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St Helen's Church is a medieval church with associated hog-backed monuments located in Berwickshire, Scotland. The church sits upon bedrock of the Stratheden Group, a formation of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate dating to the Late Devonian period. This underlying geology has provided a stable foundation for the structure through centuries of use.
The hog-backed monuments are characteristic of medieval Lowland Scotland, displaying the distinctive curved profile that gives them their common name. These stones represent a particular tradition of monumental carving that flourished in the region during the medieval period, serving commemorative or territorial functions within the churchyard landscape.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM382, recognising its significance to the nation's archaeological and architectural heritage. The combination of the medieval church structure with the surviving hog-backed monuments provides evidence of the continuity of religious practice and commemorative custom in this part of Berwickshire.
St Helen's Church, church & hog-backed monuments is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM382. View the official record →
St Helen's Church is a medieval church with associated hog-backed monuments located in Berwickshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM382.
St Helen's Church, church & hog-backed monuments dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a church & hog-backed monuments. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
St Helen's Church, church & hog-backed monuments 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 SM382.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ewieside Hill,fort 640m NE of Edmondsdean (3.2 km), Winding Cairn (4 km), Atton, settlement 570m N of (5.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of St Helen's Church, church & hog-backed monuments'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.
St Helen's Church, church & hog-backed monuments stands on Stratheden Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.