Description

1230, largely reconstructed 1530-58; earlier 15th century
Chapel of Holy Cross abuts north aisle. Roofless cruciform
building, red Tarradale random rubble with polished ashlar
dressings. Centre round-headed entrance in gable (re-modelled
in mid 16th century) with moulded jambs and paired slender
nook shafts; 3 long pointed-headed windows fill west gable,
with (empty) niche immediately above doorway and below cill
of centre window. Small cusped occulus in gable apex.
13th century fenestration survives north and south aisle
walls, including shaped triangular clerestory windows with
spherical tracery. Buttressed chancel with remains of
large 15th century east window (no tracery survives) and later
Y-tracery windows in north and wouth walls.
Late 15th century angle stair turret at N transept.
Interior; mural tomb to Prior Mackenzie (d.1479)
reconstructed in 16th century, in south wall of crossing and
to Sir Kenneth Mackenzie (d.1491) opposite in north wall;
double piscina in south wall of chancel with linked pointed
headed hoodmould; square aumbry below window cill in centre
east wall.
North aisle contains private burial enclosure of Mackenzie
family.

Statement of Interest

Guardianship Monument, No 90031. Stepped base and stump of former

Beauly market cross sited just outside main entrance to

Priory and burial ground is Scheduled Monument. Repaired

cross shaft stored at Priory. Beauly one of 3 Valliscaulian

Priories, all founded in 1230, daughter houses of the austere

French order established by 1206 in Val de Choux, Burgandy.

(Other two Scottish Priories were Pluscarden, Moray and

Ardchatten, Argyll.) Chapel of Holy Cross, of which there

are only scant remains, erected by Hugh Fraser of Lovat

(1416-40); building repaired by Prior Mackenzie (d.1479) and

largely reconstructed by Prior Robert Reid, a notable

builder, also Abbot of Kinloss and Bishop of the Orkneys.

Prior Reid was ruler of Beauly from 1530 until his death in

1558. Prior Reid's arms displayed in niche in west front.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Beauly Priory at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q2743143

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)