Kilsyth, Howe Street, Burial-ground
Burial Ground (18th Century), Church (Medieval) - (19th Century)
Site Name Kilsyth, Howe Street, Burial-ground
Classification Burial Ground (18th Century), Church (Medieval) - (19th Century)
Canmore ID 45889
Site Number NS77NW 23
NGR NS 71682 77201
NGR Description Centred NS 71682 77201
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/45889
- Council North Lanarkshire
- Parish Kilsyth (North Lanarkshire)
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Cumbernauld And Kilsyth
- Former County Stirlingshire
NS77NW 23 71682 77201.
No trace remains of the old parish church of Kilsyth, which stood in the N corner of the old graveyard, but the 19th century structure covering the Kilsyth family vault marks its former position (OSA 1796). There are a number of stones bearing 17th century dates in the old graveyard, which occupies the NE portion of the modern cemetery. Though dedicated to St Syth, this name does not appear in the Calenders, and what name is represented by Syth is doubtful (W J Watson 1926).
RCAHMS 1963, visited 1953
The Kilsyth vault is at NS 7172 7724. There is no trace of the old church.
Visited by OS (JP) 16 January 1974
Field Visit (January 1982)
Kilsyth, Old Parish Church and Burial-ground NS 717 772 NS77NW 23
There are no visible remains of this church, on record in the 13th century, it stood in the burial-ground that occupies the NE portion of the modern cemetery.
RCAHMS 1982, visited January 1982
(Stat. Acct., xviii, 1796, 214, 244, 299; NSA, viii, Stirling, 138-9, 160; OPS 1851-5, i,, 43; RCAHMS 1963, p. 160, No. 155; Cowan 1967, 150)
Publication Account (2006)
The building of a new parish church (figs 15 & 19) was an integral part of this residential redevelopment. The old parish church was replaced in 1816 by a new building with 860 sittings in Backbrae Street, which is now known as the Bums and Old Parish Church (NS 7168 778; Category B-listed). It is distinguished by a buttressed gothic nave with raised pointed finials and a battlemented tower; the chancel is a later addition. The graveyard of the former parish church continued to be used; it contains many tombstones dating from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, some of which display emblems depicting the occupation of the deceased (fig 20). The graveyard entrance has rusticated gate piers with ball finials and in the corner of the graveyard there is an octagonal watch-house (Category B-listed), built in 1816 to guard against the activities of body-snatchers (fig 21). The cemetery was extended to the west in 1908.
Information from ‘The Scottish Burgh Survey, Historic Kilsyth: Archaeology and Development’ (2006).
