Early Ecclesiastical Sites in : a Field Survey, ParI I t by A. D. S. Macdonald and Lloyd R. Laing

INTRODUCTION This paper continues the work started by the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments in 1967 (see PSAS, c (1967-8), 123-34), and represents fieldwork carried out in 1968 and 1969. What was said in the first paragraph of the introduction to Part I applies here, but the restrictions necessarily imposed by other commitments within the Ancient Monuments Department has meant thae geographicath t l distributio sitee th sf o nliste described dan d belo ws somewhai t haphazard. Againfeatureo s brie e havd b y , an fo visitst ema beed sha n overlooke misinterr do - preted. Again t urge,no alsos di t thai , t surviving structura Earle l remainth f yo Christiae sar n period. The drawings are sketches based usually on the OS 25-in sheets and the titles are usually those which appear in the OS 6-in sheets. Sources frequently referred to have been abbreviated and listed in alphabetical order below. Other references appea fuln i r l unde relevane rth t entries. A brief discussion, with references, of the word which appears in the sources as abthania, abthein, etc, sometimes in translation as abbatia, and which is taken to denote the existence, at time th writinf eo formerlyr go monastia f ,o c communit Earlf yo y Christian type, wil foune lb d under Dull placename Th . e element nemed similarls i y treated under Abernethyn O . , Rosemarkie, Dunkeld, and Mortlach in particular, Professor G Donaldson's 'Scottish Bishops' Sees Befor Reige eth f Davino d I', PSAS, LXXXVII (1952-3), 106-17, shoul cone db - r Abernethysultedfo d AndersoO An . M , Scottishn ni Historical Review,d an (1949) 8 . 2 if 5 3 , 29 (1950), 13 if is a key source. We have made some slight attempt thespu eo t tsite s int contexoa perspectivd an t f o e sort notingy sb , where evidenc readils ewa y existencavailable th , us prehistorif o et o c (especially Iron Age contemporard an ) y secular occupatio close th en n i vicinit churce th f yo h site under review. This information is taken from the OS Archaeology Division's 6-in working-sheets, with permission. besr Ou t thank offeree sar d once Archaeolog more th o et y Divisio Ordnance th f no e Survey, Edinburgh their fo , r unfailing generosit quoto t d ean froallowinye n i mus o theit s gu r field-maps and records, and for their helpful comments and discussion. Without their active support, it would have been very difficult to proceed with this survey.

ABBREVIATIONS ACD Mackinlay AncientM ,J Church Dedications Scotlandn i (scriptura non-scriptural)d lan , Edinburgh (1910 and 1914), 2 vols. / Anderson Anderson, J Scotland in Early Christian Times, 2 vols. (1879 and 1880). 13 | 0PROCEEDING S OF THE SOCIETY, 1969-70 Arbroath Liber . ThomeS Aberbrothoc,e d vols2 , Bannatyne Club (1848). Bain Bain, J (Ed) Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland, 4 vols (1881-8). CPNS History Watsone Celtice Th th f J o Place-NamesW , of Scotland, Edinburgh (1926). Early Sources Anderson, A O Early Sources of Scottish History, A.D. 500-1286, 2 vols, Edinburgh (1922). Easson Easson MedievalE D , Religious Houses: Scotland, London (1957). Eccl Arch Scot MacGibbon Rossd an EcclesiasticalT ,D , Architecture of Scotland, vol3 s (1896-7). ECM Romilly Alien, J The Early Christian Monuments of Scotland, 3 parts, I vol., Edinburgh (1903). Macfarlane Macfarlane, W Geographical Collections Relating to Scotland, ed Sir A Mitchell, Scottish History Society vols3 , , Edinburgh (1906-8). NSA New Statistical Account (1845). Named Ol BookONE (OS) . OPS Innes (EdC , ) Origines Parochiales Scotiae, Vol . Bannatynsn , , i12 ;;2 e Club (1841-5). OS A Old Statistical Account (1794). RCAHMS Royal Commissio Anciene th Historican d no an t l Monument Scotlandf so : Inventories by counties. REA Registrum Episcopatus Aberdonensis, 2 vols, Spalding Club (1845). RMS Registrum Magni Sigilli Regum Scotorum, 1306-1424 (1912). t AndrewsS Liber Cartarum Prioratus Sancti Andree Scotia,n i Bannatyne Club (1841). Stevenson Stevenson, J Documents Illustrative of the History of Scotland, 1286-1306,1 (1870). Stuart Stuart, J Sculptured Stones of Scotland, 2 vols, Spalding Club (1856 and 1867).

PERTHSHIRE 1. Abernethy Church. NO 189164 Garbled and conflicting accounts of foundation. Two main traditions. (1) Early Sources, i, cxx, cxxi Chronicle :th accordinPictsf e o th f C ,e o d Nechta versiono gt an B , nsA Morbet, Kin f Pictgo seconn s(i d A halV D f o ffro m positio Kinn i g lists), gave d Abernethan d Go o yt St Bridget of Kildare early in his reign. But the paragraph containing this statement and the nexparagrapho tw t containinA n si granextene e th th Aberneth) o f t o g t(a y (see also loc cit, i, reasogrante e th th insertion e r ) ar n, fo (b 122originae d th )an n si l text Bridget .S t died tradition- all 524yc : abbess Dairlugdac texn hi anachroniss ti mthao t t extent Early) (2 . Sources, i, 121-2: according to versions D & H of Chronicle of and Fordun, Abernethy founded by Gartnait, Kin Pictsf gdiedo o ,wh ? 601-2 (Irish Annals); versio attributenF s this foundatio Gartnait'o nt s successor diedo (Iris1 wh , ?62 h Annals) Chronicln I . Pictse th f ,eo f Gartnaio n so s i t Domelch (A), Domech (B), Domnach (C), Dormath (D), Dompneth (F), Donath (I), Dompnach (K, Fordun): loc cit, i, cxxiv. (Chronicle of the Picts is essentially a king-list with a few notes). The Brev Aber appears to have a conflation of the two traditions: Grauerdus son of Domath, King of Picts, warned divinely to call Bridget from . She founds a church at A, and the King and all his household are baptised. For Grauerdus, cf Garnard(e), Gernerd, variant forms, mainl DFIn yi Fordund Kan Gartnair fo , ABCf o t ; with transpositio 'nd 'a'd 'Vf an ,nan o misread as 'u'? lattee Th fifte r halth h f centurfo earlmonastico a r to ys yfo i foundation Nechf herec t -Bu . tan's connection wit t BuitthS e (died trad traditioe . th foundatio e 521d th f an )n o churca f no h at Fordun by Palladius 432 (loc cit, i, cxx, cxxi): persistent, if vague and, by themselves, unreliable literary traditions of very early Christianity in this part of southern Pictland. Here the distribution of long-cist cemeteries in the Forth-Tay region becomes significant (PSAS, LXXXTX (1955-6), 266). Ther they nema have been some sor Christiaf o t nADI alse sitC V .r oeSe A late o herth eV n ei Thomas in Barley and Hanson (Eds), Christianity in Britain 300-700 (1968), 105-8. But the MACDONALD AND LAING: EARLY ECCLESIASTICAL SITES IN SCOTLAND, PART II | 131 monastic foundation f earlyi , , probably belong periosecone e th th f o dst o d trad.r : o lat I eV early VII AD. Version F's attribution may be due to confusion with story of versions A, B and C. Note in this connection that Nechtan Morbet is son of Er(i)p; son of Wirp in A's insertion: Early Sources I, cxx, cxxi. Gartnait's successor Nechtan is Uerb's grandson (Uerd (A), Uerp (C), , IrFordun))b(F : loc cit , cxxivI , , 145. Perhaps connected with Kildare; t equallybu , perhaps originally different St Bridget. Easson, 190: Culdees here mentioned 1189-99. Abbot of A. who appears in this record was probably a layman, holding office which had become secularised and hereditary. Prior and Culdee controversn si y with Arbroath before 1214. Prio f Culdeeo r recorn so d 123 1239d 5an . Culdees became r wereo , replace , Augustiniadby n canons 127 r 12732o . For lands etc belonging to Abernethy by this time see Arbroath, I, 25-7, 147-9. Chronicle of Picts insertion interesting as possible record of what Abernethy claimed at an earlier date. See also Easson, 74, 174. B.C. incise sculptured dan d stones: ECM, in, 282, 308-1 figd 311n 0o san , 312. Irish-type round r descriptiontowerFo . : AD probabl I X , etcd ymi , Eccl Arch Scot, i, 175-8; JAnderson (1879) 42-5. In 1821 excavation inside base of tower exposed skeleton and 'fragments of a light green urnf carvino , w witro g ha roun bottoe neck'e dth th f mo . (Probabl ymedievaa l depositr fo : possible explanations of presence of pot, seePSAS, xcvn (1963^1), 252-3 andPSAS, LVI (1921-2), 27-32). Below this were thin broad flagstones with many more human bones below, including seven skulls l adulal , t male accordinbonese mosp th u Andre v f g o tRe : sextoo du gt wo nwh Small, Roman Antiquities in (1823), Appendices 12-16. Not said whether any of skeletons underlay foundations of tower, if this was even noticed during the digging. Skulls are unsatis- factor r sexingyfo nothino S . realln g ca mad e yb f thieo s account (Small's wor extremels ki y uncritical even for its time and totally unreliable in most respects). Old church ruins removed 1802: ONB. 'A great church with pillars' survived 1722. Mac- farlane, 1,117. 'Extensive foundation lately discovered' beyond present church: Small citc ,lo 168. Monastery situated on N side of graveyard and part of its walls still stood c 1780. The school was kept in monastic buildings earlier in XVIII AD. Nothing remained in 1823: Small loc cit, 165, 167. These references musmedievao t e b t l buildings givy indication ea ma t positioe bu ,th f no n of earlier structures. Nothing potentially B.C. seen by us. 182153O N Irofor t e Castla n o .nt Ag w Sit Romaf eLa e o n for t Carpo a awatr fa t t ya w no NO 208178. Several 'pit-' names in the immediate vicinity of Abernethy. Dedication: St Bridget (ACD). . Dull.2 NN 806491 (Parish Church) St Ninian's Chapel (Site of) NN 809489; Sanctuary (Site of) NN 808490; Cross (Site of) NN 804489, 810489 and 812489. Suppose t Ninian'dS s Chapel: PS, XCAS H (1958-9) ; Discovery74 , Excavation,d an 1966, ; 1967,35 37-8; 1968,. 28 The three crosses still survive: one is now set up in the centre of the village, the other two in Weem Church (NN 842497) since c 1850 (OS). Traditionally sanctuary crosses, but doubtfully Early Christian. For these, and fragment of B.C. sculptured stone found in graveyard before 1867: ECM, in, 315, 342; Stuart, (1867)2 , 11-12, pi xvii. AlsB.Co otw . incised cross-slabs found in village in last few years; cross socket-stone in old graveyard. (See also below, Appendix). 132 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1969-70 MiddlAppin& d eOl : Irish apdaine, abbdaine, apthaine, 'abbacy', hence 'abbey-lands': CPNS, 124; Early Sources, i, 576-7. Latinised as abthanya, abthania, etc, appears frequently in AV D documentsXI XII d Ian here t Andrews,Se .eS 296-7 (charter Hugf so Sigilloe od , bishof po Dunkel 1214-1229)dc ; Stevenson, 248, (262), 291, 312(1291-2) lan6 e farme th 33 ,th d . f so . . ' . of Glenlion "Apithaniae th d nan Dulf "o . .' (1304-5): Bain, n (1884), tota. 439 . . ' ;m terram de Estirfossache cum pertinenciis, in abthania de Dulle . . .' (1370): RMS 355, p 125; also 1273, Appendix 2, p 598. Chamberlain Rolls, i, 353, 361, 371, 381, 391, 399, 531 (1359-70). Placename 'Tegarmuchd 7948)N (N ' : probably means 'sanctuary', with referenc girto et h of Dull: CPNS, 259-60. Fordun calls Crinan of Dunkeld (see under Dunkeld) 'abthanus' (a title invented by himself from 'apthaine-abthania' Dullf )o : Early Sources, i, 576-7. Dunkeld ceded Dull to St Andrews, saving certain revenues from the 'abthania' etc (1203 x 1210) t Andrews,S : loc cit; Early Sources, 652-3, II . 'Andrew f Gillemuiro n so , e Clerech, f Dullo ' mentione t AndrewsS n di n 1270i : Early Sources, n, 652-3. Apparently lay tenant from context. 'citye f DulTh o ' mentiones i l Irise th ht Cuthbertn di S Lif f eo xxivp ca , : 'Veniens itaque in urbe, qua diciturl e' Du . Urbs . . , here probabl same th es meaninyha Iriss ga h cathair,e th n i later sens f 'monastieo c city' Skene'e Se . s Fordun, (Historian3 n41 , f Scotlanso d series, vol iv, Edinburgh, 1872). No date is given for this Life. Cumulative evidence convincing tha E.Gn a t . monastic settlemen f somo t e sort existed here, at some period closely associated with Dunkeld. Probably secularised before it appears first in the documentary record, but possibly one original clerical family survived in 1270. Nothing potentially E.G. seen in or around old graveyard and parish church, presumably the focus of the early settlement. As at Fortingall, surviving evidence of much prehistoric and Dark Age occupation in the area. Dedication: St Adamnan. Well at NN 803490 in manse garden is Tobar Eodhnain'. Also Muileann (Mill) Eodhnai d Magnan h (Field) E6dhnain near Bridg f Balgio e Glen i e n Lyon; Fuaran (Well) E6dhrain (dialec Eodhnainr tfo ) near Grantull Strathtayn yi ; Ard-E6dhnaig on S side Loch Tay. tradition that St Adamnan stayed a great plague by planting his crozier at a spot near Craigianie. Near this spot is a small upright slab with a cross on either side. Knoll on which it stands is 'Tom a' Mh6id', the 'moot-knoll': CPNS, 270-1. Termon cross? The story suggests it. 3. . NN 781013 E.G. sculptured stones: ECM, in, 315-17. Early Sources, I, 177,288, (403): St Blane of Kingarth's chief seat (Mart. Oengus). Burnt Britony b s 843-58 (Chron. Kings'). Statemen Mart.n i t Oengus glosa s Lebori n Franciscan i si d an Brecc. S nM Apparently otheo n r source connects Blan Kingartf eo h with Dunblane (Early Sources, , 176-7)I . Moreover, glossator apparently uncomfortable abou equatioe th t reassertd nan s Blane's Kingarth origins immediately. Probably had no definite knowledge to go on and was simply trying to explain the placename. Easson, 193: lists of religious houses given by Gervase of Canterbury and Henry of Silgrave (see under Dunkeld) show Culdees under bishopric of Dunblane. Unreliable evidence, but Muthill, with its Culdee community (Easson, 191), was within diocese of Dunblane. See also Easson, 168. Placename 'Dunblane': Mart. Oengus 'Dus ha l Blaan' (Francisca 'dud an n ) blaannMS ' MACDONALD AND LAING: EARLY ECCLESIASTICAL SITE SCOTLANDN SI 3 13 , PAR| I TI (Lebor Brecc): '? Blane's meadow' and 'Blane's fort' respectively. Other early forms (XII AD on) see mhavo t e 'Dun-' consistently alse oSe . CPNS, 164. Nothing potentially Early Christian seen. Fair amoun f prehistorio t c materia around an n i dl Dunblane. Roman temporary camp site t Hillsidesa , centre Nn do N 7700. . Dunkeld,4 t 'sS Cathedral. 02342O N 5 Early Sources, i, 262, 279, 296, 305, 471, 472-3, 569, 576-7, 581, 583, 584: apparently founded by Constantine King of the Picts (died 820): (Chron. Picts DFK(H), Fordun). Kenneth mac Alpin built a church and transferred some of Columba's here, 849 (Chron. Kings). Obits of abbots at 865, 873 (Irish Annals). Burned by Norse 903^4 (Chron. Kings). Abbot Duncan killed 965 (Chron. Kings, Annals of Ulster). Completely burned, 1027 (Irish Annals). Crinan abbot (Prose Verse& Chrons., Irish Annals, Chron. Kings, Fordun) killed 1045 (Irish Annals). Early Sources, n, 56: Ethelred, son of Malcolm III, abbot 1093-1107. Abbot Dunca possibls nwa y ancesto f Crinano r . Crina apparentls nwa y fathe f Kino r g Duncan. Easson, 192: Culdees mentioned by Gervase of Canterbury (-1216) and Henry of Silgrave (c 1272). Litany supposedly use they db m only survive XV-XVn si versionD IA . Accordino gt Myln (XVI AD), David I superseded Culdees by bishop and canons c 1127, bishop for a time being also abbot. Rights of 'abbacy' reserved in charter of David I, c 1150. Monastery possibly secularised, with lay abbots, during XI AD. No good evidence for Culdees here at all. E.G. incise sculptured dan d stones: ECM, in, 317-19, 342; Stuart, ; (1867)2 2 . no , 6 p1 i pi 68. Nothing potentially E.G. seen. Possible for King'tn o (sit ) eof 008429s O SeaN t a t . . Fortingall,5 Parish Church. 74147N N 0 B.C. sculptured stones: ECM, 508-10, HI . B.C. bell, (extant) AndersonJ : (1879), 180-81. Placename 'Duneaves 74846N N t . Lyobena n '8R i oppositf n dno o e side: CPNS, 247-8. Contains Old Irish nemed, Gaulish , etc, originally pagan sanctuary - tribal meeting place; taken over by early Church. Appears in meaning 'church', 'sanctuary'. For useful brief discussion and other instances: CPNS, 244-50. Nothing potentially E.G. seen in or around graveyard. Surviving evidence of occupation of all periods around Fortingall. Dedication: perhaps Coeddi, bisho lonaf po , died 712: CPNS, 314. 1. Cathedral. NH 797896 Easson, , 16794 , 193: ear f Orkneo l otherd yan s ordere Daviy d b respec o t dI t monkf so Dornoch, 1127-53 recoro .N monasterf do y her thit ea s date otherwise known. Possibly reference to Celtic foundation, whose (former) existence may have been reason for placing see of here. List religiouf so s houses give Gervasy nb Canterburf eo Henrd yan Silgravf yo e (see under Dunkeld) show Culdees under bishopri Caithnessf co unreliablt Bu . e evidence. Original parish church dedicated to St Barr. Still existed in whole or part in late XVI or early XVII AD, when removed or destroyed. Stood about middle of town 'beside the cross still standing' and on site of former council-house and prison removed 1813. St Barr's cemetery 134 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1969-70 XVId mentionean I ADXV boundinn di g charters: partl r whollyo y gone t Barr'S . s Fair still held here in XVII AD :OPS, 2, n, 597, 623. See also Macfarlane, u, 439-40; in, 103^. Cathedral churchyard at one time unenclosed: public road passed through it at end of XVIII AD: OPS, loc cit, 645. Vague case: apart from Easson's references, only further possible evidence is dedication parisd ool f h church, whic havy hema preceded Cathedral E.Go t , . . Oval shap cathedraf eo l graveyard moder coincidentad nan l (see above). Nothing potentially E.G. seen otherwise. 2. Old Burial Ground, Grumbeg, Loch Naver. NC 634383 Two probable E.G. cross-slabs: RCAHMS, Sutherland, nos 250, 251. Burial ground of Mackays of Aberach: RCAHMS, loc cit. Grumbeg depopulated townshi pmentione N jus o t t d (name only): Macfarlane, , 188I . Show patcs na arablf ho e wit distinguishablo hn e building f 174 Roy'o n so 7p (OS)sma . Marked quit Sutherlanf o e p prominentlma A d (1845)NS n yo . 'A shepherd's House sidsituateN e th n di of Public Road SE of "Cam Gruama '"; ONE (1873). Burial ground on rocky knoll, littered with slab-covered graves. Nothing potentially E.G. seen. Cross-slabs not seen. Surviving remains suggest substantial populatioIroe nAg Locn no h StrathNaven i d an r- naver.

FI G1 Kildona n Church, Sutherlan3 . dno

Tobar Claish Mhartai r Tobano r Martai 633385C MackayA N v t na Re : , Historyf o Province of Cat, (1914) PSAS,; 34 , XLII (1907-8) . Shepher,94 t Grumbedt a i t knod no an wd t i g di was not found (OS 1961). MACDONAL LAINGD DAN : EARLY ECCLESIASTICAL SITE SCOTLANDN SI , PARI TI 135 3. Kildonan Church, (fig 1). NC 909207 Placename: Kelduninach 1223-45; Kyldonach 1226; Kyldonane 1332; Kyldonan 1371, etc: OPS, u, ,2 734-42. Parish churc apparentld hha y always stoo presenn do t site; existing building apparently c 1786. Was prebend of abbot of Scone as canon of Dornoch: OPS, loc cit. 'Crois' at NC 901234: site of cross incised on projecting rock on E side of road up strath. Cross sai havo dt e existed formerl faceentirelw W S no : n yo obliterated. Sai havo dt e marked N boundary of sanctuary of Kildonan: RCAHMS, Sutherland, no. 376. No trace (OS 1961). 'Clach nah-uaighe' (cross-incised monolith) at NC 910210: RCAHMS no. 377. Doubtfully E.G. Large hollow stone, destroyed in XVIII AD, stood 'halfway between Kildonan and Helms- knows wa dale Donan's d na an ' s Chai r Seatro : OSA. Figur f rudeleo y carved stone head, calle 'Abbot'e dth s Head' garden i , n wal mansef o l : trac o 1961S n NSA.e(O w , 1968)No . 906210C N t a ' : indeterminatTigAb n ha e remains under turf: presumably connected with abbots of Scone, if ancient. Within older half of present graveyard are distinct traces of an earlier, irregularly shaped enclosure, having churc Nn hi E well-defineds cornera W d . an Visibl ,N raisen eo d ledge about slopes a E S , quitd an ehight f E pronounce 1 n o ; cornerE S n d i sid S , e lost under modern wall; SW corner vague, with what appears to be subsidiary ridge running off to S. Raised area at E end of church suggests earlier occupation. Slight evidenc other efo r (?)E.C. occupatio vicinityn i : Coille Cill a'Mhuir 903228C N t ea : no definite information; supposed chapel site SW of Kildonan station; Kilearnan or Kilournan 929189C N t a sito :n e known; cross-incised standing 89252349 stonC N t ea : RCAHMS . 380no . Considerable Iron Age and later (pre-Clearance) occupation in Strath of Kildonan. St Donan's Fair held at Kildonan in XVII AD: Macfarlane, in, 104.

N

FIG 2 Navidale burial ground, Sutherland no. 4 136 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1969-70 4. Site ofSt Ninian's Chapel and burial ground, Navidale (fig 2). ND 042161 Placename 'Navidale': Gaelic 'Neimhe' dail'; Nevindell 1563: nemed and Norse dalr, 'dale': CPNS, 250. Was sanctuary here: Sir Robert Gordon, Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland (1813), 3. (XVII AD MS) Chapel burnt 1556: OPS, 2,11, 737. Suppose havo dt e bee Ninian't nS s Wel pasturn o l e stretc shorn ho e nearby traco N . e (OS). No remains of chapel, but apparently burnt stones turned up while gravedigging within recent past (local information - no further details). Roughly oval mounded area (dotted line in , extendinfi2) g g over muc f interioho f modero r n hexagonal graveyard (with whose wallt i s merges on NW and SE), may represent outline of an earlier enclosure. (Modern walls clearly built to obtain maximum area on promontory.) Slab leaning against wall inside graveyard bore one recognisable Pictish symbol and traces of another. Now in Dunrobin Museum. (See below, Appendix.)

t Columba'sS . 5 Chapel (Site of), Oldtown, Loch Brora. 85009C N 0 Chape t 'Kilcalmkila l Strathbroran Pi Roberr Si : t Gordon citp . o ,3 , Was village called Kilchalumkil sidN f Loceo n o l h Brora digginn I . g some ground there a cemetery was found, containing large human bones. 'At some little distance from it, a year or two ago', stone cross foun linn higdf o e o h wherp roadu t ese ; founseene stilb d o dan :t l OSA. Nothing remaine n 1872di . Stone with cros d 'othean s r fragments sculptured upon it' found in vicinity of site c 1825. Also mention of cist with cover in which large human bones found, adjacen siteo t t : ONB. t Columba'S s chape Mackay A well d v an l Re : , History of Province t (1914)Ca . f o 33 , Attac authenticitn ko f namyo s giveea Gordony nb , loc citScottB :A , Pictish Nation (1914), 384 refso N . . Name accepte Watsony db : CPNS, 280. definito N e trace supposef so d chapel found traco N . e cist t remainbu , cairf so position i n of siting symbol (OS 1961). Remain f footing o rectangulaso tw f o s r building othed an s r walling, much trampley db cattle. Character of remains very doubtful: probably steading. But, in view of reports of human bone cross(es)d san , probabl burias ywa l ground t chapelno f i , timee , heron ,t ea whateve s it r name. Watson, loc cit: only site in east called 'Cill Chaluim Chille'.

6. Burial Ground and Red Priest's Stone, Skail, . NC 714472 Cross incised stone: RCAHMS, Sutherland, . 256no ; ECM, . Illustratein55 , PSAS,n di v (1862-4), 359. PSAS,refert ci gravc o st lo e slabs. Cross-ston buriaf o d e lstooen groundE t da . Apparently a chapel here: OPS, 2, n, 708. See also PSAS, vii (1866-8), 271-2. 'Red Priest's Temple' nearby: RCAHMS, Sutherland, no. 233. Denuded chambered cairn. Example and warning of how local tradition can disintegrate. Burial groun smalls di , uneven grass are cornen ai f arablo r e field significano N . t shape, enclosuren a sigo n f stones no w d fe an A ., possibly land-gathered, visibl middlen ei andw no ,, is cross-stone. Much has clearly been washed away by river and also been ploughed out. Two broch vicinityn si othen o , r sid riverf eo . MACDONALD AND LAING: EARLY ECCLESIASTICAL SITES IN SCOTLAND, PART II | 137 Dedication: probably St Maelrubha. Founded monastery of , c 673: Early Sources, i, 181, 183. Died 722: loc cit i, 219-20. Confusion of second element of his name with Gaelic ruadh, 'red'.

ROSS AND CROMARTY t Bennet's1S . Chapel (Site of), Navity. 79165H N 0 Placename 'Navity': CPNS, 249-50: nemed. churcs Wa h land: CPNS, citc lo . 'The only vestiges are a heap of stones and a grassy mound. Near it stood a stone trough ... destroyed about the year 1745': OPS, 2, n, 560. Nothing known. No local knowledge of it. St Bennet's Well at NH 792650. Still used as rag-well (OS 1966). traco N f anythineo 6-iS O n t sitinga g symbol. Landowne rfoun d kneha f t sitdwo ebu nothing.

2. Rosemarkie, Parish Church. NH 737576 B.C. sculptured stones: ECM, in, 63-8, 85-8. Early , 205Sources,95 , , 21119 , I t Molua:S f Lismorgo e burie t Boniface'S n di s church here, c 592 (Brev Aber). St Kiritinus built 'a notable temple' here in reign of ?Nechtan IV, King of Picts c 706-24 (Life of Kiritinus in Acta Sanctorum; cf Brev Aber). Possibly same as bishop Curetan (who attended Synod of Birr, 697), who in turn may be Curitanus of Irish martyrologies. Later writers: Curitanu Bonifacs= e (Kiritinus, Curitanu Bonifacd san e have same feast-dan yo 16th March). Early Christia fron npi m Rosemarkie: e chronologStevenson th , 'Pin K d an sB f R ,yo brochs', PPS, xxi (1955), 282-94; pin illustrated in fig A, no. 21, p 284; probably VII AD. Easson, 193: lists of religious houses given by Gervase of Canterbury and Henry of Silgrave (see under Dunkeld) show Culdees under bishopric of Ross. Cf Tain. But unreliable evidence. See also Easson, 170. Bishopric of Ross sometimes called bishopric of Rosemarkie down to middle of XIII AD: OPS, , n2 , 568. Nothing potentially E.G. seen. Dedication t Boniface)S d t PeteS :an ? r( : (ACD). 3. Shandwick, Balintore. NH 855747 B.C. sculptured stone 'Clach A'Charridh' (NSA): ECM, in, 68-73. Apparentl situ.n yi Walls of chapel here nearly entire towards end of XVIII AD: OS A. Burial ground last used 1832. Ploughed dow n1885c : PS, xxiAS n (1888-9), 442 NSA,t .Bu 1836: not used within fifty years. Stone coffin with skull and other human bones found c 1954 while laying pipe at NH 85557463 (OS). No trace of anything now except stone, which still stands. Dedication: unknown.

t DuthusS . 4 1 Chapel, Tain. 78582H N 2 Early Sources, : 'Dubthac10 , n Scote hchieth e th , f confesso Irelanf Scotland'f o ro d dan , die t Armagda h 1065 (Irish Annals). 'St. Duthacus, bisho confessor'd pan f noblo , e Scottish birth, educate Irelandn di , made chief bisho Scotlandf po . Churc citf ho Dornocf yo Barr'st h(S ) mentioned in legend. '. . . he is held in the very greatest honour and veneration in the church of 138 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1969-70 definit o samee n t th d bu e, an connection ' Taie (Brev. . on n. e b Aber). y . DubthacMa t no ha uncommon early Irish name. Girt Tainf ho , marke fouy b rt crossesdou , appear havo st e been roughly co-extensive with bounds of parish. 'Clais na Comraich' - 'Hollow of the Girth or Sanctuary' - at the 'Canary' on S boundary of parish towards Scotsburn, may have been site of one cross. 'Crois Caitrion' - 'Catherine' Locf o s CrosshN Eyeo havt y - ' ,ema been another WatsonJ W : , Place Namesf o Ross Cromartyd an (1904), 32-3 alse .Se o OPS, 428-32, II , 2 . St Duthac's bell: keeper paid 1505 when Jame madV sI e pilgrimag eTaino t t Duthac'S . s Crozier: borne before James IV at Tain 1506. Neither survive, so whether E.G. or not unknown: J Anderson (1879), 213, 226. r CuldeeFo s under bishopri Rossf co undee se , r Rosemarkie. Evidence for this being an E.G. foundation not conclusive. Ruined XII parisD A I h church (Eccl Arch Scot, n, 537-8) within graveyardf o p to n o , natural knolwhicf o - lh several mor dunen ei s her e- shape burialsy db . Nothing potentially E.G. seen.

. Tarbat5 Parish Church. 91484H N 0 E.G. sculptured stones: ECM, in, 73-5, 88-95. Viking silver hoard associated with line of hewn stones at 5-6 ft depth and apparently laid nearly E-W (i.e. parallel with walls of both church and churchyard) in churchyard, a few yards fro mgateE : PSAS, xxm (1888-9), 314-17 SheteliH ; g (ed), Viking Antiquities Greatn i Britain Ireland,d an . n Pt (1940) , 109-10. Description in PSAS, loc cit suggests that remains of an earlier enclosure wall found. XVIII AD churc verhn i y uneven graveyard. Nothing potentially E.G. seen. Dedication: a St Colman: (ACD). .

ANGUS 1. Benvie Church. NO 328314 E.G. sculptured stone: ECM, in, 247-9. Parish church dedicated 1243: Early Sources, n, 524. W wal f churco l h partially standing; outline visibl s platfora e sidN f roughlen o m o y square graveyard. Graveyard probably rationalised portio f earlieno r enclosure, since church platform nearly reaches wall on E. Nothing potentially E.G. seen. Dedication: unknown.

2. Eassie Church. NO 352474 E.G. sculptured stone: ECM, in, 218-19. Parish church dedicated 1246: Early Sources, n, 526. Ruined church, probably partl r whollyo y rebuil I Alatn ti D eXV (Hay ArchitectureG , f o Scottish post-Reformation Churches (1957), 32)buriad an , l ground poinn o , f spuo t r overlooking Eassie burn. Nothing potentially E.G. seen. Dedication: St Brendan: Forbes, Kalendars of Scottish (1872), 287; St Fergus: Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae, (1925)5 , 259; ACD, 212. Possibly discrepanc unioo t e f Eassinyo du e MACDONAL LAINGD DAN I EARLY ECCLESIASTICAL SITE SCOTLANDN SI , PAR | 13 I TI 9 with Nevay: dedication of Nevay now lost, but one of two saints may originally have belonged there: see under Nevay.

N

STONE

Peter't S FI G3 s Church, Angu3 . sno

3. St Peter's Church, Invergowrie (fig 3). NO 350301 E.G. sculptured stones: ECM, in, 255-7. Ruined XVI AD parish church (Eccl Arch Scot, in, 454-5) on top of low natural knoll, with burn runnin . GrounN g o clost dy e b configuration suggests occupation build-up under church. Knoll enclosed at base by wall to form roughly oval graveyard. This possibly the outline of E.G. enclosure, thoug E.Go hn . structural remains seewald nan l modern Nevayf .C . 4. Monifieth, Parish Church. NO 495323 E.G. sculptured stones: ECM, in, 228-30, 265; Stuart, (1867)2 , pi 123; PSAS, LXII (1927-8), 226-7. ECM no. 1, originally Class II gravestone sculptured on both broad faces, has secondarily been intended to serve as corner post for corner-post shrine. Slot in narrow side has been com- pleted, but that on broad face apparently has not: may have been cause of fracture at base of this face. Easson, 191: charter of 1242-3 refers to the land which the Culdees held (c 1214-42) on sidS f churceo f Monifiethho . Implies recent disappearanc f Culdeeseo . Nicholas 'abbotf o ' Monifiet witness a beed s ha hn wa e grante.H d 'abthein Monifietf o ' h 1220. 'Michael de Monifuth' is 'dominus' of 'abbathania' of Monifieth 1310: Arbroath, i, 278. When old church pulled down 1812, some remains of 'Culdee edifice' discovered when laying new church foundations. A few yards N of glebe is huge block of stone (estimated at four whicf o tons)p hcross-socketa to n i , E.Gf o e . stoneOn . s formerly stoo: NSA.it n di Nothing potentially B.C. seen. This par Anguf to s coas hinterland tan bees dha n occupied since Mesolithic times. Dedication t ReguluS : s (ACD). 5. Cemetery, Inchbraoch I, Montrose. NO 709567 E.C. sculptured stones: ECM, in, 223-4, 254-5. Parish church dedicated 1243: Early Sources, 11, 524. Sit f churco e h understooe b o t d 140 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1969-70 where present vault stands: foundations have been discovered roun : ONEdlocait d an l informa- tion (OS). Nothing potentially E.G. r arounseeo n i d cemetery. Dedication t BrioS : c (ACD).

FIG 4 Nevay Church, Angus no. 6

. Nevay6 Church, Kirkinch 31244O N (fi . g14) Placename 'Nevay': 'Nevyth': CPNS, 247: nemed. Ruined parish church, probably partl r whollyo y (Hay rebuilD A , I latn loi t ecXV cit), on top of natural knoll enclosed at base by wall to form roughly oval enclosure. Ground con- churcf o figuratiod hen suggestE t na s earlier occupation slopN . knolf e o bees ha l n artificially scarped, probably when trees were planted along N side of wall, and all headstones removed here. Comments as for Invergowrie. Placename 'Nevay' scattered liberally on ridge running NNE from Henderston Hill and aroun slopedW groune thaf sth o n t o dridg d slopinean Nd gWan dow froN o nmt Kinpurney Hill: N, E and W Nevay, Kirkton of Nevay, Nevay Park, Gateside of Nevay, etc. Unfinished hillfort on Kinpurney Hill at NO 322417: RCAHMS, , I, xxv. The nemeton probably lay in general area indicate modery db n placenames. Dedication: the St Neveth or Nevydd given by e.g. Fasti Eccl Scot, 5, 259 is, of course, ghost arising from old form of placename: see CPNS, loc cit. See under Eassie.

MORAY

1. Birnie Parish Church (fig 5). NJ 206587 B.C. incised and sculptured stones: ECM, ill, 118, 136-7. B.C. bell (extant): Joseph Anderson, (1879)I , 177-8. In XII AD Birnie was apparently one of the seats of the bishop of . The XHAD church stands on top of natural knoll in centre of oval enclosure which forms graveyardd ol . Wal f thio l s intact, excep sideN n ,o t where removed when graveyard extended, t traceablbu e her banks ea . Wal question i l n modersigo n earlief no d nan r structural remains, but possibly preserves outline of E.G. enclosure. MACDONALD AND LAING: EARLY ECCLESIASTICAL SITES IN SCOTLAND, PART II | 141

FIG 5 Bimie Church, Moray no. 1

Dedication: St Brendan postulated probably on analogy of Kilbirnie etc. Doubtful: Birnie is 'Brennach' before 1200: Gaelic braonach, moisa t place: CPNS, 189. Surrounding land flat fairld an y low-lying. 2. Church (site of), Pulvrenan, Knockando. NJ 202421 E.G. incised stones said to be from here: ECM, m, 127-8. No certaio wn n trace sit f groundsn o eo naturat ,bu l ledg slopinn ei g groun probabls dha y been artificially levelled. Pulvrena 6-iS nn(O sheet: Tool Veriner') probably 'Poll Bhreunainn' 'St Brendan's Pool'.

INVERNESS-SHIRE 1. Annat, Beauly. NH 506438 Placename 'annat': CPNS, 250-4. Discussio othed nan r instances. 'Groam f Annat)(o ' : 'bog, marshy ground': CPNS, 379-80. No church site or old burial ground known locally. Farms continue name. Fort at NH 514448.

2. Supposed site of St Niniarfs Chapel, Temple Pier, Urquhart. NH 529300 E.G. cross-slab from here: Mackay, Urqhuart and (1893), illus. 385. Hill above Temple Pier to N is Creag Nay: Gaelic 'Creag Neimhidh': CPNS, 249: nemed. 'Temple' suggests that chapel originally called 'teampull Gaelicn i ' . Form placenamf so Macfarlane n eshoi A wNS d thaan tgenuinel a thit sno y early Kil- name. Chapel in use till at least Sept 1556: Transactions of the Inverness Scientific Society and Field Club, 3 (1885), 103. 'Kil Saint Ninian' and its healing well: Macfarlane, 11,172. Ruins existed 1763n i : Mackay citc lo ,, stils 435 publia l Wa . c burial groun t 'Cill-Santninianda ' 1835: NSA. 142 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1969-70 Near chapel wer treesh eas rag-welo , stil tw operatio n i ld an l n 1885: Trans. Inverness SS andFC, 2 (1882), 166-7 (1885)3 ; , 103; Mackay, loc cit, illu336p sop . No trace of site, but monolith by roadside said to mark site of finds made during road widening. Well still exist roadsidy sb yard thisf w o fe se.E a Site probably destroyed totally when road built.

ABERDEENSHIRE

. Dyce,1 Church ruins'),n (i formerly Chapel t oFergus.S f J 87515N 4 B.C. incised and sculptured stones: ECU, in, 163-4, 189-90; PSAS, XLV (1910-11), 333-7. Ruined pre-Reformation parish church in use till 1872: PSAS, loc cit. Site at W side of landward end of sharp bend in River Don. Nothing potentially B.C. seen.

2. Rhynie, Church (site of) (AD 1700). NJ 499264 B.C. incised stones fro churcd mol neighbourhoo d han Rhynief do : ECM, in, 182-4; Stuart, (1856)1 l ClasAl t necessaril. sI stones8 , no , p7 id an , y Christian camx si ef . o froOnl o mytw insid buriad eol l ground thosd an , e from churcfabrid ol f co h when demolished 1878 havy :ema been brough buildingr fo n ti . Known provenanc othef eo r four (one stil situ)n li probably original sites and well away from graveyard. Suggests that site of old church represents Christian founda- tion which replaced earlier burial ground. parisd Ol h churc t LuaS f hgo demolished 1823 (bu abovee se t : abandone unroofed?d dan ) when present church built. Supposedly built c 1700: ONB. But 1620 bell from church, now in school, indicates earlier church: PSAS, xci (1957-8), 102-3. Medieval grav adjacend ean t stone coffin agains wal W tf graveyar o l 1967)S d(O . Nothing potentially B.C. seen. Intensive prehistoric occupation from Neolithic onward around an n si d Rhynie indicated by remain ' Not o finds d p shan Ta .vitrifie 484293J awar dN fa t fort ya no t. St Moluag's Stone at foot of Tap o' Noth at NJ 484290.

BANFFSHIRE Cathedral (remains of), Mortlach Parish Church. J 32339N 2 E.G. incise sculptured dan d stones: ECM, m, 155-6; PSAS, LX (1925-6), 274-8. Malcolm II created bishopric c 1011-12 in gratitude for victory over Norwegians [1005] at place nearby (Fordun; also in Boece). Spurious or suspect charters attribute founda- tion to Malcolm III, 1063, and removal of see to Aberdeen by David I, 1125. See Early Sources I, 433, 525; Easson, 167; Hector Boece, Lives of the Bishops of Mortlach and Aberdeen, New Spalding Club (1894), xm-xiv discussior fo 0 13 ,refsd nan . 'villa mmonasteriut e murthillacme d quinqum hcu e ecclesii territ se s eisdem pertinentibus': .REA, i, 6, 85: bull of Adrian IV, 1157, confirming possessions of church of Aberdeen: Easson, 195. Professor Charles Thoma pointes conversation sha i t dou n that 'monasterium' t thia s period need only mean 'church' t herBu .e only Mortlac Cabracd calledho an s e har : other churches listed are called 'ecclesia'. And fact that Mortlach has five churches attached to it suggests larger foundation. Gilbert de Strivelyn, bishop of Aberdeen c 1228-c 1239, immediately after election,had. to MACDONALD AND LAING: EARLY ECCLESIASTICAL SITES IN SCOTLAND, PART II | 143 recover certain lands of Bras (Birse) and Cloveth (Cabrach), whose revenues had been lost to see 'per improbos quosdam montanos'. Richar Pottone dd , bisho p1258-c c 1272similad ha , r trouble from 'montani de Cloueth et Murthlac': Boece, loc cit, 11-12, 14. Boece's testimony by itsel highls i f ySimpson'D unreliableW r D st suggestiobu , n (Province of Mar (1943), 108-9) that thi genuins i e recor troublf do e among Celtic population, where Celtic religious foundations existed ha d until comparatively stil o recentllwh objected yan ecclesiasticao dt l innovationss i , attractive. But perhaps too long a time is involved for local feeling still to be running high: before 1157-after 1228. Cumulative evidence strong for E.G. monastic foundation of some kind here. Story of pre-1100 bishopric has no reliable support, but may embody genuine tradition of such in area before foundation of Aberdeen: see Introduction. Nothing potentially E.G. seen. Dedication: St Moloch (?Moluag): John Leslie, bishop of Ross, De Origins, Moribus, et Rebus Gestis Scotorum, Rome (1578), 203. Priest's Well at NJ 322391 is St Moluag's Well: / Anderson, I, 193.

KINCARDINESHIRE Church (site of), St Cyrus. NO 745639 Early Sources, i, 363-4: St Cyricus apparently regarded as patron saint of King Giric (878-89): church of St Cyricus at Ecclesgreig (now St Cyrus) may have been founded in his reign. A church of St Cyricus existed here in time of King William (1165-1214); a church was dedicated Cyricut S o t s her e'Ste 1242th . Englaciusf C . , abbot, patro Ceruet n a dioces e th n si Aberdeenf eo ' (Brev Aber). But see CPNS, 318-20. 'Terra abbaci e Eglesgirg'd e t Andrews,S : 229 (charte0 ,23 f Kino r g William). Same: t Andrews,S (confirmatio4 23 Alexandef no r II). Presumabl y(defuncta ) E.G. house havinn ga 'apdaine': cf Dull, Dunkeld, Monifieth. Parish church till 1632. Near the burial ground, a building ('from its dimensions, internal divisions and situation, it was undoubtedly the residence of the ministers in ancient times'), whic beed hha n covere sandy duncoveres b wa , erosioy db n some years before 1794: OS. A Well dedicate saino dt t near church: Fasti Eccl Scot, , 481 5 loca o N . l information about it (OS 1967). Nothing potentially E.G. seen in or around old burial ground. Probable site of church indicated by a platform in turf, well covered by burial enclosures. Dedication: 'ecclesiam sancti cirici de eglesgirg': St Andrews, 218; 'ecclesia sancti Cyrici Martiris de Eglisgirg': loc cit, 348.

APPENDIX Three Early Christian Stones 1. Navidale burial ground, Navidale, Sutherland (See entry above) (pi 11) Clas I sPictis h Symbol Stone stone undressen a Th .s ei d rectangular sla f locaSandbd o Re l - stone, which has been split along the bedding plane, resulting in the appearance of a thin, dressed slab. base sides anglth e fracturedn s ei stona e th d t th a eo ,an t f s estone i o p Th . eto measuree Th averagen s(o ) 3 ft 2 in by 1 ft 6 in. On it is incised a 'cauldron' symbol, and a possible unfinished 'Pictish elephant'. This, together with the fact that the stone shows traces of tooling towards the base, suggests that it is an unfinished work, produced at or near the site where it was found. 144 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1969-70 . Kirkmuirhill,2 Fragmen cross-shaftf o t . Sandstone, decorate thren do e facesston e bace th bees f Th e.kha o n con- siderably damaged by tooling, but there are traces of deep drilling where interlace decoration has been removed (pi 12). The fragment measures 21 in by 17 in by 9 in (at its widest). As with no. 1 it is possible that thiunfinishen pars a si f to d monument certainls stone wa Th .t local i s ei yd carve,an d nea site reth of its discovery. It was found while ploughing just below the surface of a low mound in a bend in the river Nethan about ten years ago by Mr T McGinley. No NCR is available. The pronounce a shaf s ha t d probabls entasiswa d yan , fairly squat, surmounte solia y ddb wheel- head. On the front is a panel of angular and not very competent interlace, between two bands of chain decoratio unequaf no l sidwidthse eon thern panea O . s e i simila f lo othere interlaceth knorn a o d t an , pattern, with trace finf so e interlace betwee cordse nth . For the closest parallel, see Collingwood, W G Northumbrian Crosses of the Pre-Norman Age (1927), fig 167, p 148 (Burnsall) where the same type of vertebral or chain pattern appears. It would seem to occur first in the mid-tenth century and to last for about a century. For other parallels see Colling- wood, op cit, fig 75 (Hackness), fig 68 (Closeburn), figs 6-11 (Whithorn), fig 81 (Hexham), fig 57 (Jedburgh) and fig 217 (Kirkby Grindalythe). s maiIt n interes face t th liet n thai s tEarlo thern e ye ar Christia n stone f thiso s type from this par f Lanarkshireo t onle th ,y others fro Counte mth y having bee , notablnN foune Govae th y th o dt n Group. The Kirkmuirhill stone is closer in style to the Whithorn School, though the median groove of the strands of interlace, a common feature of the Whithorn stones, is absent. For a discussion of the comparabl ScottisW eS h stones Radfordf c , , CAR, 'The Early Churc Strathclydn hi 'd ean , Med Arch, xi (1967), 105-26, esp. 124-6.

. Dull,3 (See entry above) (fi) 6 g Irregular slab of mica schist split along the bedding plane, and utilised without dressing as a cross- incises i slabt i n dsimpla .O e cross linee ,th s formin beint gi g pecke witt dou h fairly broad irregular grooves.

FIG 6 Cross-slab, Dull, Perthshire MACDONAL LAINGD DAN : EARLY ECCLESIASTICAL SITE SCOTLANDN SI 5 14 , | PAR I TI Trace rin a discernible e f gso ar . This typ monumenf eo notoriousls i t y difficul Wale r dato t tfo e- s Nash- Williams vert suggesteno y n adequat o ADt X datI da bu , d ee an betwee evidencI VI e nth e (Nash-Williams, Early Christian Monuments of Wales (1950), 20). For a further discussion, see Thomas, A C 'An Early Christian Cemeter Chaped yan Ardwaln o l l Isle, Kirkcudbright', Med Arch, xi (1967), 127-88 passim. The stone was found in a garden some couple of hundred yards from the church. It measures 3s thicn i ^i averaged n ko an 12 y , b iabouin n .i 7 2 t