Picture of Saint Fillan's Crozier.

The Early Church
in Northern Scotland

(A Cushnie Enterprises Presentation)

Fàilte oirbh gu saoghal na Seann Eaglaise ann an Ceann a Tuath.

(Welcome to the world of the ancient Church in the North of Scotland.)

Pictish Greyhound Photograph of Elgin Cathedral West Front His brother!

Above: The West Front of Elgin Cathedral which
Celebrates its 800th Anniversary this year - 2024.

The Early Church in the North of Scotland (ECNS) is a ground-breaking and exciting Cushnie Enterprises Presentation which seeks to introduce the reader to the fascinating history of the Early Church in this part of the country - from the beginnings of Christianity, through the era of the First Reformation of St Margaret, and ending with the Second Reformation of c.1560.

What we present is of importance to genealogists, students of early church history, archaeologists, priests, teachers, patriots, and all those who share an interest in the sometimes mysterious history of Christianity in these ancient lands. Life in medieval Scotland can not be properly understood without a knowledge of the Early Church.

ECNS also introduces the reader to some of the Early Saints who first brought Christianity to the Pictish tribespeople here in the north-east of Scotland, and places these people alongside details and images of their churches. You will also find articles which relate to the Pictish King List, the Abbots of Iona, the Book of Deer, and other items of a more general nature which relate to the ecclesiastical history of the period. You will even find essays about our 'cousins' - the Early Church in Norway!

SITE NEWS

18/08/2023 - Added new page on the Blackfriars Friary in Elgin.
23/08/2023 - Added page on the Leper Hospital at Elgin.
09/09/2023 - Added pages on the Elgin Maison Dieu and the lands of Manbeen and Pittendreich which once belonged to it.
18/09/2023 - Published a re-print of an article describing the Church of the Greyfriars at Elgin before it was renovated. Included are three particularly fine architectural drawings, made to scale, and dated c.1891.
22/09/2023 - Completed a substantial portfolio describing the Parish and Church of Elgin.
21/10/2023 - Upgraded all the pages on the Saints of the Early Church to enhance ther delivery on modern browsers.
06/12/2023 - Added details regarding the supposed church beside Burgie Castle (Kilbuyak Castle) in the parish of Alves.
06/12/2023 - Just a reminder to our many readers that ECNS makes extensive use of the "Viking-Normal" and "Kingthings Calligraphica 2" fonts and, to get "the full experience" on our site, we would urge you to install these fonts on your own machine. (We refrained from adding code that would automatically download these fonts to your device.)
04/03/2024 - Made available a scanned copy of "Narratives and Extracts from the Records of the Presbytery of Ellon, 1607 - 1628." This is an important resource for students of the history of this Presbytery immediately following the Reformation. Ellon Presbytery comprised Ellon, Udny, Tarves, Methlick, Logie, Cruden, Foveran, and Slains.

If you turn to our most recent work about the Church in the medieval dioceses of Moray, Ross, Caithness, Aberdeen and Orkney, you will be taken into the world of these early Christian communities: the mechanics of diocesan organization; the lands associated with the native churches and their associated chapels; the unparalleled beauty of the Liturgy that echoed through the sacred spaces that these early peoples created. In particular, we have established a photographic database of the medieval churches in Moray and are working on similar versions for the other northern dioceses. Moray has a considerable wealth of architectural 'jewels', such as Barevan, Birnie, Altyre and Duffus, and we hope that you will enjoy reading about them and viewing the images.

This is not a specifically Christian site (i.e. a site specifically for Christians) ... it is a site for all those who are interested in this facet of Scotland's ancient history, those who are proud of this country's heritage, and those who have a leaning towards understanding the reality of life at the dawn of the historical period. Our authors are all passionate about the subject and have many years of academic research behind them. Their backgrounds are varied, ranging from ordained priests who have exercised some of the highest functions of the Church, to one who would be most comfortably described as an "agnostic Moslem"! We are not necessarily passionate about the Faith - but we are passionate about the history of the Faith here in "the north"!

(Press to select the era that you wish to explore.)

We encourage the use of material from our pages for non-profit purposes, but we would ask that you attach a 'link' back to this site, along with an acknowledgment of authorship, with any materials that you use.

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Please visit and support the new website of "Places of Worship in Scotland".
With its excellent, re-designed interface, it has entered the First Division of sources
providing information on over 11,000 Scottish sites, regardless of faith, denomination or present condition.

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