The remains of Kinkell Church - geograph

Kinkell is a former parish in the

Garioch Garioch (, , ) is one of six committee areas in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It has a population of 46,254 (2006 estimate), which gives it the largest population of Aberdeenshire's six committee areas. The Garioch consists primarily of the distric ...

region of

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

. It was named Kinkell (Gaelic for "head church") because its parsonage oversaw six subordinate churches.

Location

The area where Kinkell once stood is now part of the town of

Inverurie Inverurie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Inbhir Uraidh'' or ''Inbhir Uaraidh'', 'mouth of the River Ury') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Ury and River Don, Aberdeenshire, Don, about north-west of Aberdeen. Geography ...

, Aberdeenshire. The ruins of the Kinkell Kirk sit on the East bank of the River Don, two miles south-southeast of Inverurie

Kinkell Kirk

Kinkell Kirk is a medieval church built in the 1200s and redesigned in 1538. It is dedicated to St Michael. The 16th-century church which stands in ruins appears to have been redesigned by Alexander Galloway, rector of Kinkell and architect of the first

Bridge of Dee The Bridge of Dee or Brig o Dee is a road bridge over the River Dee in Aberdeen, Scotland. The term is also used for the surrounding area of the city. Dating from 1527,Richards, J.M., ''The National Trust Book of Bridges'', Jonathan Cape, 198 ...

in Aberdeen, as his initials can be seen three times inside the remaining internal walls. Gilbert de Greenlaw tombstone

The church had a sculptured tabernacle or aumbry for the Holy Sacrament, a bas-relief of the

crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

and the performance of

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

, and two-thirds of an incised slab representing a knight in armour. The church was lit by an enormous East window. After many years of exposure to the weather, the carved font of the church was restored in 1851 and placed in St John's Episcopal Church, Aberdeen.

Gilbert de Greenlaw

Gilbert de Greenlaw (1354–1421) was the

Bishop of Aberdeen The Bishop of Aberdeen (originally Bishop of Mortlach, in Latin Murthlacum) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Nech ...

and Bishop-elect of St Andrews. Greenlaw died at the

battle of Harlaw The Battle of Harlaw () was a Scottish clan battle fought on 24 July 1411 just north of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. It was one of a series of battles fought during the Middle Ages between the barons of northeast Scotland and those from the wes ...

on 24 July 1411, where he fought for

Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar Alexander Stewart (c. 13751435) was a Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish nobleman and warlord. An illegitimate grandson of Robert II of Scotland, he was originally the Earl of Moray, becoming the Earl of Mar from 1405. He acquired the earldom throug ...

against the invading

Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles Donald, Lord of the Isles (; died 1423), was the son and successor of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. The Lordship of the Isles was based in and around the Scottish west-coast island of Islay, but under Donald's fath ...

. He is buried at the nearby Kinkell Kirk. On the sandstone slab dedicated to him at Kinkell Kirk, Greenlaw is wearing an open-faced

bascinet The bascinet – also bassinet, basinet, or bazineto – was a Medieval European open-faced combat helmet. It evolved from a type of iron or steel Cervelliere, skullcap, but had a more pointed apex to the skull, and it extended downwards at ...

helmet with a

mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...

-reinforced

arming doublet A gambeson (also known as, or similar to where historic or modern distinctions are made, the acton, aketon, padded jack, pourpoint, paltock, haustement, or arming doublet) is a padded defensive jacket, worn as armour separately, or combined wit ...

beneath

plate armour Plate armour is a historical type of personal body armour made from bronze, iron, or steel plates, culminating in the iconic suit of armour entirely encasing the wearer. Full plate steel armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, es ...

, and is depicted carrying a

hand-and-a-half sword A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around ), a straight double-edged blade of around , and weighing approximatel ...

. There are 51 other gravestones at Kinkell Kirk. 8 are recumbent and 43 remain upright.

References

{{coord missing, Aberdeenshire Churches in Aberdeenshire Ruins in Aberdeenshire Historic Environment Scotland properties in Aberdeenshire Church ruins in Scotland 13th-century church buildings in Scotland