Undiscovered Scotland

 

St Mary’s Kirkyard can be found in the heart of Banff. Opposite it, across the High Street, are buildings that date back centuries. On the other hand, on the opposite side of Carmelite Street to it is a Tesco supermarket.

Open the gate on its south-west corner and walk through and you could be travelling back in time. St Mary’s Kirk was built on this site in 1471. There had been an earlier church here, but the earliest standing remains are of the 1471 kirk.

After the Reformation of 1560, the kirk was adapted for Presbyterian worship and remained in use until 1797. Except for what became the Banff Aisle and part of the north wall, St Mary’s was then demolished. The Banff Aisle survived in order to provide shelter for the elaborate wall tomb and canopy that had been erected on the north side of the church by the Ogilvie family in 1558. (Continues below images...)

 

The surrounding kirkyard is home to the tombs of the people of Banff from the 1600s to the 1800s, and many carry symbols of mortality found on so many Scottish grave markers of the time.

In many ways the most striking of the monuments on view is the canopied tomb erected in 1636 in memory of George Baird. It reflects a much earlier tradition of Scottish memorials in having as its focal point a recumbent effigy dressed in armour, with a dog at his feet.

No visit to Banff should be complete without a visit to St Mary’s Kirkyard.