Archaeology Notes

Event ID 719955

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/719955

NT76SE 11 7601 6177.

(NT 7601 6177) St Bathan's Chapel (NR) (Site of)

OS 6"map, Berwickshire, 2nd ed.,(1908).

These church foundations lie about 1/4 mile S of the present church. The structure, which shows no sign of a chancel arch, has measured internally some 38ft by 15ft, the end walls being about 5ft thick, and the side walls about 3ft. Lying in the centre of the church is a broken ring of stone about 2 1/2ft in diameter, which may have formed the edge of a font.

RCAHMS 1915, visited 1908.

The saint commemorated is Baithene (d 600 AD), who succeeded Columba as Abbot of Iona.

W J Watson 1926.

The course of the chapel walls, 16m by 7m, are still traceable. There is no trace of this chapel outside the wood. A possible grave slab lies in the centre of the chapel next to the broken ring of stone mentioned by the RCAHMS.

Visited by OS(JD) 20 December 1954.

The site is generally as described in the previous field report although the length and width of the chapel cannot now be ascertained.

Visited by OS(RD) 3 May 1966.

The remains of this chapel are obscured by dense shrubbery. When excavated in 1870 it was found to be rectangular on plan, measuring 11.6m by 4.7m internally, with a 'small chancel' at the E end. About 32m to the NW of the building there was a stone coffin 'turned upside down, and on it another coffin was formed by flat stones being set up on edge. No remains were found in either of them'. Little is known of the history of this chapel although it has been suggested that it may indicate an Early Christian site.

RCAHMS 1980, visited 1979; Statistical Account (OSA) 1794; New Statistical Account (NSA) 1845; J Turnbull 1872; J Ferguson 1892; D MacGibbon and T Ross 1897; J Robson 1896.