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Creagan a'Bheannaich is a medieval chapel and graveyard situated in Caithness, Scotland. The site occupies ground underlain by Lower Old Red Sandstone bedrock, a formation of Early Devonian age comprising conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone that characterises much of the local geology. This ancient stone substrate provided the fundamental material from which the chapel structures would have been built, its availability shaping the character of construction in the medieval period.
The chapel represents a focus for Christian worship and burial practice in the medieval Highlands, serving the local community across several centuries. Graveyards attached to rural chapels functioned as the principal burial grounds for parishes before the establishment of larger kirkyard complexes, preserving evidence of settlement patterns and social organisation across the medieval landscape.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland's designation SM2660, ensuring its preservation and management as a record of medieval religious practice and settlement in the far north. Creagan a'Bheannaich contributes to our understanding of how Christian infrastructure developed in Caithness during the medieval period, and the relationship between communities and their spiritual landscape.
Creagan a'Bheannaich,chapel & graveyard is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2660. View the official record →
Creagan a'Bheannaich is a medieval chapel and graveyard situated in Caithness, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2660.
Creagan a'Bheannaich,chapel & graveyard dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a chapel & graveyard. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Creagan a'Bheannaich,chapel & graveyard is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM2660.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tota an Dranndain, broch, Shurrery (0.3 km), Tulach Gorm,broch near N end of Loch Shurrery (0.7 km), Cnoc an Ratha,fort SSE of Shurrery Kirk (1.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Creagan a'Bheannaich,chapel & graveyard's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Creagan a'Bheannaich,chapel & graveyard stands on Lower Old Red Sandstone, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.