Archaeology Notes

Event ID 726998

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/726998

NX65SE 30 6903 5119

See also NX65SE 34.

(NX 6903 5119) Site of St Cuthbert's Church (NR)

(8th Century): Martyrs' Tomb.

OS 6" map (1954)

There is a tradition that St Cuthbert, the patron saint of Kirkcudbright, established a church, the foundations of which may still be seen, to the east of the town, and that his body rested there during the flight of the monks from Lindisfarne. The church was granted to the Abbey of Holyrood by Lord Fergus (d.1161).

There are the gravestones of at least three Covenanters in St Cuthbert's Churchyard (J H Maxwell 1912) and a lead bulla of Pope Clement II, AD 1047, also found there was lent by the Kirkcudbright Museum Association for exhibition at the Glasgow International Exhibition in 1888.

J Robison 1927;

There are no remains of the church. Whilst digging graves at the site, the gravedigger has unearthed (during the past 30 years and as recent as 1953) several dressed and ornamental stones, including the arch of a window, and a possible baptismal font, all thought to be from the old church; these lie in the grave-yard. He has not, however, encountered any foundations.

In the grave-yard are two grave-stones, one covering the graves of two covenanters, the other marking a single covenanter's grave. Whilst the stones appear to be original they may have been recut at a later date, the inscriptions being perfectly legible; the inscriptions appear to be 18th C work.

Visited by OS (EGC) 5 February 1965