This edifice is situated about four miles east from Perth, and continued
to be the parish church till about forty years ago, when it was
abandoned and allowed to fall into ruin. It is now roofless and the
walls are very much reduced, except the south aisle, which contained the
seats of the family of the Greys of Kinfauns and their burial-place.
When the church was dismantled a painting was found on the plaster
inside the west wall, but unfortunately no drawing was made of it, and
it has now entirely disappeared.
The church (Fig. 1476) measures about 65 feet long by 18 feet 2 inches
wide within the walls, and is probably a structure of the fifteenth
century. It has been considerably altered during Presbyterian times, new
windows and doors having been broken through the walls. The south
doorway is original, and is round arched with a bead moulding towards
the outside,
[Illustration: FIG. 1476.--Kinfauns Church. Plan.]
and lintelled on the inside with a stone slab having a cross carved on
it, evidently a companion stone to the one shown in Fig. 1477. This
cross, which wants part of its length, measures 5 feet 11 inches long by
1 foot 7 inches in width at top, tapering to 1 foot 4 inches at lower
end by 10 inches thick. It is well wrought with sloping sides, having
the form of the cross completed, as seen by the rounded disc rising out
of the slope on each side. There was probably a south doorway opposite
the north doorway, adjoining the stoup shown in the south wall. The
eastmost window on the south side is also original; it is square
lintelled and has the usual wide splay all round.
The most interesting feature in the church is the arched recess in the
north wall (see Fig. 1477), which was probably an Easter sepulchre. It
was only discovered after the church became a ruin, having previously
been covered over. It has thus been well preserved, except that the
projecting crockets along the top of the hood moulding, as well as most
of the hood itself, have been chipped away, so as to make an even
surface at the wall. It measures about 6 feet 6 inches long by 3 feet in
depth, and about 4 feet high. It has well wrought mouldings, which die
against
[Illustration: FIG. 1477.--Kinfauns Church. Recess in North Wall.]
a rounded jamb, supported on a short shaft having a very simple cap and
base. The floor of the recess was slightly raised above the floor of the
church. The details of the mouldings show that this is a late design,
probably sixteenth century.
The “Gray Aisle” on the south side of the church is roofed with a late
example of groined vaulting (Fig. 1478), and it is curious to observe
how the tradition of this kind of work survived to a period when the
style of art practised throughout the country was of the kind
represented by the panels on the east and west walls. There are three
panels on these
[Illustration: FIG. 1478.--Kinfauns Church. The “Grey Aisle,” looking
West.]
walls. The central one on the west side (see Fig. 1478) contains the
Lindsay arms, as shown. On the east side there are two coats (Fig. 1479)
containing the Charteris arms. On one of the panels of that side is the
following inscription, which gives the name of the founder of the
aisle:--
[Illustration: FIG. 1479.--Kinfauns Church. Panels in East Side.[211]]
“John Chartrvs and Jannat Chisolim In ovr tym buildit this,” and on the
other is the inscription, “George Chartus sonn and har to the sad John
and deppartit. Bot suecs/nuvn” (without succession). The date over the
entrance door is 1598.