It would appear that this carved date marks the completion of the building of a church out of the ruins left by Cromwell.

After Cromwell's success at Dunbar against the Scots in 1650, he came across some royalists occupying the old buildings of Coldingham Priory. Cromwell used his canon to oust the royalists and left only two walls standing. These were two walls of the quire of Thomas' church. Shortly after they were incorporated in a new structure.