St Boswells Church, St Boswells

Grid reference

NT 606 305 (accurate position)

Six-figure easting & northing

360600 630500

Latitude

55.56657491483045

Longitude

-2.624827149344441

Altitude (metres)

250

County

Roxburghshire

Nearby places

St Boswells, parish, aka Lessuden (0 miles)

St Boswell's Well, Hier Well, St Boswells (0.09 miles)

St Boswells Burn (0.14 miles)

St Boswells, settlement, St Boswells (0.18 miles)

Maxton, parish (0.28 miles)

Object Classification

Ecclesiastical

Is linear feature?

No

Notes

This is the ruins of the old parish kirk of St Boswell's, named as such on some maps in 18th/19th century. It was probably not the original site of the parish church, that being originally St Mary's Church of Lessudden, at a guess somewhere near Lessudden Place (NT598314)--see grant of land there 1152 x 1164 for general location. The Parish church seems to have been relocated here in the 17th century. The record in CSSR iv, no 1342 of a chapel at the cemetery of the church suggests a likely medieval trajectory--that the 17th century parish church was built on the medieval chapel mentioned there, dedicated to "St Bessill the Confessor". The entry says: "18 January 1447. It is represented for the parishioners of Lessydwyn (Lessudden), d. Glas., that at the said church on account of reverence for St Bessill the Confessor, who rests in a chapel of the cemetery of the said church, many miracles are daily worked there. The Pope is therefore supplicated to grant indulgence to all and sundry Christ’s faithful who visit the said church in feasts wont to be given by Apostolic Chancery and who stretch out helping hands for its upkeep." The site is on the boundary with Maxton Parish, and looks across the Kelly Burn towards Maxton Parish Church, which is in the far west of Maxton Parish. This site, and its dedication, may relate to lands held originally by Melrose in the parish of Lessudden. NMRS records that the building occupies the site of a romanesque church, and some parts of that building survive in the later one.

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/

Relationships with other parishes

Within St Boswells, parish, aka Lessuden