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Parish Church:   OS Ref: NGR NH 864093      H.E.S. No: NH80NE 17      Dedication: St Drostàn

Associated Chapels: Kinrara (St. Æth) {NGR: NH 869077} ; Lynchatt (St. Moluag) {NGR: NH 787020} ; Dunachton {NGR: NH 

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Barrow suggested that Alvie was an old thanage, perhaps having its centre in the dabhach of Dalnavert. It is also said that South Kinrara {NGR: NH 873073} and Dalnavert {NGR: NH 857064}, were what was commonly called Davochs of the Head, being the remaining portion of the MacIntoshes' property which formed part of the compensation given for the return of the head of William, 15th Laird of MacIntosh, who was beheaded by order of the then Earl of Huntly in 1550, when on a supposedly 'friendly' visit to Huntly Castle!¹²

The present church building was erected c.1768 on the site of an older church and it has been subject to alterations and re-building on a number of occastions since. It is of a simple rectangular design and is built of harled, coursed granite and is set within a circular rubble walled enclosure. Alvie Manse and the Glebe were purchased in 1936 and incorporated into the Alvie and Dalradie Estate.

 

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Charter Evidence .

1333 (26 April) At Finlarig, John, bishop of Moray, addresses a 'precept' to Cristino, Vicar Perpetual of Lochalveth. "By virtue of your firm obedience, we now command the full investiture and corporeal possession of the aforesaid church of Lochalveth, vacant by the resignation of Mr Aymer de Wenton, the rector of the church for a while, to Mr. John de Dichton, procurator of the chaplains of the aforesaid cathedral church of Elgin, with all the rights and possessions faithfully delivered by our authority, which we specially commit to you by the presents. In witness whereof we send you these letters sealed with our seal. Given: at Fyndlargis [Finlarig] on Monday, the morrow of the feast of the blessed Mark the Evangelist in the year of the Lord, 1333."²⁰

1350 (13 June) The Pope [Clement VI] confirms all that had been told him by John, bishop of Moray, including that Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, had given the patronage of the church of Lochalveth to the cathedral at Elgin in order to support the seventeen residential chaplains serving there.²⁵

1380 (14 July) Alexander Stewart, Lord of Badenoch, lieutenant of the north, signs a charter at Ruthven confiring that the lands of Rothiemurchus, Logykenny, Kingussie, Inche and Ardinche, and the chapels of Raitt, and Nachtan and the land of the church of Kincardine, are held of the King as are any other churches in the diocese of Moray.⁸⁰

1381 (28 October) By formal deed, the same Alexander, Lord of Badenoch (in time to become known as "the Wolf of Badenoch"), at his castle of Ruthven, quitclaims the lands of Logykenny, Ardynche (Ard-Inch), and the chapels of Raitt and Dunachton to the bishop of Moray, whilst in return, he received the vast domain of Rothiemurchus by assedation, dated at Elgin, 20th May 1383. Alexander had claimed that they were part of his lands of Badenoch whereas the bishop had claimed that they were episcopal lands.⁸²

 

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Other Churches and Chapels in the parish .

Kinrara {NGR: NH 869077} A chapel, sometimes called St Eda's [St Eata's] at one time existed in a burying ground close to the River Spey at Kinrara. Its site is now occupied by a granite monument erected to the memory of Lady Jane Maxwell, Duchess of Gordon.¹⁰⁰  It is said that the remains of the chapel were still visible before the interment, but replanting and trenching carried out since have removed all traces of it. Nothing is known of the foundation date or when the chapel fell out of use. Kinrara was sometimes referred to as a dabhach chapel on account of its location.
Alasdair Ross says "there were two dabhaichean here - Kinroraycht (Kinraramoir), which was part of the castle lands of Inverness; and Kinraranakyll (South Kinrara) which, by its name, is obviously linked with a church, but which also formed part of the castle lands of Inverness.¹⁰⁵

Lynchatt {NGR: NH 787020} "In Alvie parish, near the hamlet of Lynchatt, once stood a chapel dedicated to St. Moluag."¹¹⁰ Its site is still known as Croft-maluag or Chapelpark. which was probably part of the dabhach of Wester Rait. Shaw says that this chapel's location was known as, "the chapel of Macluach, at Belleville."¹¹⁵
The nearby House of Belleville is said to occupy the site of Rait Castle which was one of the chief ancient strongholds of the Comyn family in Badenoch.¹¹⁶

Dunachton {NGR: NH 823046} There is a record of a third chapel site called Dunachton,¹²⁰ and it is said to have been 'dedicated' to St. Drostan. Most consider that this chapel stood here from a very early historical period. It was located where there is now a small burial ground, between the railway and the highway, the surrounding field being known as the Chapel Field.¹²⁵ It is the Capella de Nachtan mentioned in 1380. The burial-ground was enclosed by a stone wall in the mid-19th century, and a mock ruin was built by Mackintosh of Moy, by whom it is kept as a family burial ground.
Dunachton has a most ancient history. It was the caput of an extensive barony which stretched from the River Spey over the mountains, across the valley of the Dulnain on to the Monadhliath Mountain range, and onwards to the watershed of the River Findhorn. This vast estate was the home of Clan Mackintosh for hundreds of years and there was a castle built at Dunachton which was destroyed, as was the House of Dunachton that was built as a replacement. Eventually, thistoo was replaced by Dunachton Lodge. In later times, when one of the lairds purchased a residence in Inverness, he called it "Dunachton". There have been a number of Mackintosh lairds who have carried the title "Baron Dunachton".¹³⁰ The antiquity of the site is revealed by the presence of a Class 1 Pictish symbol stone. Found in 1870, when a steading of Dunachton Lodge was being demolished, it bears a single symbol - a deer's head - and it had been used as a door-lintel in the old building.
In 1690, Parliament passed an Act granting the laird permission to hold "a weekly market at the town of Dunachton in Badenoch, to be holden each Wednesday, and erects the said town of Dunachton into a burgh of Barony".¹³⁵

 

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