Archaeology Notes

Event ID 689560

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/689560

NO50SE 13 5686 0349

See also NO50SE 21.00.

(NO 5686 0349) St Ayle's Chapel (NR) (Site of)

OS 6" map (1912)

There was no church or parish of East Anstruther before the Reformation, but there is trace of a chapel called St Ailie's. In 1590, John Betoun of Balfour had a charter to a piece of land at Anstruther called St Ailie's Chapel.

W Wood 1887

At Anstruther, the monks of Balmerino had a chapel named St Ayle's or St Ylde's (St Hilda's ?) which they acquired in 1435 from the Bishop of St Andrews. St Ayle's house (NO50SE 21), or part of it, is still standing at Anstruther, though the chapel has disappeared, having probably not long survived John Knox's preaching in that town in June 1559.

A H Millar 1895

There is no trace of this chapel but at the site, now occupied by the Scottish Fisheries Museum, is a building incorporating a window moulding from the chapel.

Visited by OS (JP) 28 May 1974.

This chapel belonged to Balmerino Abbey.

J Gifford 1992.