Seton Collegiate Church

The first time we tried to visit Seton Collegiate Church turned out to be in the closed season; we peered through a wrought-iron gate and left. Today, with another sunny summer day forecast we thought we'd try again.

It transpired that the gate we'd peered through was that of Seton Palace (built by Robert Adam in 1789 for the Seton family on the site of Seton Castle), a private residence. The church is accessed down a 200 m path through woodland.

Having established the college of priests in 1470, over several generations the Setons adapted and extended the church,  dedicated to St Mary and the Holy Cross, from its C13 origins. Over the centuries the church has suffered damage, particularly during the C16 during the Reformation (which prevented completion of the tower), the C17 century during the Wars of the Covenant and the C18 when the Setons, as supporters of the Jacobites, forfeited their property following the failed Rebellion.

However, it remains one of the best surviving Mediaeval Collegiate Churches in Scotland.