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

  SM5668_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600011566)

Summary

Description

The monument consists of the remains of St Brandan's, the old parish church of Boyndie. The church was re-confirmed to the uses of Arbroath Abbey circa 1211, by William the Lion who is thought to have been the original donor. In 1257 a vicarage settlement was confirmed by which a conjunction with the church of Banff was effected, the parsonage revenues of both remaining with the Abbey.

The present church dates mainly from the 17th century, but

incorporates earlier material. It is located in an old graveyard, overlooking Boyndie Bay. It was rectangular on plan. All that remains of the church is the harled W gable which measures 8.3m N-S and is 0.9m thick and part of the adjoining N wall, which extends no more than 2.4m to the E. The W gable contains a small lintelled window above an ashlar faced round-headed entrance.

The gable is surmounted by a small 18th-century ball-finialled bellcote with an 18th-century bell. Below this, projecting from the interior and exterior wall faces is the corbelling that formed the base of a polygonal bellcote which would have been of 15th/16th century date. The extent of the ground plan cannot be determined without excavation, however the arrangement of graves and burial enclosure walls suggests that the church was about 19-20m E-W.

The area to be scheduled is rectangular, measuring a maximum of 12.3m NNW-SSE by 24m ENE-WSW, to include the upstanding portions and the buried foundations, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as an example, albeit fragmentary, of a church which is thought to be the last of a succession of parish churches built on the same ground, the first of which dates from the 12th century. The present ruin provides evidence and has the potential to provide further evidence which, through a combination of historical research and archaeological excavation, may determine the precise extent and chronology of the site and may contribute to an understanding of the evolution of parishes and the changing role of the organised church in pre and post-Reformation Scotland.

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.