Orton Mausoleum, Burial Ground And St Mary's Well
Burial Ground (19th Century), Chapel (Medieval)(Possible), Mausoleum (19th Century) (1844), Well (Medieval)
Site Name Orton Mausoleum, Burial Ground And St Mary's Well
Classification Burial Ground (19th Century), Chapel (Medieval)(Possible), Mausoleum (19th Century) (1844), Well (Medieval)
Canmore ID 16883
Site Number NJ35NW 1
NGR NJ 32367 55184
NGR Description NJ 32367 55184 and NJ 32384 55203
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/16883
- Council Moray
- Parish Rothes
- Former Region Grampian
- Former District Moray
- Former County Morayshire
NJ35NW 1 32367 55184 and 32384 55203
(NJ 3236 5518) Mausoleum, on site of (NAT)
St Mary's Chapel (NR).
(NJ 3238 5520) St Mary's Well (NR).
OS 6" map, (1959)
A mausoleum in the form of a Gothic Chapel built in 1844, on the site of St Mary's Chapel, which, to judge from the remains observed during the building, had been a Norman church comparable to Birnie (NJ25NW 1). The site is surrounded by its graveyard enclosed by a wall. Nothing is known of its history.
St Mary's Well attracted pilgrims from as far away as the Western Isles. It was oval in shape and was believed to cure whooping cough and eye joint diseases. Some 'miraculous stones' survived in 1880 (J F S Gordon 1880), presumably those mentioined by Langmuir as 'vessels ... hollowed out of stone, for holding the water, some for the head and others for the feet; and in order to give full effect to the water it was necessary that these vessels should be thrice turned withershins.
J Langmuir 1860; J F S Gordon 1880; H B Mackintosh 1924.
No trace of the old chapel. The mausoleum is in good condition and belongs to the Wharton Duffs of Orton. The only grave stones in the burial ground, which is still in occaionsal use, also belong to the Wharton Duffs, and the whole place has been taken over as their private burial ground. The surrounding wall is modern, probably of the same date as the mausoleum.
St Mary's Well, immediately outside the NE wall of the burial ground, is in good condition. It is stone built, oval, and measures 1.7m by 1.0m with the water 0.6m deep. Built into the wall beside it is a monument with a niche which contains one of the old stone vessels.
Visited by OS (A A) 7 May 1971.
No change since report of 7 May 1971.
Surveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (J B) 18 October 1976.
INVENTORY OF GRAVEYARD AND CEMETERY SITES IN SCOTLAND REFERENCE:
Address: Orton Mausoleum and Burial Ground, Orton, Fochabers, Moray
Postcode: IV32 7QH
Status: In current use for burials
Size: 0.17 hectares, 0.42 acres
Polygon: Yes
TOIDs: 1000000172952398, 1000000172952402, 1000000172952403, 1000038956007
Number of gravestones: Not known
Earliest gravestone: Not known
Most recent gravestone: Not known
Description: Graveyard associated with a chapel; mausoleum
Data Sources: OS MasterMap checked 29 June 2005; Bereavement Services Portal checked 29 June 2005
