Archaeology Notes

Event ID 666878

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/666878

NJ41NE 3 47245 17556 and 47196 17480

(NJ 4724 1754) St Bride's Chapel (NR) (Remains of)

(NJ 4718 1747) St Bride's Well (NR) (Site of)

OS 6" map, Aberdeenshire, 2nd ed., (1902)

For motte tentatively identified within the churchyard, see NJ41NE 38.

For present parish church (NJ 4722 1758), see NJ41NE 39.

The ruins of the parish church of Kildrummy, 75ft by 24ft, and c.10ft high, erected in 1385, (A Laing 1828) and dedicated to St. Bride, occupy the top of a glacial mound. The south porch forms the Elphinston aisle which dates from 1605. Beside the church was St. Bride's Well.

A Laing 1828; W D Simpson 1943; H Scott (Fasti Eccles Scot) 1943.

All that remains of St. Bride's Chapel is the N wall, 16.5m long, 3.0m high and 0.8m thick, containing a Medieval grave recess, and later graveslabs built into the face, Otherwise the wall is featureless, all window apertures being blocked, and a modern coping being provided. According to the plaque in the present church written by the late minister, a chapel dedicated to St. Bennet was first established in Kildrummy in 581 AD by King Brude. Probably this stood where St. Bride's Chapel stands, as the situation is prominent, and because of the similarity between the names Brude and Bride. The present ruins, it is believed, date from 1335 AD or earlier. The Elphinston Aisle (the south porch described above) was built in 1605, and still remains entire. The majority of the chapel was removed in 1805 to build the present church, which is still in used as is the graveyard. There is no trace of St. Bride's Well.

Revised at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (N K B) 20 September 1968.

The font from the old kirk is held in the present church (NJ41NE 39).

I A G Shepherd 1986.

Approximately circular enclosure; motte crowned by remains of old church. Tombstones from 16th century onwards.

[Air and ground photographic imagery listed].

NMRS, MS/712/36.