Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM10400_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600013646)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of St Fittick's Church and its graveyard, visible as an upstanding monument. St Fittick's Church lies on open ground, adjacent to Balnagask golf course, overlooking Nigg Bay, at a height of about 10.5m OD.

This former parish church of Nigg, founded between 1189 and 1199, was dedicated to St Fittick, which is said to be a corrupted form of St Fiacre (seventh century). The structure was reconstructed and enlarged in the eighteenth century before being abandoned in 1829, but parts of the walls date to the thirteenth century.

The fabric has been considerably restored. The wall heads have a modern capping and the wall faces have been almost entirely rendered, obscuring the architectural features. On the N side, an early doorway or opening is visible, partly obscured by the raised ground level.

Stone masonry is visible only around windows and doors, and on the internal face of the bell-cote (E) gable end where memorials have been attached to the wall and a chimney has been inserted. The graveyard is crowded largely with nineteenth-century graves.

The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to survive. It is almost square in shape, with maximum dimensions of 36m NNW-SSE by 36.5m transversely.

The area to be scheduled is demarcated by the boundary wall of the graveyard, as marked in red on the accompanying map. It excludes the annex to the NE containing twentieth-century graves. It also excludes the above-ground parts of the boundary wall to allow for routine maintenance.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to contribute to an understanding of medieval and later ecclesiastical history and architecture.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.