Field Visit
Date 26 August 1993
Event ID 923110
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/923110
NY36NW 31 NY 3192 6800
The medieval parish church of Gretna stood within its burial-ground on an eminence overlooking the Solway floodplain, its site being indicated by a rectangular depression (measuring 22m by 9m) close to the centre of the burial-ground and some 20m S of the present church; this site is respected both by the 18th-century gravestones and by the recumbent slabs. The S side of the depression is up to 0.6m deep as a result of the buildup of soil within the burial-ground against the wall of the church.
Due E from the projected SE angle of the church, and almost entirely turf-covered, there is a recumbent coped stone, probably a funerary monument of hogback type. This stone measures 0.98m long by up to 0.3m high and tapers in width from 0.4 to 0.27m; two deeply-incised grooves run the length of the upper face, terminating in an incised triangular swag on the tapered end panel. Another undecorated coped stone which lies immediately downslope and beside two 18th-century recumbent slabs may also be a hogback, although one which is probably of relatively late date.
In front of the manse, a well-executed circular trough (measuring 0.8m in diameter and 0.4m in height) could be a medieval font.
Three dressed slabs have previously been noted built into the W wall of the present church. One is no longer visible due to the resurfacing of the manse drive, but the other two are now in the garage to the rear of the manse. Both are crudely dressed and similarly sculptured but they are now severely defaced. The better-preserved is a sandstone block with coped sides; it measures 0.62m wide, 0.28m thick and up to 0.47m high, has the form of a tympanum, and bears a semi-circular recess or niche, within which there is a cat-like head carved in high relief, with bulbous circular eyes, rounded ears, and the hint of a mouth; the foot of the niche is wrought with a quirked edge roll. The detail of the head of the second block is more severely wasted.
Within the N aisle of the church, there is an unprovenanced and much-used beehive quern; there is evidence for a worn horizontal handle-socket on one side of the base, above which a second handle-socket has been cut.
Visited by RCAHMS (IMS, PC), 26 August 1993.
Listed as church, burial-ground, medieval coped grave-cover and architectural fragments (some in Dumfries Museum).
RCAHMS 1997