Alternative Names Cromarty, East Church; Cromarty, East Church Of Scotland
Site type CHURCH
Canmore ID 14427
Site Number NH76NE 10.00
NGR NH 79095 67267
Council HIGHLAND
Parish CROMARTY
Former Region HIGHLAND
Former District ROSS AND CROMARTY
Former County ROSS AND CROMARTY

Canmore Mapping
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Archaeological Notes

NH76NE 10.00 79095 67267

NH76NE 10.01 NH 79104 67260 Churchyard

(NH 7910 6727) Church (NAT)
OS 6" map, (1959)

Cromarty parish church, an early post-Reformation building, bears the date 1593. An aisle was added to the north side in 1746. An earlier parish church was dedicated to St. Moluag.
New Statistical Account (NSA, written by H Miller - 1836) 1845; N Macrae 1923; W M Mackenzie 1924.

Cromarty Parish Church is as described by previous authorities.
Visited by OS (NKB) 28 January 1966.

Notes and Activities

May 2007 to June 2007

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVALUATION

Notes NH 7909 6726 An archaeological evaluation was carried out at Cromarty East Church in May¿June 2007 on behalf of the Scottish Redundant Churches Trust to inform plans for repair and conservation works. Five trenches were dug using spade and shovel then cleaned back by drawhoe and towel, to discover the extent of disturbance to archaeological evidence, and clarify the nature of the church foundations and the direction and position of any drains. The excavations revealed that the large sandstone boulders making up the foundations had been concreted over and painted with a black waterproofing substance. This seems to have been done around the entire church, and although keeping water out, must also be retaining moisture in the fabric of the
building.
Situated on the floor of in the W corner of the porch is a sandstone grave slab, its carved surface heavily weathered and decayed. Estelle Quick of Highland Museums Services Ltd provided a supplementary report, dating the slab to possibly the 14th century as it resembles slabs of that period from Cullicudden.
Archive deposited with RCAHMS.
Funder: Scottish Redundant Churches Trust.

Further details

29 September 2008 to 24 July 2010

EXCAVATION

Notes NH 7909 6726 An excavation and recording work were
carried out at Cromarty East Church 29 September 2008–24
July 2010 during repair and conservation works. The fabric
of the building was photographed, excavations of external
drains and soakaways within the churchyard were observed,
and a large part of the floor area was cleared and mapped.
A small trial trench was also excavated in the W wing of
the church. These works revealed changes to the wall fabric,
including a blocked doorway in the N wall, densely packed
intercutting burials within the church, and a split 14th-century
gravestone laid to form an altar kerb. The church is clearly
pre-Reformation in origin but it is difficult to establish how
much medieval fabric survives in the present building. No
pre-14th-century remains were found.
Archive: Highland Archaeology Services Ltd
Funder: Scottish Redundant Churches Trust

Further details

30 September 2008

PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY

Notes NH 7909 6726 A repairs programme began on 30 September 2008. Following an initial photographic survey, the walls are being photographically recorded during the removal of harling. This work has revealed some blocked-up openings and indications of former windows.
Excavation of soakaways in the churchyard was monitored and no graves were disturbed. Excavation of a drainage trench along the outside of the church was observed and the foundations photographed. These mostly consisted of large rounded boulders but in two places, opposite each other in the S and N walls of the W aisle, very large dressed sandstone slabs were built into the wall. These had apparently been reused from another location. An exploratory trench was opened inside the church to establish whether these were there to bridge an area of possible subsidence or even a culvert, but this encountered inter-cutting graves cut down
onto natural raised beach sand.
Following removal of rotten unventilated timber flooring from within the church, apparently medieval floor surfaces have been found including kerbstones formed by splitting a medieval gravestone lengthways.
Archive: RCAHMS (intended). Digital Archive: Local HER
Funder: Scottish Redundant Churches Trust, with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
John Wood (Highland Archaeology Services Ltd), 2008

Further details

Books and References

Gifford, J (1979) 'Church heritage', Scot Fld, vol.125, 932 November
Page(s): 18

Lawrie, J (1981) Cromarty East Church, {s.l.} (Inverness)
Page(s): Presented by Neil Cameron July 1990 Held at RCAHMS D.6.43.CRO.P

MacRae, N (1923) The romance of a royal burgh: Dingwall's story of a thousand years, Dingwall
Page(s): 290 Held at RCAHMS D.6.43.DIN

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