Kilkivan Chapel (St. Kevin’s) Kilkivan Burial Ground – LB4916
14th-15th century graves slabs in West Highland style at Kilkivan © Crown Copyright: HES
Description
From Historic Environment Scotland’s Scheduled Monuments designation. For more information visit Historic Environment Scotland
“Mediaeval. Oblong. Random rubble; very dilapidated; E. end demolished. Roofless. Pointed doorway. Interior: Grass-grown floor. Ancient grave-slabs with effigies or ornamented”.
Statement of Special Interest
Ruin. Kilkivan was annexed to Campbeltown Parish in 1722.
Aerial photo of Kilkivan Burial Ground and Church when the Medieval stones were being removed for cleaning and safekeeping.
Some time around the year AD 600 a chapel was erected on the hillside at Kilkivan, west of Campbelltown. The church was either founded by St Kevin or named in his honour. The ruined building we see today appears to be 13th century.
Kilkivan
“O thou on our ashes tread
That’s mix’d with the cold sod;
Hark ! thou must soon be with us laid —
Prepare to meet thy God”
CIL-CHAOMHAN or Cil of the beloved is four miles west of Campbeltown, in the midst o a very fertile district. The broken Walls of the Church are still standing in the centre of the burial ground. It is said to be the remains of the last of the old churches in Kintyre, in which public worship was performed before the Reformation. Some records of this church are still extant in Inveraray.
Its discipline, according to tradition, was very curious. The priest or minister being much annoyed with delinquencies, proposed to put in practice, that a yearly meeting should take place in the church. When all who were not satisfied with their wives or husbands should assemble, the church being darkened, and try their fortunes in grasping some one or other. When the Church was lighted again, whether the one they held was hunch-backed or crooked legged, they were obliged to put up with them till the next yearly meeting.
There is a hill near the church calld Cnocan-a-chluigon which a man stood ringing a bell, to give due notice to the people to repair the church, The bell was consecrated and call a “ceolan-naomha” of the holy music. About a century ago it was used by the town crier in Campbeltown, in delivering his notices. In the burial ground are some stones of elaborate workmanship, one of which has a striking, figure of a priest in the attitude of prayer; another with the figure f a man in full armour the inscriptions being worn away except “Hec est jacil“. This last stone was laid over the mortal remains of Archibald Macneal. He was one of the Macneals of of Tirfegus, and many anecdotes are told of his bravery, strength and skill in fighting duels, which were lawful in his day, persons going about challenging cities to find an antagonist, under the penalty of paying a sum of money if a successful combatant could not be found. Macneal was ready in these emergencies, and always came out victorious, having killed a great many in his different encounters. He became a very serious penitent before he died’.
From A History of Kintyre by Peter McIntosh 1861
The most interesting feature at Kilkivan is a series of 14th-15th century graves slabs in West Highland style. The carving is simply magnificent, though quite worn by weathering.
The sculpture of one stone is similar to the Abbot’s Stone in Saddell Abbey. One of these stones has the striking figure of a priest in the attitude of prayer, another has the figure of a man in full armour, the inscriptions being worn away, except for “Hic est jacit”. This last stone covers the remains of Archibald MacNeal, the great duellist. He taught the art of fencing in Kintyre. He is one of the MacNeals of Tirfergus, and many stories are told of his bravery, and his strength and skill in fighting duels at home and on the continent.
Update on the removal of the Kilkivan stones
14th-15th century graves slabs in West Highland style at Kilkivan © Crown Copyright: HES
From The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the Seventeenth Century by McGibbon and Ross – 1896
” Kilchievan or Kilcoien, Kintyre. Simple Oblong, a good deal demolished; 51 feet 8 inches long by 17 fee and 8 inches wide internally. North West pointed doorway; remains of two-light window in south wall, and hole in south wall for piscina (Fig 67.)”
Kilkivan – plan. The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Scotland from the earliest Christian times to the Seventeenth Century by McGibbon and Ross – 1896
Kilkivan was also the original location of the Campbeltown Cross, it was moved to Campbeltown some time in the late 1700’s..
Sir Andrew MacEachen was promoted from Kilkivan to the church of Kilchoman, in Islay, before 1376, and dispossessed of this benefice shortly after 1382. This suggests that the cross originally stood within or near the graveyard at Kilkivan. It was removed to Campbeltown and adapted to serve as a market cross sometime after the foundation of the Burgh in 1607. It was formerly sited outside the town hall, but was taken down during the Second World War for safety and erected afterwards in its present position. The socket stone appears to be original due to the similarity in the stone, but the rest of the base is modern.