A church was known to have been established here
by 1282 when Hugh le Blond, the lord of Arbuthnott, gave patronage to the
monks of Arbroath. The building seen today however dates from 1778. It is of
a rather plain construction with little distinguishing features.
The surrounding grounds are spacious but sparsely populated with
gravestones. The site is in good condition with little damage noted to
the monuments. The graveyard is still in use so there is a mixture of
new stones and those dating back to the nineteenth century with a
handful dating back even further. Many of the stones are covered in
lichen making them difficult to read.
I must confess I had great difficulty finding this
church even though I was using an Ordnance Survey map! There is no
obvious sign to the church and it was only by tracking very carefully on
my map that I found it. So if you are looking for this one here are my
directions. Leave the main road (A90) close to Laurencekirk at the turnoff for Garvock/St
Cyrus (B9120). A few miles up this road at an area close to Smiddyhill
there is a short, straight, unclassified road leading off to the left down
to the church. Keep an eye open on the left as the church can be quite
clearly seen from the B9120. Easy, once you see it!
Parking is easy with a large area available very
close to the main entrance. Not a well known churchyard and somewhat few
stones of interest. Nevertheless worthy of a visit.
If you require a specific gravestone photo from the above send me your relevant details and
I'll e-mail you what I have. Contact me
here
Click on photos below to enlarge
