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Bellie, Old Parish Church, Burial Ground
Burial Ground (16th Century)
Site Name Bellie, Old Parish Church, Burial Ground
Classification Burial Ground (16th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Bellie Kirkyard
Canmore ID 84462
Site Number NJ36SE 5.01
NGR NJ 35310 61000
NGR Description Centred on NJ 35310 61000
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/84462
- Council Moray
- Parish Bellie
- Former Region Grampian
- Former District Moray
- Former County Morayshire
NJ36SE 5.01 35310 61000
For Gordon Tomb see NJ36SE 5.02
For Burial Ground Extension see NJ36SE 5.03
For New Cemetery see NJ36SE 81
INVENTORY OF GRAVEYARD AND CEMETERY SITES IN SCOTLAND REFERENCE:
N.B. This reference applies to NJ36SE 5.01, NJ36SE 5.02 and NJ36SE 5.03 collectively
Address: Old Parish Church, Bellie, Moray
Postcode: IV32 7PT
Status: In current use for burials
Size: Burial Ground: 0.42 hectares, 1.05 acres
Size: Burial Ground Extension: 0.13 hectares, 0.33 acres
Polygon: Yes
TOIDs: Burial Ground: 1000000173042915, 1000000173042932, 1000000173042981
TOIDs: Gordon Tomb: 1000038960800, 1000000173042862
TOIDs: Burial Ground Extension: 1000000173042867, 1000000173042918, 1000000173042919, 1000000173042970
Number of gravestones: 751
Earliest gravestone: 1699
Most recent gravestone: 2001
Description: Graveyard associated with a church (church demolished 1797). In the burial ground is the remains of part of the church wall with a memorial tablet (1699), and also the Gordon Mausoleum. The Burial Ground Extension dates from 1929. In the central area, in and around the site of the former church, there are many table and flat (recumbent) stones. There are two enclosures, 1 mausoleum and 1 cast-iron memorial which is rare outside the central belt of Scotland. The 'modern' extension dates from 1929 and has little significance, general typical 20th Century stones. The tablet mounted in the wall section is of significance due to its age, but is very weathered. The Mausoleum, although large and ornate, seems to only house 1 burial. The cast-iron stone is somewhat out of place in these surroundings. Many flat and table stones in various states of preservation. The Marshall memorial is of considerable significance.
Data Sources: Graveyard Recording Form, 16 July 2003; OS MasterMap checked 13 June 2005
Publication Account (1986)
The old kirk of St Mary's (also dedicated to St Ninian) once stood where now an exceptionally varied range of gravestones climbs the gentle slope. The kirkyard is dominated by the classical temple mausoleum of 1825 to Jean Christie, second wife of the fourth duke of Gordon, and their children, consisting of twelve unfluted Ionic columns enclosing two small sarcophagi. Halfway down the slope is a slab of 1663 which records that William Saunders, who lived to 107, served as the first post-Reformation minister of the parish for an astounding 77 years. There are many fine 18th century table tombs (several with elegant palmettes carved on the supports), a particularly good series of rich Victorian uprights in sandstone, and a late (1920s) walltomb with bronze and marble portrait medallions. All human life is here, in death, from Indian nabobs to the teenage sisters, Isabella and Christina Maclean (d 1818) who were:
'Fortunate both in
having lived their short day
Strangers to the vices of the world
And departed ere it had fallen
to their lot to seek to regain
lost Happiness through the
Bitterness of Repentance'.
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: Grampian’, (1986).
Publication Account (1996)
The old kirk of St Mary's (also dedicated to St Ninian) once stood where now an exceptionally varied range of gravestones climbs the gentle slope.The kirkyard is dominated by the classical temple mausoleum of 1825 to Jean Christie, second wife of the fourth duke of Gordon, and their children,consisting of twelve unfluted Ionic columns enclosing two small sarcophagi. Halfway down the slope is a slab of 1663 which records that William Saunders, who lived to 107, served as the first post-Reformation minister of the parish for an astounding 77 years. There are many fine 18th-century table tombs (several with elegant palmettes carved on the supports), a particularly good series of rich Victorian uprights in sandstone, and a late (1920s) walltomb with bronze and marble portrait medallions. All human life is here, in death, from Indian nabobs to the teenage sisters, Isabella and Christina Maclean (d 1818) who were:
'Fortunate both in having lived their short day
Strangers to the vices of the world And departed ere
it had fallen to their lot to seek to regain lost
Happiness through the Bitterness of Repentance'.
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: Aberdeen and North-East Scotland’, (1996).
