A Corpus of Scottish Medieval
Parish Churches

Historical outline

Dedication: unknown

Nothing is known of the history of this church before the record of its dedication on 2 April 1243 by Bishop David de Bernham.(1)  The church appears as a free parsonage in the rolls of the papal tax-collector in Scotland in 1275, assessed at 30s in the first tax-year.(2)  Hilton remained independent throughout the pre-Reformation period, occurring in 1498 and again in 1508 as lying in the patronage of the Cunninghame family, lords Kilmaurs.(3)  A rector, David Hume, is recorded in 1546.(4)  At the Reformation it was valued at £24.(5)

Notes

1. A O Anderson (ed), Early Sources of Scottish History, ii (Edinburgh, 1922), 523 [Pontifical Offices of St Andrews].

2. A I Dunlop (ed), ‘Bagimond’s Roll: Statement of the Tenths of the Kingdom of Scotland’, Miscellany of the Scottish History Society, vi (1939), 33, 59.

3. NRS GD39/5/7; GD39/5/8.

4. NRS Prot Bk of John Johnston, 1548-57, NP1/13B, fol 15r.

5. J Kirk (ed), The Books of Assumption of the Thirds of Benefices (Oxford, 1995), 185.  

Summary of relevant documentation

Medieval

Synopsis of Cowan’s Parishes: Listed as a parsonage in Bagimond’s Roll, and remained unappropriated at the Reformation. The patronage was with the earls of Glencairn as lords of Kilmaurs throughout the 15th and 6th centuries.(1)

1549 (16 Oct) David Hume, rector of Hilton claiming all rights which pertained to his predecessors [not specified].(2)

Post-medieval

Books of assumption of thirds of benefices and Accounts of the collectors of thirds of benefices: The Parish church of Hilton valued at £24.(3)

Account of Collectors of Thirds of Benefices (G. Donaldson): Third of parsonage and vicarage £8.(4)

[Parishes of Whitsome and Hilton united in 1735, parish church at Whitsome]

[No reference to the church of Hilton after it was united to Whitsome]

Notes

1. Cowan, The parishes of medieval Scotland, 82.

2. NRS Prot Bk of John Johnston, 1548-57, NP1/13B, fol. 15r.

3. Kirk, The books of assumption of the thirds of benefices, 185.

4. Donaldson, Accounts of the collectors of thirds of benefices, 24. 

Bibliography

NRS Prot Bk of John Johnston, 1548-57, NP1/13B

Cowan, I.B., 1967, The parishes of medieval Scotland, (Scottish Record Society), Edinburgh.

Donaldson, G., 1949, Accounts of the collectors of thirds of benefices, (Scottish History Society), Edinburgh.

Kirk, J., 1995, The books of assumption of the thirds of benefices, (British Academy) Oxford.

Architectural description

Hilton church comes into the record with one of Bishop David de Bernham’s dedications, in this case on 2 April 1243.(1) The parsonage remained unappropriated, with the patronage in the hands of the earls of Glencairn in their role as lords of Kilmaurs.(2)

The parish was annexed to that of Whitsome in 1735,(3) and the church was subsequently abandoned. All that now remains at the site is a rather forlorn churchyard that was described as ‘disused’ as early as 1883.(4) Faint outlines of the church suggest it had dimensions of about 17 by 6 metres, and parts of the east gable still stand.

Notes

1. Alan Orr Anderson, Early Sources of Scottish History, Edinburgh, 1922, vol. 2, p. 523,

2. Ian B. Cowan, The Parishes of Medieval Scotland, (Scottish Record Society) 1967, p. 82.

3. Statistical Account of Scotland, 1791-99, vol. 16, p. 355.

4. Francis H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, vol. 4, 1883.