Archaeology Notes

Event ID 700755

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/700755

NS35SW 2 31473 53647

(NS 3147 5364) Church (NAT) Formerly St Birinie's Church (NR)

(NS 3147 5362) Monument (NR)

OS 6" map (1911)

Kilbirnie Parish Church was dedicated to St Brendan. The kirk session state that it is said to stand on the site of a 6th century chapel of St. Brendan (Sanctus Birinius), and there are records of a ministry at Beith from 1127. A pre-Reformation building, it is a simple oblong, 65ft by 29 1/2ft, the tower attached to the W gable was built in 1490, the aisle was built in 1597, and the N aisle added in 1642. In 1854-5, the church was thoroughly repaired. At that time, when the old earthen floor was cleared out, numerous skeletons were dug up from nearly all over the area. Much of the S wall was rebuilt, and other alterations made.

In the churchyard is the tomb of Thomas Crawford, a captain of the protestant armies in Queen Mary's time.

J S Dobie 1880; W J Watson 1926

The Barony Parish Church, Kilbirnie, is in good condition and in use. The Crawford monument, a rectangular tomb, is dated 1594.

Visited by OS (DS) 4 September 1956

Previous field report confirmed.

Visited by OS (RDL) 12 May 1964