Scheduled MonumentsScotlandMarykirk,old parish church and burial ground
Medieval · Old parish church and burial ground

Marykirk,old parish church and burial ground

Scotland
HES SM5936
Period
Medieval
Site type
Old parish church and burial ground
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Marykirk Old Parish Church and Burial Ground is a medieval ecclesiastical site located in Kincardineshire, Scotland. The church and its associated burial ground occupy ground formed from the Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, a geological formation of Pragian-age sandstone interbedded with conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone that underlies this part of the Aberdeenshire basin. This solid foundation of ancient sedimentary rock has supported the site's structures and burials for centuries.

The monument comprises both the physical remains of the medieval church building and the surrounding burial ground, which would have served the local parish community throughout the medieval period and beyond. Such parish churches formed the spiritual and social centre of their communities, providing space for worship and a final resting place for parishioners across generations.

The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5936, recognising its importance to the heritage of Kincardineshire. The survival of both the church structure and burial ground makes this a significant record of medieval religious life and local burial practices in northeast Scotland.

Marykirk,old parish church and burial ground is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5936. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Marykirk,old parish church and burial ground?

Marykirk Old Parish Church and Burial Ground is a medieval ecclesiastical site located in Kincardineshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5936.

What period does Marykirk,old parish church and burial ground date from?

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

Who is responsible for protecting Marykirk,old parish church and burial ground?

Marykirk,old parish church and burial ground 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 SM5936.

What other scheduled monuments are near Marykirk,old parish church and burial ground?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Newbigging,ring ditches 300m S of (6.3 km), Balwyllo,enclosures and cropmarks 300m SW of (7.6 km), Arrat, burial ground and hospital 65m E of Magdalene's Chapel Cottage (7.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Marykirk,old parish church and burial ground

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Marykirk,old parish church and burial ground'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 Marykirk,old parish church and burial ground

Marykirk,old parish church and burial ground stands on Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, bedrock that formed in the Pragian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.