Kirkchrist

NX65SE 33.00 6752 5138

NX65SE 33.01 NX 675 513 Sculptured Stone

(NX 6752 5138) Kirkchrist (NR) (Ruin)

OS 6" map (1938)

The earliest record is of the appointment of a reader in 1563, to the parish of Kirkchrist and again of a vicar in 1591 consequent on the previous vicar being non-resident. Circa 1654 the parish was united with that of Twynholm and the church was quite ruinous by 1684 when Symson wrote.

By 1849 the church walls measured 66ft long by 36ft broad on the west, but 27ft on the east, and were all level with the ground except for "a portion of the North Wing which is still standing". The burial ground was still in use (Name Book 1849).

The RCAHMS was, presumably, mistaken, during its visit in 1911, when it described the church as "a simple oblong measuring about 41ft by 21ft over walls averaging 3ft in thickness. Portions of the walls forming the north east angle still rise to a height of fully 20ft, but the rest of the masonry has almost entirely disappeared". What has been described is the extent portion of the "wing".

Although surveyed in 1849-50 no 25" sheet was published and the burial ground was published at 6" without detail. The second survey of 1893-4 shows a north east corner measuring 9.0m approx by 3.0m approx by 1m thick (OS 6" map 1850; 25" map 1894).

H Scott 1917; 1950; NSA 1845 (J Gordon); RCAHMS 1914; A Symson 1684

Although RCAHMS describes this church as rectangular it may have been 'L' shaped which would account for the discrepancy in measurements as given by RCAHMS and ONB. Rectangular the church would have measured c. 12.3m N/S by c.6.5 transversely; 'L' shaped it would have been c.16.0m long E/W with an east side c.7.5m long.

All that remains of the church is the north gable and NE angle still c.6.0m high and walls 0.9m thick, and a grassed over stretch of wall of similar thickness, probably part of the south wall.

Revised at 25".

Visited by OS (EGC) 5 February 1965