Gordon-Duff family at the centre. The pulpit is from 1901, and in the Jacobean style, with a pilastered and pedimented backboard. On the walls of the nave are various 19th and 20th century memorials to local family members. A fine carved wood memorial, with a shield boss and family crest, commemorates Lachlan Gordon Duff, who was killed in the First World War. There are also a number of old carved stones, likely found in the graveyard, including is a fine sandstone datestone of 1607, possibly from the earlier church on the site. A cross slab, inscribed with a Celtic cross, was found on the South side of the churchyard. This has been lost, but inside the old church is a mutilated stone slab with a simple straight armed cross. The material of the 17th century church, which the present building replaced, was utilised by the Duffs of Drummuir to form a mausoleum. A semi-circular rubble walled burial ground fronts the church, with some up-standing remains of 1617 (and possibly earlier) church now re-used as a burial enclosure, with various exceptionally good mural monuments dated 1667, 1727 and 1758. The 1667 mural monument is commemorating Ann Gordon and Katherine Leslie, and is sited on the east wall, with a Corinthianesque aedicule that has good 17th century lettering and an enriched frieze. The 1727 mural is commemorating Reverend George Chalmers. It is sited on the West wall, with a Roman Doric aedicule with a pulvinated frieze, a broken segmental armorial pediment and finely carved nimbus flanking a bible containing a white marble tablet in black frame. The 1758 mural is commemorating Helen Chalmers. It is sited on the South wall, with an Ionic pilastered and pedimented aedicule. An undated 18th century panel to John Stewart is found on the exterior of the South wall. There are 17th century, and subsequent, tombstones. There is a simple entrance to the burial ground, which is closed by a pair of cast-iron spearhead carriage gates. There are two Commonwealth War Graves: Private J. Dey, 4th Regiment South African Infantry (d. 1916), and Private P. A. Strachan, Royal Army Medical Corps (d. 1919). A war memorial (NJ34SE0097) is situated outside the east entrance to the graveyard. Archaeological monitoring was carried out by AOC in November 2023 and June 2024 during stabilisation of headstones. Disarticulated bone was found within the foundation cuts of two stones.

Period Notes
The earliest church is mentioned in 1226. One church was built in 1617, and the bell was cast in 1753. This church was then ruined in 1794 and the present church was built in 1816-20, with alterations and additions in 1901. The site was designated on 22/02/1972.

Author unknown, , SCOTTISH NOTES AND QUERIES, VOL V(1927) 2 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1839.

Author unknown, 1799, OLD STATISTICAL ACCOUNT, No10(1794) 192 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1845.

JERVISE, A, 1879, EPITAPHS & INSCRIPTIONS,VOL 2, VOL 2,10-3 (Bibliographic reference). SAB889.

HOWAT, AJ, 1901, CHURCHES IN MORAY, 6 (Bibliographic reference). SAB729.

SIMPSON, WD, 1926, PSAS 60(1925-26) 273-80, 278-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1855.

MCKEAN, C, 1987, MORAY: AN ILLUSTRATED ARCHITECTURAL GUIDE, p.145 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1142.

MORAY BURIAL GROUND RESEARCH GROUP, 2003, NEWSLETTER, Issue 2, p.3 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5098.

MORAY BURIAL GROUND RESEARCH GROUP, 2003, NEWSLETTER, Issue 3 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5098.

AOC ARCHAEOLOGY, 2023, MEMORIAL HEADSTONE STABILISATION PROGRAMME MORAY COUNCIL: ARCHAEOLOGICAL SUPPORT SERVICES WRITTEN SCHEME OF INVESTIGATION, WSI (Bibliographic reference). SAB8796.

AOC ARCHAEOLOGY, 2024, MEMORIAL HEADSTONE STABILISATION PROGRAMME: SUMMARY REPORT (Bibliographic reference). SAB8746.

Aug 23 1986 , GO 5-7, GO 5-7 (Ground Photograph). SAB33513.

May 9 2015 , AAS-GR-15-05-013 - 019, AAS-GR-15-05-013 - 019 (Ground Photograph). SAB30882.

Record last edited

Sep 17 2025 10:58AM