Barnweill Church

NS42NW 1 40506 29903

(NS 4050 2990) Barnweill Church (NR) (remains of)

OS 6" map (1967)

The pre-Reformation church of the parish of Barnweill is said to have been built about the beginning of the 15th century (Name Book 1857). It belonged to the monastery at Fail. The parish was suppressed in 1673 when the church which was dedicated to the Holy Rood (H Scott 1950) was allowed to fall into ruins. In 1857, its ivy-covered gables stood to their original height, but the side walls were almost level with the ground. The bell from this church was given to the Scottish Episcopalian Chapel at Ayr in 1857. Paterson notes a font in the west gable, and that the oldest legible tombstone in the churchyard is dated 1661, though there were several others evidently much older.

G Chalmers 1820; J Paterson 1863; H Scott 1920

This is a small rectangular building, the walls of which are in a crumbling condition. The North and south walls are extremely low, though the gables still stand to their original height. There is an entrance in both the north and south walls, in the east gable is a segmental arched window which may support the 15th century date given in the Ordnance Survey Name Book (ONB). The 'font' mentioned by Paterson appears to be an aumbry or sacrament house. The tombstone dated 1661 was not identified but no doubt it is one of the dozen or so old stones which remain in the disused churchyard; one stone, bearing the scarcely perceivable date '1674' was seen.

Visited by OS (JLD) 11 May 1954

No change; the gable ends are in an unstable condition, but there appears to have been little tumble since OS (JLD)'s report. The last burial in the churchyard was in 1963.

Visited by OS (JRL) 17 November 1980