Marnoch
| Marnoch | |
|---|---|
 Marnoch kirk to the right of the B9117 road | |
  Marnoch Location within Aberdeenshire | |
| OS grid reference | NJ5950 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HUNTLY |
| Postcode district | AB54 |
Marnoch is a small rural settlement and parish in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies beside the River Deveron, southwest of Aberchirder and northeast of Huntly, within the historic county of Banffshire.[1] The settlement is centered on Marnoch Old Parish Church, its historic graveyard and a small group of former ecclesiastical and educational buildings.[2][3]
Geography
[edit]Marnoch stands in the agricultural valley of the River Deveron, which formed the southern boundary of the historic parish of Marnoch.[4] The wider parish included Aberchirder and approximately 25 square miles (65 km2) of surrounding countryside.[4] The nearby Bridge of Marnoch crosses the Deveron between Aberdeenshire and Moray carrying the A97 road; the two span granite bridge was constructed in 1806, probably to a design by William Smith of Montrose, and is a Category B listed building.[5]
History
[edit]The parish was formerly known as Aberchirder and its church was dedicated to Saint Marnan or Marnoch, who according to local tradition founded a church there during the seventh century and used it as a base for missionary activity.[6] Before the Reformation, the church belonged for a period to Arbroath Abbey, while a continuous record of its ministers begins in 1567.[6]
An earlier parish church occupied the present graveyard beside the river, although only part of its gable survives.[3] It was replaced in 1792 by the present Marnoch Old Parish Church, constructed on higher ground immediately to the north.[2] The settlement also contains an early nineteenth century former schoolhouse.[7]
Marnoch Old Parish Church
[edit]
Marnoch Old Parish Church is a Category B listed rectangular four bay building, constructed from coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and round headed windows.[2] It was restored and internally remodeled in 1884 and 1885, when galleries supported by cast iron columns were installed on three sides of the interior.[2] Its west gable incorporates a belfry dated 1690 and a bell cast at Whitechapel in London in 1747, which Historic Environment Scotland describes as possibly the oldest surviving English bell in Scotland.[2]
The church became associated with the ecclesiastical dispute preceding the Disruption of 1843. In 1841 most of its congregation left after the Reverend John Edwards was appointed minister against their wishes and established New Marnoch Church in Aberchirder.[2] The two churches returned to the same denomination following the union of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland in 1929, although their congregations remained separate until 1953.[2] Both buildings continued to be used after the congregations united, but the last regular service at the old church was held in 1990.[6]
Graveyard and cemetery
[edit]The Marnoch graveyard beside the Deveron dates principally from the seventeenth century and occupies the site of the earlier parish church.[3] It is enclosed by rubble walls and contains an L plan watchhouse dating from 1831, constructed during the period when watchhouses were used to protect graves from body snatchers.[3] The graveyard, watchhouse, burial enclosures and monuments are collectively designated as a Category A listed building.[3]
Among its principal monuments are the elaborate Baroque Meldrum burial enclosure of 1699, the memorial to the minister Hugo Chalmers dated 1707, the neoclassical Innes of Murrayford enclosure of 1780 and the granite Grant enclosure.[3] The surviving east gable of the former church is incorporated into the Chalmers memorial.[3] Aberdeenshire Council records for Marnoch Burial Ground commence in 1877.[8]
Two prehistoric standing stones survive near the church. The larger, approximately 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) high and traditionally known as Saint Marnan's Chair, stands within the church grounds, while a smaller stone stands beyond the northern boundary wall.[9] Historic Environment Scotland considers that the stones may be remnants of a late Neolithic or early Bronze Age stone circle and has designated them as a scheduled monument.[9]
Notable persons
[edit]- Alexander Abercromby - Scottish Politician (1678 to 1728), born in Marnoch
- Francis George Cumming - Charity worker (1861 to 1941), born in Marnoch
- John Ogilvie - lexicographer (1797 to 1867), born in Marnoch.
References
[edit]- ↑ Banff and Huntly (Map). 1:50,000. Landranger. Ordnance Survey. Sheet 29.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Marnoch Old Parish Church with retaining wall and mounting block". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Marnoch Graveyard with watchhouse, burial enclosures and gravestones". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Marnoch Parish Church parish profile" (PDF). Marnoch Parish Church. 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Bridge of Marnoch". Aberdeenshire Council Historic Environment Record. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Records of Marnoch Kirk Session". National Records of Scotland. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Marnoch, Old Schoolhouse". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Burial Grounds: date records commence" (PDF). Aberdeenshire Council. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Marnoch Church, standing stones". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 29 July 2026.