Kincardine Kirk

A rather wet visit to historic Kincardine Kirk, Boat of Garten. The kirk is thought to have been founded by 7th century missionaries from Iona. The a site of the kirk by a bend in the river and the circular graveyard are typical of Celtic foundations. The foundations of the present building date from the 12th century. The narrow slit like window on the south side is a 'Lepers Squint' and indicates that the walls are Pre-Reformation. Prior to the Reformation those suffering from leprosy or other contagious diseases were allowed to watch the service from outside the kirk through narrow windows which gave them a view of the altar without contaminating the congregation inside.
In the late 15th century a raiding party of Cummings who had taken shelter in the kirk were killed by their Shaw enemies who fired burning arrows at the thatched roof.

Equally grisly is the mortsafe by the gable end of the kirk this is featured in the extra. Prior to the 1832 Anatomy Act, mortsafes were placed over graves prior to prevent 'grave robbers' or Ressurectionist exhuming freshly buried corpses which were sold to Anatomy Schools for dissection. .

On a more tranquil note we enjoyed a walk by a nearby loch where we saw a nest with Osprey with chicks flexing their wings, a parent wagtail darting about catching insects for its solitary chick and heard sandpipers piping.

A damp but companionable and satisfying outing.