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Remains of church and aisle, and associated graveyard. The church of Abirluthenot was dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the 13th Century by Bishop David and belonged to the Priory of St Andrews. This was probably the site of several churches, as medieval gravestones were found in the wall of the existing remains in the late 18th Century suggesting that this was not the original church. One of these stones which was about 1.82 m long and coffin-shaped was carved round the edge, had the impression of a large broad sword suspended at no great distance from the top, the whole length of the stone. Opposite this sword was engraved a figure of elliptic form from which proceeded a lance or spear of the same length. Only two structural elements of earlier churches survive: the Thornton Aisle and the aisle of the Barclays of Balmakewan. The Thornton Aisle, a burial aisle of the Thornton Family, was added on the south in 1615 (the date is inscribed above a blocked doorway at the south end of the west wall), whose north wall has a blocked-in archway. The burial aisle of the Barclays of Balmakewan lies circa 5 m to the north, and is an ivy covered barrel vault bearing the Barclay crest on the east side of the south wall. The present church was built in to the north in 1806 (NO66NE0286). The graveyard includes the grave of the engineer, James Blyth (1839 - 1906), a pioneer of the use of wind power generation, who constructed the world's first turbine for wind generation in the grounds of his cottage at Marykirk (NO66NE0258). The graveyard is now used only occasionally and none of the several old gravestones at present in it fit the Jervise description. Restoration work was carried out in June 2008, which included the removal of ivy from the Barclay Vault. This revealed a stone bearing three masons' marks. In advance of subsequent restoration work going ahead on the two burial aisles, MAS undertook a limited programme of excavation work in August 2008. The two areas excavated were at the entrances of the two 17th century additions to the church. Both areas indicate that the interior of the church may have been built-up with demolition rubble and with a levelling of graveyard earth including the disturbed remains of burials. Subsequently further burials (or at least burial monuments) have been inserted into this built up earth. The excavation beside the Barclay Vault revealed what has been interpreted as the disturbed foundations of the original church wall and the part of the wall that had been broken through to give access to the vault. The excavation of both areas suggests that the floor level of the original church may have been similar to that of the Thornton Aisle and circa 200 - 250 mm above the level of the threshold of the Barclay Vault.
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Historic Environment Records (HER)