Field Visit

Date 31 March 2010

Event ID 605478

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/605478

RCAHMS Isle of Bute Survey

This rectangular building, probably a chapel, is situated in the lower churchyard at St Blane’s, about 30m SSW of the church (NS05SE 5.00). It measures 6.8m from ENE to WSW by 5.4m transversely over stone walls 1m in thickness and up to 1m in height at the internal SE corner, and there is an entrance, 0.8m wide, in the SSE side. The interior contains at least seven grass-grown medieval grave-slabs, one of which is decorated (NS05SE 5.3).

The chapel is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 25-inch map (Buteshire 1869, Sheet CCXXVII.3) and annotated ‘The Nunnery’ on this and subsequent editions of the map (1897; 1924), possibly an allusion to the tradition that the lower graveyard was once used as a burial place for women (Name Book No.4, p.64; Ross 1880, 73; Hewison 1893, 189).

Visited by RCAHMS (GFG) 31 March 2010.