Monument record MHG31406 - Graveyard - Kilchrist, Gilchrist

Summary

No summary available.

Location

Grid reference Centred NH 5389 4921 (61m by 50m)
Map sheet NH54NW
Geographical Area ROSS AND CROMARTY
Old County ROSS-SHIRE
Civil Parish KILLEARNAN

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

NH54NW 14 5389 4921.
Mausoleum formerly a Chapel (NR)
OS 6"map, Ross-shire, 2nd ed., (1907)

The church of the former parish of Kilchrist or Tarradale, united with Urray 1574. It was dedicated to Our Lord and known as Cill Chriosd, and is traditionally said to have been burnt in 1603. The church was re-roofed c1870 and is now mausoleum of the MacKenzies of Ord. <1> <2> <3>

The former church and burial ground were listed at Category B in 1971.

"The Old Church of Kilchrist", roofed, in reasonable condition, and still used as a mausoleum. The burial ground is still in use.
Visited by OS (A A) 24 June 1975

A roofed redundant chapel within an old kirkyard. The late medieval church was the scene of a terrible massacre. In 1603, whilst the Mackenzie congregation were inside the chapel, a party of MacDonalds locked them in and set the church ablaze. It is said that the MacDonald piper walked round the church playing to mask the screams of those inside. The church was restored as a shell by W.C. Joass c.1870 and is now used as a mausoleum by the Mackenzie Gillanders family of Highfield. The graves in the burial ground are orientated to the east and the graveyard is reasonably maintained. Visited during the Highland Kirkyards project, run by Highland Buildings Preservation Trust. <4> <5>

Martin Briscoe has submitted photographs of this site to the Highland HER Flickr group. <6>

The statutory address and listed building record were updated by Historic Scotland in 2015. The scheduled area, i.e. the re-roofed chapel (subsequently used as a mausoleum) was specifically omitted from the listing, which now only covers the burial ground and the boundary walls. <7>

Sources/Archives (10)

  • --- Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1979. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of the Black Isle, Ross and Cromarty District, Highland Region. . 19, No. 113.
  • --- Text/Publication/Monograph: OPS. 1855. Origines parochiales Scotiae: the antiquities ecclesiastical and territorial of the parishes of Scotland. 2/2. 522-4.
  • --- Text/Publication/Volume: Cowan, I B. 1967. The parishes of medieval Scotland. 98.
  • <1> Text/Publication/Volume: MacDonald and MacDonald, A and A. 1900. The Clan Donald. Vol. 2, 406-10.
  • <2> Text/Publication/Volume: Scott, H et al (eds.). 1915-61. Fasti ecclesiae Scoticanae: the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the Reformation. Rev.. Vol. 7, 48-51, 765.
  • <3> Text/Publication/Volume: MacDonald, Polson and Brown, D, A and J. {1931}. The book of Ross, Sutherland and Caithness, Orkney and Shetland: descriptive, historical and antiquarian notes. 3-4.
  • <4> Collection/Project Archive: Robinson, B; Scott, M; Wright, A. 03/2010. Highland Kirkyards: Ross and Cromarty. Highland Buildings Preservation Trust. 29/07/2010. Paper (Original).
  • <5> Image/Photograph(s): Highlands Buildings Preservation Trust. 2009. Photographs of Ross and Cromarty Kirkyards. Colour. . Digital.
  • <6> Image/Photograph(s): Briscoe, J M. 2008-11. Information and photographs of various sites submitted by Martin Briscoe. Colour. Yes. Digital. via Flickr.
  • <7> Text/Designation Notification/List of Buildings: Jackson, L.. 2015. Combined Statutory and Descriptive List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Highland Council, Two Hundredth Amendment) 2015. Historic Scotland. 04/09/2015. Digital.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (0)

Record last edited

Oct 24 2016 3:17PM

Comments and Feedback

Do you have any questions or more information about this record? Please feel free to comment below with your name and email address. All comments are submitted to the Heritage Portal maintainers for moderation, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible. Comments, questions and answers that may be helpful to other users will be retained and displayed along with the name you supply. The email address you supply will never be displayed or shared.