Brechin Round Tower - Angus, Scotland
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creg-ny-baa
N 56° 43.841 W 002° 39.712
30V E 520688 N 6287458
Historic information marker at the foot of the round tower at Brechin Cathedral, the surviving part of the original church that stood here, and one of only two of its type in Scotland.
Waymark Code: WM15NN0
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/29/2022
Views: 1
This historical information marker can be found at the foot of the round tower that is attached to the south-west corner of Brechin Cathedral, the surviving part of the original church and thought to have been built around 1100. The sign contains an illustration of the tower and the text reads as follows:
'BRECHIN ROUND TOWER
The round tower at Brechin is one of only two such towers Irish type in Scotland, the other being at Abernethy. The Irish examples of these towers are now thought to date mainly from the period between 950 and 1180, and a date around 1100 seems likely for Brechin.
There was probably a religious community at Brechin in the reign of King Kenneth II (971-5), but the church had become the cathedral of a Bishop before 1160. There are references to Culdees serving the Bishop in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, though a chapter of secular canons had replaced these by 1250.
Round Towers of this type served as bell towers, hand bells being rung from the windows in the top storey. They also provided security for members of the community and their precious possessions in times of danger, and the doorway is thus well above ground level. There seem to have been six floors. When the cathedral was built in the thirteenth century, the tower was absorbed into its south-west corner and a second doorway was cut through. Originally the tower would have a conical cap, but this was replaced by an octagonal spire in the later middle ages.
THE DOORWAY
The finest feature of the tower is the doorway. It is of upward-tapering form and is framed by a broad band edged with pellet mouldings. The arch is cut from a single block of stone. At its apex is the figure of the crucified Christ, and there is a saint on each side of the opening. Flanking the threshold are crouching beasts.
HIGH CROSS AT DYSERT O'DEA (IRELAND)
The carving on the doorway shows some similarities with Irish work, such as the High Cross at Desert O'Dea in County Clare, which is probably of the early twelfth century. Parallels with Brechin can be seen in the rather eluncated figure of the saint on the cross-shaft and the pellet decoration around the cross-head. This suggests the tower could have been both built and decorated by Irish masons.'