Muthill Old Church & Tower - Perth & Kinross, Scotland
Posted by: 
creg-ny-baa
N 56° 19.929 W 003° 49.948
30V E 448527 N 6243358
Historic information on a sign outside the old church and tower in the Perthshire village of Muthill.
Waymark Code: WM1BCWR
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/20/2025
Views: 1
This illustrated sign is situated at the entrance to the preserved ruins of the old church in the Perthshire village of Muthill. The intact tower was built as a freestanding structure in the mid 12th century, with the church buildings added in the 15th century. The church had fallen into disrepair in the 1820s and the material was used into the building of other churches in the village, but the tower remains intact.
The sign carries an illustration of that the building looked like and also has photographs of architectural details and burial monuments. The text reads as follows:
'Muthill Old Church was a significant early Christian site, associated with the cathedral at Dunblane. Its imposing bell tower is a reminder of how important it once was.
SERVANTS OF GOD
By 1170 a community of Culdees was firmly established at Muthill. Their name originally came from Céil Dé, Gaelic for 'servants of God'. Culdees lived a monastic lifestyle but were not bound by a 'rule' requiring them to live in isolation from society. The community here was linked to the Bishops of Dunblane, who may have occasionally used the church as a substitute cathedral.
The fine Romanesque bell tower dates to the mid 1100s and was originally free-standing. The Culdees remained here until the 1200s when the parish church became the focus of a legal dispute between Lindores Abbey (in Fife) and the Bishop of Dunblane who both claimed ownership.
The outer walls, arcades and chancel arch were built in the 1400s. The church was further altered with a central pulpit to accommodate Protestant worship after the Reformation in 1560. In the 1820s it was abandoned and later partially dismantled to provide building stone for the new parish and Episcopal churches.
DECORATIVE SIMILARITIES
Architectural details suggest Muthill Church shared the same patrons and masons as Dunblane Cathedral. The lozenge decoration that appears in a horizontal band around Muthill Church tower also appears in the altar recess of Dunblane Cathedral Tower.
SHELTERED STONES
A worn stone burial monument of Maurice Drummond (d 1362) and his wife Ada has been moved inside the tower to protect it from further erosion. A fragile 12th-century cross slab is also kept inside.'