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Rosneath, St. Modan's Parish Church
Bell Tower (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Church (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Churchyard (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Wall(S) (Medieval) - (Post Medieval)
Site Name Rosneath, St. Modan's Parish Church
Classification Bell Tower (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Church (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Churchyard (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Wall(S) (Medieval) - (Post Medieval)
Alternative Name(s) Rosneath Village, St Modan's Old Church, Graveyard And Boundary Walls
Canmore ID 41452
Site Number NS28SE 3
NGR NS 25348 83136
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/41452
- Council Argyll And Bute
- Parish Rosneath
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Dumbarton
- Former County Dunbartonshire
The old church, originally a cruciform structure dedicated to the Virgin Mary, having fallen into decay, was taken down in 1780, with the exception of the belfry which has been preserved.
S Lewis 1846
The ancient church of NEUETH (ROSNEATH) which was dedicated to St Modan, was on the site of the present (pre-19th century) church. The date of foundation is uncertain but the earliest notice occurs before 1199.
Orig Paropch Scot 1850
The Parish church of ROSNEATH is situated about 100 yards east of the old cemetery, where are the ivy-covered ruins of the 18th century place of worship which succeeded a pre-Reformation structure.
Some 40 years ago a cross-slab with interlaced sculpturings was found in the graveyard. It is placed in an erect position on the sill of one of the windows of the ruined church.
A D Lacaille 1925
References to this being a monastery of canons regular is erroneous, Rosneath having been confused with Restennet.
D E Easson 1957
Construction (1880)
Built 1880, 2 walls only remain. Listed B.
(Undated) information in NMRS.
Field Visit (4 October 1956)
The ruins of late 18th century church still remain almost entirely except for the east, and part of the north walls which have been completely removed. The finely decorated pre-Conquest slab stands in a corner of the present parish church, where also is preserved the old bell, dated 'AD 1660'.
The existing belfry would appear to have belonged to the pre-1780 Church (mentioned by Lewis) and possibly dates from about the period of the bell. The walls of the church do not appear to bear any pre-18th century work.
Visited by OS (JLD) 4 October 1956
Field Visit (10 January 1963)
The remains of this church, the cross-slab, and the bell are as described above.
Visited by OS (WDJ) 10 January 1963
Field Visit (August 1977)
Old Parish Church, Rosneath NS 253 831 NS28SE 3
The earliest reference to a church at Rosneath is at the end of the 12th century, although a cross-slab recovered from the churchyard in 1880, and now in the modern parish church, suggests that the site was in use at an earlier date. The existing ruin is that of a church built in 1780.
RCAHMS 1978, visited August 1977
(OPS 1851-5, i, 28, 502; Allen and Anderson 1903, iii, 453-4; Cowan and Easson 1976, 99)
Reference (2001)
The medieval parish church of Rosneath and its successors stood in a churchyard 400m from the shore of Rosneath Bay and 40m W of the present church which was built in 1854. A cross-slab (no.3) (NS28SE 3.01)was found at a depth of about 1.2m in the W part of the churchyard in 1880, and was displayed in a window-embrasure of the ruined church until it was moved to the present building in the 1930s. A slab bearing an outline cross and sword (no.2) (NS28SE 3.03) remains in the adjacent embrasure, along with a cable-moulded graveslab of medieval type (A D Lacaille 1925, 146), and a small cross-marked stone (no.1) lies outside the S wall of the present church (NS28SE 3.02).
I Fisher 2001
