St Dionysius' Church, Ayton

The old parish church appears to have been extensively altered and rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries when many of the original Norman features were removed or altered. Several burial vaults were subsequently built adjacent to the walls of the original church, including one for Alexander Skene (died 1823), commander of HMS Britannia. The present parish church stands close by and was erected in 1865.

The lands of Eitun were granted to the priory of Coldingham by King Edgar between 1098 and 1107 and before the close of the 12th century the monks erected a chapel here dedicated to St Dionysius (St Denis, also patron saint of France). This was used as a meeting place by Scottish and English Commissioners to negotiate treaties between the two kingdoms in 1380, 1384 and 1497. The chapel became the parish church after the Reformation, perhaps in 1627.