Scheduled MonumentsScotlandKinghorn,old parish church
Medieval · Old parish church

Kinghorn,old parish church

Scotland
HES SM835
Period
Medieval
Site type
Old parish church
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Kinghorn old parish church is a medieval ecclesiastical building located in Fife, Scotland, situated on Paleozoic sedimentary bedrock of Early Carboniferous age. The church occupies a landscape shaped by these ancient geological foundations, which underlie the surrounding coastal settlement. As a parish church, it would have served the spiritual and administrative needs of the local Christian community throughout the medieval period, functioning as the principal place of worship and a focal point for the parish.

The building represents the architectural and religious practices of medieval Scotland, constructed during an era when parish churches formed the backbone of ecclesiastical organisation across the kingdom. The site's location in Fife reflects the significance of the area as a centre of medieval settlement and worship, where the availability of water and the character of the underlying sedimentary geology shaped patterns of habitation and land use.

Kinghorn old parish church is now protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM835, acknowledging its historical importance as a surviving example of medieval ecclesiastical architecture. The protection ensures that the physical fabric and archaeological context of the site are preserved for future study and public understanding of Scotland's medieval religious heritage.

Kinghorn,old parish church is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM835. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Kinghorn,old parish church?

Kinghorn old parish church is a medieval ecclesiastical building located in Fife, Scotland, situated on Paleozoic sedimentary bedrock of Early Carboniferous age. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM835.

What period does Kinghorn,old parish church date from?

Kinghorn,old parish church dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a old parish church. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Kinghorn,old parish church?

Kinghorn,old parish church 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 SM835.

What other scheduled monuments are near Kinghorn,old parish church?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Seafield Tower (1.7 km), Piteadie Castle (2.6 km), North Glassmount,standing stones 600m SW of (3.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Kinghorn,old parish church

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Kinghorn,old parish church's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Kinghorn,old parish church

Kinghorn,old parish church stands on Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, bedrock that formed in the Early Carboniferous. The rock here is sedimentary rocks.