Description

1424 remnant of earlier collegiate church, with 19th century alterations. The aisle is a small, buttressed, rectangular-plan tomb and is the former north transept of the now demolished Carnwath collegiate church, which was built on the site in 1386.

The north entrance gable has a pointed arched central entrance door with studded boarded doors under a highly decorative 5-light traceried window with decorative coloured stained glass panels. The south gable contains an arch (now infilled with stone and the Denham family memorial) which used to link to the former collegiate church, and a circular traceried window with hoodmould to apex. Later, shouldered, side and corner buttresses with niches, pitched stone caps and decorative carved stone foliate finials in similar style to adjacent parish church (see separate listing). Stone walled enclosures to south and west, that to west with cast iron railings. Dressed ashlar walls with stepped stone skews and stone slab roof.

Graveyard with corniced and capped stone gatepiers with low stone, capped walls and tall barley twist wrought iron railings to the main street elevation which date to the 1865-9 parish church. Earlier and taller rubble walls to other sides further enclosing the large graveyard with a 16th century recumbent tomb and 17th, 18th and 19th century gravestones. Other 19th century memorials built within walls to east entrance area.

Statement of Interest

St Mary's Aisle is an important survival of a 15th century collegiate church which, whilst it has later alterations, continues to demonstrate its early date both to the interior and exterior. St Mary's Church was founded around 1386. In 1424 Thomas, the first Lord Somerville, founded a collegiate foundation for a provost and six prebendaries and expanded the existing (1386) church to form Carnwath Collegiate Church. St Mary's Aisle was built as part of the 1424 phase of work and was the north transept of the collegiate church.

The collegiate church was not used for worship after 1799, at which point it was replaced by the predecessor to the current Carnwath Parish Church, and at some point around this time the majority of the collegiate church was demolished. The remaining north transept was then used as a burial place for local landowners and several new features were added, such as the belfry on the south gable and the cross on the north gable. The outline of an arch in the south gable, which formerly led from the transept into the church, can still be traced. The aisle appears to be joined to the adjacent parish church because they are so close to each other but are in fact separate and built in such a way that their respective buttresses interweave making it impossible to see daylight between them.

The aisle has been the mausoleum for the Somerville family since the 16th century. Inside the aisle is the tomb with effigies of Hugh, Lord Somerville and his wife, daughter of William Maitland of Leddingtonne, who died in 1549. More recently the tomb has an association with the Earls of Carnwath and the Lockhart family.

St Mary's Aisle has built fabric of a very early date but also has significant alterations which were probably added in the 19th century. These include the large pointed arched window, entrance below and cross final to the north gable, and the belfry on the south gable. The buttresses are in a similar style to the adjacent Carnwath Parish Church (1865-9) by David Bryce (see separate listing). Although the buttresses and north gable details of the aisle may predate the parish church as they appear in a sketch by Alexander Archer dated 1837, held by RCAHMS.

Listed building record and statutory address updated 2014. Previously listed as "Old Collegiate Church, "St. Mary's Aisle", and Graveyard".

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17572225

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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