Archaeology Notes

Event ID 725383

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/725383

NX19NE 8 1863 9829

For surrounding Girvan, Old Street, Graveyard (centred NX 18641 98260), see NX19NE 74.00.

(NX 1863 9829) The site of the former parish church mentioned in 1296 and dedicated to St Cuthbert lies in the centre of a graveyard (NX19NE 74.00). It appears to have measured about 50 by 28ft and Morris, in tracing the foundation in 1907 could find only fragments of walling. He also found medieval grave-stones, one of which, the shaft of a cross with interlacing and a cross in high relief, he interpreted as Celtic, but since the cross has a calvaried base this is most unlikely. There is a reference in 1696 to a "new" church near a bridge over the river, which presumably means it was on this site, but in 1780 another parish church was built at NX 1876 9812 and this was replaced in 1884 by yet another. (See also NX19NE 10).

J Paterson 1852; R Lawson 1892; G Chalmers 1824; J A Morris 1913

Site of original church confirmed (R Valentine, town clerk). Only a rectangular hollow, circa 16m by 9m with no trace of masonry remains. The hollow is 0.5m deep on the east side and 1m on the west. There are many defaced old gravestones in the churchyard. A notice board at the present church states "Old Parish Church of Girvan - dedicated to St Cuthbert circa 1156".

Visited by OS (JLD) 6 October 1955

Hollow, 18m by 10m, at site of original church surveyed at 1:2,500.

Visited by OS (RDL) 6 February 1963

There is no change or additional information to the previous field reports.

Visited by OS (JRL) 20 April 1977.