Archaeology Notes
Event ID 688219
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/688219
NO41NW 11 41407 16098
(NO 4140 1609) Church (NAT)
OS 6" map (1920)
The church of Dairsie was built by Archbishop Spottiswood in 1621, and bears an armorial inscription in confirmation. It is a simple oblong building of ashlar masonry. It has been modernised internally, and the roof has been renewed.
RCAHMS 1933
The earliest reference to the church is in 1183. It was probably rebuilt in 1300, when it was granted to the Convent of St Andrews.
A H Millar 1895
Dairsie Church is well-preserved, and in use for public worship.
Visited by OS (JLD) 25 May 1964
The church is as described above.
Visited by OS (RDL) 25 May 1964
No longer in ecclesiastical use.
SDD List, 1 March 1984.
Following on from work carried out previously (DES 1999, 45), surveys were made of several churchyards in Fife.
NO 5410 1094 101 memorials were recorded. The survey concentrated on those stones around the church and not the later extensions.
Reports have been lodged with Fife Council Archaeology Unit and the NMRS.
Sponsors: Fife Council Archaeology Unit, Fife Family History Society, RCAHMS
S Farrell 2000
NO 414 160 As a condition of scheduled ancient monument consent, a narrow trench was excavated between the boundary wall of Dairsie (Old) parish Church, through the cemetery, to the NW corner of the church in advance of the installation of a new electric supply.
The trench excavated followed the route of an earlier electric cable trench. Consequently, the archaeology of the trench had largely been compromised by earlier works.
However, the excavations did reveal that undisturbed cemetery deposits including an abundance of human bones do exist at depths of 0.7m and greater below the ground surface.
No structural features or evidence of earlier church buildings was encountered.
Sponsor: Church of Scotland General Trustees.
R.C. Campbell-Brown, D.A. Spiers, 2006.
