Scheduled MonumentsScotlandTemple, Old Parish Church
Medieval · Old parish church

Temple, Old Parish Church

Scotland
HES SM1191
Period
Medieval
Site type
Old parish church
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Temple Old Parish Church is a medieval parish church located in Midlothian, Scotland, protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. The building stands on bedrock of the Clackmannan Group, a Westphalian sedimentary formation characteristic of the Carboniferous coal measures that underlie much of the central Scottish lowlands. This geological foundation has supported human settlement and worship in the area for centuries.

The church represents the parish ecclesiastical provision of the medieval period, when communities maintained their own places of worship under the authority of the Scottish Church. The survival of the structure, even in fragmentary form, provides evidence of medieval architectural practice and the distribution of religious settlements across the Midlothian landscape. The monument's designation recognises its historical significance and archaeological interest.

As a scheduled monument, Temple Old Parish Church is subject to statutory protection, reflecting its importance to Scotland's built heritage. The site contributes to our understanding of medieval parish organisation, religious life and the development of settlements in Midlothian during the medieval and early modern periods.

Temple, Old Parish Church is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1191. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Temple, Old Parish Church?

Temple Old Parish Church is a medieval parish church located in Midlothian, Scotland, protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1191.

What period does Temple, Old Parish Church date from?

Temple, 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 Temple, Old Parish Church?

Temple, 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 SM1191.

What other scheduled monuments are near Temple, Old Parish Church?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Enclosed settlement, 480m SE of Stonefieldhill Farm (1.8 km), Highwood House,enclosure 800m S of (2.3 km), Carrington Barns,enclosure 500m SE of (2.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Temple, Old Parish Church

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Temple, 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 Temple, Old Parish Church

Temple, Old Parish Church stands on Clackmannan Group, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, clackmannan group type.