The ruin you stand in is what remains of Kinkell Church, the present walls were built in 1538 and this Catholic Church was dedicated to St Michael. It is a nice place to explore on a sunny day, and has views over the river Don as it snakes its way towards Kintore.
Under the protective glass roof in the church wall is a Sacrament House from 1524. A Sacrament House was usually located on the north of a Catholic church, to house the Blessed Sacrament; the bread and wine/wafer used during Mass. This Sacrament House has been badly weathered but the writing on the arms of the cross say ‘Hic est sevatum corpus de virgine natum’ – here is preserved the body which was born of a virgin. Can you see this text? It is thought the middle and top of the cross bore two angels holding the vessel used during Sacrament but this part has suffered the most and there is little left of them.
The building was converted for Presbytarian worship in 1560 and used until 1771 when Kinkell parish merged with Keithall. The building sits in its present state as much of the stonework was taken for the new church! Recycling of building materials has been common throughout the centuries, especially before the age of machining stone.
One of the gravestones within the walls of the church itself was for Gilbert de Greenlaw, who fell at the Battle of Harlaw in 1411. However this stone was later reused in the 16th Century for another burial! Can you see the knight depicted on one side of the tombstone? What do you think the carving on the other side represents?
There are a few bits of information you need to gather in order to find this cache, so it’s time to explore in more detail…
The cache is hidden at N57o 15.ABC W002o 21.DEF, where:
A= The decade on the Tait sarcophagus (A0’s)
B= The distinctive shapes on the arms of the Sacrament House cross: diagonals – waves.
C= There are C weapons depicted lying beside Gilbert de Greenlaw.
D= Fully visible corner stones on the south corner of the church
E= Obelisk head stones in the churchyard
F= The church was remodelled in the 1Fth Century.
The cache is a Tupperware box. Please rehide well once found, and beware of muggles turfing around the local business next door!