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Rosslyn Chapel is a medieval burial ground in Midlothian, Scotland, protecting buried remains of a nave and the ruins of St Matthew's Church. The site sits upon bedrock of the Clackmannan Group, sedimentary rocks formed during the Westphalian period, which underlie much of the surrounding landscape and have shaped the local geology for over 300 million years.
The chapel and its associated graveyard represent the spiritual and funerary practices of medieval Scotland. St Matthew's Church once stood at this location, serving the local community as a place of worship and burial. The buried nave, now concealed beneath the ground surface, preserves structural evidence of the building's original configuration and scale, whilst scattered remains of the church building itself survive above ground.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6458, ensuring the preservation of this significant medieval site. The burial ground continues to document the religious life and mortality patterns of medieval Roslin, with burials spanning generations. The underlying geological foundation has remained stable throughout the centuries, providing a secure base for the structures and human remains that define this important heritage location.
Rosslyn Chapel, burial ground, buried remains of nave and remains of St Matthew's Church, Roslin is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6458. View the official record →
Rosslyn Chapel is a medieval burial ground in Midlothian, Scotland, protecting buried remains of a nave and the ruins of St Matthew's Church. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6458.
Rosslyn Chapel, burial ground, buried remains of nave and remains of St Matthew's Church, Roslin dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a burial ground, buried remains of nave and remains of st matthew's church, roslin. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Rosslyn Chapel, burial ground, buried remains of nave and remains of St Matthew's Church, Roslin 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 SM6458.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Old Woodhouselee Castle (2.2 km), Newbigging,enclosure 400m NE of (2.3 km), Newbigging,enclosure 400m WNW of (2.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Rosslyn Chapel, burial ground, buried remains of nave and remains of St Matthew's Church, Roslin'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.
Rosslyn Chapel, burial ground, buried remains of nave and remains of St Matthew's Church, Roslin stands on Clackmannan Group, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, clackmannan group type.