104 The Pre- Reformation Churches of Berivickshire. 



ruinous a condition as the nave. Scarcely anything of the south wall is left, 

 but the north and east elevations are tolerably entire : the former is 

 blank ; in the latter is a small very slightly pointed light a little recessed 

 under a shallow rectangular nook of same form, 2 feet 4 inches long by 

 6 inches wide. It is quite plain, has its head of one stone, and opens 

 upon the interior in a deep splay 5 feet high, by 2 feet 11 inches wide. 

 The inner aperture is semicircular, and has a single hollow chevron 

 carried roimd the head and down the sides close to the edges both outside 

 and within. 



■' Of the chancel arch, which apparently has been of two chevroned 

 orders, two or three of the voussoirs alone remain on each side ; but the 

 jambs are comparatively whole, and consist of four slender half-roll 

 .shafts, two gronjjed together under one double-escalloped capital, on each 

 side of a large capitaled half-roll thrust prominently forward to meet the 

 soffit-rib of the arch. None of the bases are visible. The capitals are 

 quite perfect, very heavy, and had, as appears by a remnant, enormously 

 ponderous abaci returned along the entire west face of the wall. The 

 extant portion is on the north side. It is of the common trigonal form 

 and has its intermediate face, which is 7 inches broad, covered with a 

 double row of continuously notched squares studded Avith .saltiers, the 

 rude typifications, doubtless, of the star-moulding of the more enriched 

 example. Like that of mostly all the old churches of Scotland the 

 masonry is excellent. The material, however, does not seem to be of a 

 very durable description. It is of that deep red colour common to many 

 parts of the country, bat which is more abunda7itly present in the 

 buildings of this district both ancient and modern. It is worthy of 

 remai'k that the burial-ground north of the church does not appear ever 

 <o have been used for the purposes of interment." 



The East elevation of the chancel and the remains of the 

 chancel arch are now almost completely obliterated ; and 

 ecclesiological antiquarians, under the impression that their 

 disappearance was due to wanton demolition, for the purpose of 

 providing building material at a cheap rate, have expended a 

 great deal of unnecessary indignation on the subject. The truth 

 is, that they were blown down by a terrific gale from the S.E. 

 about 30 years ago. Of the chancel arch only one jamb-stone 

 on the S. side is left. The segmental-headed arches or recesses 

 referred to by Mr Muir, have evidently been continued in a 

 series (probably four in number) along the entire S. wall of the 

 nave, and have, as the masonry clearly shows, been a subsequent 

 addition to it. The purpose they have served seems to have 

 been a purely structural one, viz , the support of the vaulting. 

 The N. wall appears to have been rebuilt at the same time from 

 within 3 feet of the ground ; but it is singular that it shows no 



