OS1/6/4/65
| List of names as written | Various modes of spelling | Authorities for spelling | Situation | Description remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE CAULDRON | 227.03 | Descend to the ruins of old Kingarth Church, Two cemetries belong to it, a higher and a lower; the last was allotted for the interment of females alone; because in old times, certain women being employed to carry a quantity of holy earth brought from Rome lost some by the way, and so incurred the penalty for their negligence; that of being buried seperate from the other sex. Near this place is a circular enclosure called the Devils Cauldron; it is made of stone of excellent masonr, but without mortar, having the inside faced in the most smooth and regular manner; The walls at present are only 7 ft [feet] 6 in [inches] high, but are 10 feet in thickness; on one side is an entrance, wide at the beginning but grows gradually narrower as it approaches the area which is 30 feet diameter, This I presume could never have been designated as a place of defence as it is situated beneath a precipice, from whose summit the inmates might instantly have been oppressed by stones, or missile weapons perhaps it was a sanctuary, for the name of the church Kingarth implies, Kin, chief or head, Garth, a sanctuary; the common word for places of refuge, Girth being corrupted from it Pennants Tour of 1772 | ||
| WALL [The Nunnery] | 227.03 | The ruins of the church of St. Blane stand on an Artificial mound, whose level top is enclosed by a stone wall 500ft [feet] in circumference. The whole of this space which was used as a cemetery, is arched with masonry about 2ft [feet] beneath the surface & from it there runs built passage which seems to have been underground to a smaller & lower enclosure of 124ft [feet] in circumference, locally known as "The Nunnery" & apparently used as a burying ground for females. The church is approached on the north by a flight of steps leading from a neighbouring wood in which there is a circular building, sometimes styled "the Devil's Cauldron" comprised of rude stones 10 ft [feet] in height, 30 ft [feet] in diameter, with walls 9 ft [feet] thick & an entrance 9 ft [Feet] wide. It stands at the base of a rocky ridge 50 ft [feet] high. from each end of which there runs out a wall supposed to have marked the limits of a Sanctuary, & founding perhaps the remains of the metae certae et apparentes attributed to St Blane. The Church & reputed nunnery are marked by Blaeu as Kilblain and Marg-na-heglish. Origines Parochiales |
Continued entries/extra info
[page] 65"There are three churches in the parish. One
of them is built near the south end, between the
year 1000 and 1100. It is now almost in ruins."
Old Stat [Statistical] Account
Transcribers who have contributed to this page.
DANIALSAN, Brenda Pollock
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