Keig, Old Parish Church And Burial-ground

Old Church of Keig, 17th century. On a grassy shelf above the Don, set within traces of an earlier enclosure, a roofless rubblebuilt rectangle, lacking bellcote as the bell was hung from a nearby tree. West window unusual in being narrower above the transom; south flank has three windows with doors between. James, 16th Lord Forbes, commemorated on

east wall - church now used for Forbes family burials; 18th century stones in kirkyard.

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

NJ61NW 2 61887 18906

For Castle Forbes (NJ 62148 19130) and associated buildings, see NJ61NW 11.00.

For present parish church (NJ 6114 1929), see NJ61NW 17.

For Oakbank, Old Manse of Keig (NJ 6174 1880), see NJ61NW 19.

(NJ 6189 1890) Church (NAT)

OS 6" map, (1959)

The remains of the 17th century parish church which was in use until 1835. The church of Keig was granted to the Priory of Monymusk (NJ61NE 8) between 1228 and 1239. It was dedicated to St Declan (Scott 1915-61) Diaconan (Scott 1915-61) or Diaconianus (MacPherson 1895). Only Declan, a 5th century Irish saint (Feast Day 24th July), and Diaconus, a 6th century saint, active in Lombardy (Feast Day 14th March) are mentioned by St Augustine's Abbey (1947).

The church is now roofless. It has a small square font-bowl; a monument to James 16th Lord Forbes on the east wall; and 18th century stones in the graveyard.

W M MacPherson 1895; Name Book 1867; H Scott et al 1915-61; St Augustine's Abbey 1947; HBD List.

The church measures 13.9m E-W by 5.1m internally between walls 0.6m thick. The remains are roofless but otherwise in good condition. There are two entrances in the S wall now filled with iron gates. Dedication not known locally.

The font bowl, now broken in two pieces, lies inside the church.

Visited by OS (ISS) 8 August 1973.

The church is as described in the previous field report; it is used as a burial place for the Forbes family. The graveyard is still used but rarely. It appears that the original burial area extended about 11.0m to the N of the church where the footings of a dry-stone wall survive. The north boundary of the present graveyard is relatively modern.

Revised at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (NKB) 18 August 1976.

This church may occupy the site of a 13th century church. It is rubble-built with straight skews with wide skewputts. There is no bell-cote, the bell having been hung on a tree. The W window is of unusual form and narrower above the transom; the S flank comprises three windows with doors between, the centre window being slightly higher than the others. There is a monument to James the 16th Lord Forbes on the E wall, and the interior of the church is used as a burial-aisle for the Forbes family. Both pieces of the split font bowl survive on a small pile of rubble in the centre of the kirk.

(Additional bibliography cited).

NMRS, MS/712/56, visited 5 January 1989.

Visible on air photographs AAS/93/14/G28/4-7, flown 27 October 1993. Copies held by Grampian Regional Council.

Information from Mrs M Greig, Grampian Regional Council, March 1994.

The old font is now in the courtyard at Castle Forbes.

John Borland

RCAHMS

June 2005