St Mary's Chapel Chapel 250m ENE of Mount Lothian Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland, UK

Scheduled Monument Statement of Significance

© Crown Copyright text courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland, reprinted under the Open Government License.

The monument is of national importance because of its potential to add to our understanding of medieval and post-medieval ecclesiastical development, particularly with regard to church architecture in a small, lowland parish.

Scheduled Monument Description

© Crown Copyright text courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland, reprinted under the Open Government License.

The monument comprises the remains of the ruined chapel of St Mary's, Mount Lothian.

The chapel lies within a small enclosure, probably a burial ground. The stone foundations indicate that the chapel was some 22m E-W by around 5 - 6.5m wide. The walls now stand only some 0.3m high. Recent small-scale excavations have exposed parts of the chancel, revealing floor tiles of 15th-16th century Flemish type.

The nave, which is narrower than the chancel, appears to be of earlier date. The excavations have also uncovered medieval gravestones within the chapel. Documentary records suggest that a chapel existed on the site from the 12th century until the early 17th century.

The area to be scheduled encompasses the chapel, enclosure and an area around it in which traces of associated activity may be expected to survive. It is circular with a diameter of 60m as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Scheduled Monument References

© Crown Copyright text courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland, reprinted under the Open Government License.

RCAHMS records the monument as NT 25 NE 1.