Mares Craig Quarry

Mares Craig Quarry

The hill known as Mares Craig was for many years a stone quarry. In the 1920s a Celtic handbell, of the type associated with early medieval religious foundations, was discovered here, along with a considerable number of dressed stones and lime mortar. Human remains, some of them in what may have been long cists (a type of stone box for burials), were also found in the area during the early twentieth century. It is therefore possible that Mares Craig was the site of an early medieval chapel. Unfortunately, the likeliest locations for this building have since been destroyed by quarrying. The place-name Mares Craig may also have religious associations. The name is recorded as far back as 1541, when it was spelled ‘Mariscrag’. It is thought that this may be a reference to the Virgin Mary (to whom the nearby Lindores Abbey was dedicated).

sacredlandscapesoffife

Bess Rhodes

Site

242

24/11/2022

Historic Environment Scotland, Canmore entry for ‘Mares Craig Quarry’: https://canmore.org.uk/site/30073/mares-craig-quarry [Accessed 20 October 2021]. Glasgow University, Place-Names of Fife website, ‘Mares Craig’: https://fife-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk/placename/?id=2398 [Accessed 20 October 2021].

cm x cm x cm

current,56.345719808342224,-3.217830255710495;

Mares Craig Quarry

TEXT

Building

511

1

Catholic