The roofless parish kirk and crowded burial ground retain Evanton’s older sacred focus on low ground beside the Cromarty Firth.
Quick facts
- Date
- Medieval fabric; rebuilt 1790–1791; later roof loss
- Architect / designer
- Rebuilding designer not identified in the checked sources
- Type
- Roofless T-plan parish church within a walled burial ground
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB7915)
- OS grid reference
- NH 61658 65226
Architecture and continuing use
The church is a T-plan rubble structure aligned east to west. Round-headed windows, outer doorways and a double forestair belong mainly to the 1790–91 rebuilding, while buttresses and a blocked Gothic opening in the east gable preserve earlier work. A bellcote survives on the west gable above the surrounding walled ground.
Its story
A medieval church occupied the site before the present walls were recast in 1790–91. The burial ground contains the Munros of Foulis enclosure, used from 1588, and memorials spanning several centuries. The kirk later lost its roof, but burials, recording projects and community conservation interest kept the place active in local memory.
Why it is included
It layers medieval masonry, post-Reformation worship, lairdly galleries and continuing commemoration within one exceptionally legible parish site.
What to notice
- Medieval buttressing and the blocked opening in the east gable.
- Twin forestairs that once served an upper gallery.
- Different memorial forms and family enclosures across the graveyard.
Reading the surroundings
Use the burial-ground entrance and follow current Highland Council guidance. Respect graves and mourners, avoid unstable masonry and never climb the ruin or memorials.
Timeline
- 1588 The Munros of Foulis established their burial enclosure here.
- 1790–1791 The parish church was rebuilt as a T-plan structure.
- 1971 The church and burial ground entered the statutory list.
- 2017 A community survey recorded hundreds of memorial stones and lair markers.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The site incorporates earlier fabric, but the date and extent of each medieval component remain uncertain. Ground conditions and burial operations may affect access.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Kiltearn Old Parish Church and Burial Ground, LB7915 — Current designation status, statutory identity, official mapped point, date, fabric and significance.
- Trove: Kiltearn Old Parish Church — National collection entry corroborating designation identity, mapped position and related archive material.
- Evanton Community Trust: Kiltearn Old Parish Church — Local research and current community concern for the roofless church and burial ground.
- Highland Council: Kiltearn (Evanton) burial ground — Current local-authority identification and contact route for the burial ground.
Location
OS grid reference NH 61658 65226 · Location confidence: High for the current HES designation point; public text separately qualifies the extent of multi-part sites, access and any present-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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