Archaeology Notes
Event ID 671676
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/671676
NJ90NW 9.00 93920 08785
(NJ 9395 0882) Cathedral (NAT).
OS 1:10000 map (1974).
NJ90NW 9.01 93 08 and 94 08 precinct wall
NJ90NW 9.02 9383 0878 Bishop's Hospital
NJ90NW 9.03 9398 0877 Bishop's Palace
NJ90NW 9.04 94046 08661 Chaplain's Chambers
NJ90NW 9.05 93930 08705 Dean's House, 14 The Chanonry
NJ90NW 9.06 9410 0876 Girth Cross
NJ90NW 9.07 9395 0882 Cross
NJ90NW 9.08 93959 08730 Wall
NJ90NW 9.09 93915 08545 Aberdour Manse
NJ90NW 9.10 939 087 Auchterless Manse
NJ90NW 9.11 93826 08671 Banchory Devenick Manse
NJ90NW 9.12 93896 08685 Belhelvie Manse
NJ90NW 9.13 93972 08720 Birse Manse
NJ90NW 9.14 93864 08777 Clatt Manse
NJ90NW 9.15 93843 08640 Cruden Manse
NJ90NW 9.16 93896 08685 Daviot Manse
NJ90NW 9.17 93849 08608 Deer Manse
NJ90NW 9.18 93843 08640 Ellon Manse
NJ90NW 9.19 93896 08685 Forbes Manse
NJ90NW 9.20 938 084 Kincardine Manse
NJ90NW 9.21 93764 08777 Kinkell Manse
NJ90NW 9.22 938 084 Methlick Manse
NJ90NW 9.23 937 088 Monymusk Manse
NJ90NW 9.24 93764 08777 Mortlach Manse
NJ90NW 9.25 93726 08685 Oyne Manse
NJ90NW 9.26 93905 08563 Philorth Manse (5 The Chanonry)
NJ90NW 9.27 93804 08718 Rayne Manse
NJ90NW 9.28 93921 08511 St Katherine's Manse
NJ90NW 9.29 938 084 Strathdon Manse
NJ90NW 9.30 937 088 Tullynessle Manse
NJ90NW 9.31 938 084 Turriff Manse
NJ90NW 9.32 937 088 Westhall's Manse
NJ90NW 9.33 938 086 Natural features
NJ90NW 9.34 93873 08717 Chanonry Arch
NJ90NW 9.35 9398 0875 Cancelled Site
NJ90NW 9.36 93935 08707 Dean's House, 14a The Chanonry
NJ90NW 9.37 93903 08576 Philorth Manse (6 The Chanonry)
For Old Aberdeen, St Machar's Well (NJ 9417 0924), see NJ90NW 162.
See also NJ90NE 8385 and NJ91SW 86.
The remains of the cathedral of the Bishops of Aberdeen, dedicated to St Machar and now consisting of the nave, now used as the parish church, and transepts whose walls stand to a maximum height of 10' The see was transferred from Mortlach (NJ33NW 10) to Aberdeen in 1136. Between 1183 and 1199 the 'primitive' church on the site was replaced by a larger building which was demolished c.1282 when its successor was started. This was completed by Robert Bruce but was demolished c.1370 when a building on a larger scale was commenced. Two red freestone support piers for the central tower are all that remains of the this work and are much superior workmanship to the rest of the building which is reddish-yellow granite with virtually no carving.
The nave with its two western towers appears to have been built between 1422 and 1440 and is entire although the north aisle wall is modern. The north transept or St John's Aisle was built in 1424 by Bishop Leighton and contains his effigy. The south transept was built in 1522 by Bishop Dunbar, whose tomb is virtually all that remains. The chancel was destroyed in 1560 and the ruins have been removed. The 'Chanonry' or precincts of the cathedral were enclosed by a wall (NJ90NW 9.01) and contained various subsidiary buildings (NJ90NW 9.02).
D MacGibbon and T Ross 1897
The cathedral is in use as a parish church. The chancel arch has been built up and graves now occupy the site of the chancel.
Visited by OS (JLD) 12 September 1952
During the cleaning of the heraldic ceiling, dating from the 16th century, the opportunity was taken to photograph a number of its decorative features.
J A Stones 1990.
Air photographs: AAS/80/1/S2/20 and AAS/83/8/S4/18.
(Additional bibliography, ground photographs and newspaper references cited).
NMRS, MS/712/83.
Air photographs: AAS/00/12/CT.
NMRS, MS/712/100.
NJ 939 087 Due to the proximity of St Machar's Cathedral and the location of the site within Aberdeen's Old Town, a watching brief was required as a condition of Scheduled Monument Consent in October 2005 during headstone stabilisation works within the E, S and W divisions of St Machars graveyard. No significant archaeology was encountered.
Archive to be deposited in NMRS.
Sponsor: Aberdeen City Council.
