Kennethmont, St Alkmund's Parish Church

Old Kirkyard (St Rule's or St Regulas's), medieval. Attractively set amidst fields, now dominated by the square harled Leith-Hay burial vault in ultra-plain Gothic; some good stones from 17th century onwards.

Taken from "Aberdeenshire: Donside and Strathbogie - An Illustrated Architectural Guide", by Ian Shepherd, 2006. Published by the Rutland Press http://www.rias.org.uk

NJ52NW 5 54002 29490

For old manse (NJ 540 293), see NJ52NW 26.

For present parish church (NJ 5448 2887), see NJ52NW 48.

Not to be confused with Kennethmont, Christ's Kirk of Rathmuriel (NJ 6056 2680), for which see NJ62NW 7.

(NJ 5400 2948) Church (NR).

OS 6" map, (1959)

The old kirk was a long narrow building. At the east end of the ruin is the burial enclosure of the Gordons which formerly belonged to the Leslies of Wardhouse. A church is first mentioned in 1198-9 as the gift of Earl David to the Abbey of Lindores. Scott (1915-61) says that in early times its dedications was to St Alkmund but there was a later dedication to St Rule. He adds that there was in the parish a Well of St John. Easson (1957) states that there is no evidence for this being a collegiate church.(cf. Dempster (Apparatus, i, 77) and Hay (Scotia Sacra, 384)). The parishes of Kennethmont and Rathmureal were united in or about 1630.

A Jervise 1875-9; W D Simpson 1949; H Scott et al 1915-61; D E Easson 1957.

Kinnethmont (Aberdeen, Garioch). Granted to Lindores by its founder David Earl of Huntingdon 1191-5, the church was confirmed to the uses of the abbey in 1195 by Pope Celestine III. The erection of a perpetual vicarage was confirmed in 1257, the parsonage thereafter remaining with the abbey, the church at the Reformation also having annexed to it the church of Rathmuriel [NJ62NW 7].

I B Cowan 1967.

The major part of the site of this church is occupied by 19th century gravestones and burial enclosures. At the E end of these, old foundations are visible at the base of the walling of the burial enclosure to the Gordons. From the little that can be seen of foundations to the W of this, indicated by slight ground swellings, the church may have measured c.19.5m by c.6.0m.

No further information regarding St John's Well.

Surveyed at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (RL) 20 September 1967.

The former parish church of Kennethmont stood within a burial-ground 290m SSW of Leith Hall (NJ52NW 4.00), occupying a prominent knoll that has been truncated on the N by a deep cutting of the Insch-Huntly railway line. The enclosure is elliptical on plan, but this is due at least in part to a 19th-century extension on the W side of the knoll. The church probably stood on the crest of the knoll, which is occupied by a group of 19th-century burial aisles that appear to stand upon earlier foundations. These, together with portions of what may be the wall reduced to a spread bank on the W and N, indicate that the building measured roughly 20.5m from ESE to WNW by 7.5m transversely overall. Immediately N of the remains of the church is the vault of the Leith Hay family. The oldest gravestone noted on the date of visit was a coffin-shaped slab, carved in low relief, bearing the date 1685.

Visited by RCAHMS (IF, JRS), 20 February 1996.