Archaeology Notes

Event ID 668017

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/668017

NJ50SW 1.00 5412 0014

(NJ 5412 0014) Church (NR) (Site of)

OS 6" map, (1959).

NJ50SW 1.01 NJ 5412 0014 Pictish symbol stone (Victory Hall, Aboyne)

This is the site of the old parish church of Aboyne, dedicated to St Adamnan. The foundation of a preceptory of the Knights Templar in Aboyne (Scott 1915-61) was an exaggeration but the church of Aboyne was granted to the Knights Templar, and this was confirmed by Alexander II, 15 April 1242 (Easson 1957). The graveyard is still in use (OOrdnance Survey Name Book {ONB} 1865).

Shortly before 1898, a portion of a Class II Celtic cross-slab with Ogham inscriptions (Allen and Anderson 1903) was found almost under the doorway of the church (McConnochie 1898) and is now in the grounds of Aboyne Castle beside the SW tower (Allen and Anderson 1903).

Name Book 1865; A I McConnochie 1898; J R Allen and J Anderson 1903; H Scott et al 1915-61; D E Easson 1957.

The turf-covered footings (0.6m high) of this church measure 21.0m E-W by 6.5m N-S and lie in a graveyard which is still in use. The original walling of the church, 0.8m thick, can be seen at the base of a burial vault at the east end.

Resurveyed at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (NKB), 25 October 1968.

Turf-covered footings of this church are still extant (in 1991).

CFA 1991.