Field Visit

Date 15 April 1987

Event ID 1112227

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1112227

RCAHMS National Archaeological Survey: South-east Perth

The site of the medieval parish church is probably indicated by a terrace (about 20m by 6.6m) on the S side of the present church, which is essentially a 17th-century building restored by Alexander Johnston of Dundee in about 1885 (see photograph and drawing in vestry of building before and after restoration). The fabric of the N wall retains its 17th-century character and the church (minus the 19th-century addition to the E end) measures 17.3m from E to W by 6.3m transversely within walls measuring 0.9m in thickness.

Within the burial-ground there is a fine collection of 17th- and 18th-century gravestones and a number of carved and moulded stones (some lie at the W end of the church, there is one in the S revetment wall of the burial-ground and others are incorporated in the perimeter wall on the W). Other carved stones are incorporated in the manse rockery (NO24SW 1.03), including a roll-moulded voussoir and a marriage-lintel (reconstituted in a doorway forming a garden feature) bearing the date 1710 and the initials IMIO; the 17th century bellcote from the church has been re-erected on the manse lawn. An ornamental sacrament house bearing the initials VT, probably William Turnbull, Abbot of Coupar (1507-1523/4), is preserved within the church (on the S side of the altar) together with a number of late-medieval graveslabs (at the W end of the church), including those of Nicholas Campbell of Keithick (died 1587), Leonard Leslie, Commendator of Coupar (1565-1605), and John Cumming of Couttie (died 1606, a monumental graveslab bearing the effigy of a knight).

Bendochy church is on record in 1221 and prior to the Reformation was the parish church of Coupar Angus.

Visited by RCAHMS (IMS) 15 April 1987.

I B Cowan 1967.