Ogstoun

Parish Church: OS Ref: NGR NJ 193689 H.E.S. No: NJ16NE 16 Dedication: St Michael.

Associated Chapels: (None known.)

It would seem that there was a church at Ogstoun (Ogstown) from an early period since a Chapel of Hogeston is recorded in a charter of the time of Bishop Andrew de Moravia.¹ At some point, Ogstoun appears to have been made into a parish. It can never have been large since the parish churches of Duffus, (only 1km to the west), Kinneddar, (4km to the east), and Spynie, (5km to the south), would have prevented Ogstoun from occupying a large catchment. Fawcett & Oram suggest that Ogstoun may have been formed out of a larger parish and they suggest Kinneddar as a contender, but I have not yet found any substantial evidence to support this.² However, that does not deny that they may be correct. But I wonder if Duffus should be quite so readily discounted as an alterntive to Kinneddar - it is considerably closer to Ogstoun.

Ogstoun was, for the entirety of the pre-Reformation period, a mensal church. Both the parsonage and the vicarage revenues were allocated to the bishop's mensa and the cure of the parish was served by a vicar pensioner. All the lands about Ogstoun were part of the Bishop of Moray's barony of Kinneddar.

It would appear that the ancient church building stood on rising ground, almost immediately to the east of Gordonstoun House. For many years, this house was the property of one of the branches of the Gordon family but, before it was bought by Sir Robert Gordon in 1638, it was known as the House of Plewlands³, which name is still found in that of a farm to the north-west of Ogstoun at {NGR: NJ 177697} . Little or nothing of the original church building is to be found today. A substantial mausoleum was built over the site in 1705 and is in use today as the chapel of Gordonstoun School. It is known as Michael Kirk. Within the nearby graveyard is what is thought to be a 12th or 13th century merkat cross, although some consider it to have had an ecclesiastical rather than a secular use. It either case, it signifies that Ogstoun was a substantial community in the middle ages. Before the property was taken over by the school, it had been in the possession of the Gordon-Cumming family who held the additional baronetcy of Altyre.

Picture of Michael Kirk

Above: The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church outside Michael Kirk with pupils and parents.

The lands of Ogstoun and Plewland are the particular part of the estate of Gordonstoun where the venerable mansion-house stood. Before the Gordons purchased the estate it was called the Bog of Plewland, and no doubt was a fortilace, built in the marsh for defence. The estate was long held by the Hogstouns, or Ogstons of that Ilk; from them it passed to the Inneses of Innes and Balveny; thereafter to the Marquis of Huntly and from the Marquis it was purchased by Sir Robert Gordon on 13 September, 1638. When the Marquis purchased these lands from Robert Innes of Invermarkie (later Balvenie), on 7 February, 1616, an inventory of the writs associated with the estate was recorded, detailing some twenty-five items, dating from 6 May 1417 to 9 March 1635.⁴

Some lands in the medieval parish of Ogstoun.
Name	OS Grid Ref.	Comment
Plewlands	NJ 177697
Causea	NJ 186709	Covesea.
Ettles		Close to Covesea.
Drainie	NJ 200692
Salterhill	NJ 206673	Sometimes known as Little Drainie.
Ardivot	NJ 226670
Ballormy	NJ 215679
Muirton	NJ 225682

Charter evidence .

1207-08 Bishop Andrew de Moravia reached an agreement (compositio) with Simon de Hogeston (Ogstoun). After a dispute between them regarding 10 acres of land in Hogeston. The bishop abandoned his litigation and, for the sake of peace between them, Symon gave 5 acres of land in the ville de Hogeston to the chapel there, in memory of his mother, father, and his ancestors. [Moray Reg., no. 94]

1545 (16 May) Carta feodifirmae villae et terrarum de Mekill Drany ab epifcopo Patricio facta eidem Jacobo Innes ; (dimidiedate earundem, defcendendo a terris de Litill Drany nuncupatis the Salterhill per communem viam quae ducit ad portura de Mekill Drany, et exinde ascendendo per communem viam quae ducit ad terras Epifcopi de Etlis, et hoc ex parte orientali dictae villae, conceffa Katerinae Gordoun ejus fponfae in vitali redditu.) Reddendo £8 13s. 4d. tanquam firmam antiquam, 1 martam, 1 mutonem, 4 duodenas caponum, 4 bollas avenarum ; et pro 6 bollis aridae multurae £2 et pro gressuma annuatim £2 17s. 9d. et in augmentationem rentalis £4 6s. 8d. in toto £17 17s. 9d. Prestando sectam ad tres curias capitales apud Spyne et in quolibet itinere justiciariae regalitatis de Spyne. Proviso etiam quod feodifirmarius fidelis erit Epifcopo et ei grata servitia faciet ; necnon in ejus servitiis eundo seu equitando, expensts Epifcopi servire paratus erit. Cum pactiono de annullanda infeodatione si feodifirmarius literas servitii aut obligationos ly bandis de manrent nuncupatas aut mutuae amicitiae, quhilk is callit ane band of frendschip cuicunque personae aut personis sine Episcopi consensu secerit seu dederit. Testibus magistro Johanne Gordoune pensionario de Keyth, dominis Florentino Hwyme, Alexandro Sinclare, Johanne Watsoun, Jacobo Dowglas, capellanis cathedralis ecclesiae ; Alexandro Innes in Pethnik, Willelmo Dunbrek de Wrcanne, Iloberto Innes de Monady, Johanne Sandefoune, magistro Hugone Cragy, Willelmo Wysman, domino Johanne Gibsoune, notariis. Apud Elgine, 16 Maii 1545. [Moray Reg., 348]

1561 (8 & 18 May) "The lands of Ettles and the fyshing, called the Coissey," were granted by Patrick (Hepburn), Bishop of Moray, to Thomas Innes of Pethnick and Elizabeth Norie, his spouse, and to the heirs male of the said Thomas. The charter was signed at Elgin on the 8th May and at Scone on the 18th May. Thomas Innes of Pethnick, grandson of the above Thomas, sold these lands and fishings on the 17th September, 1638, to Sir Robert Gordon.⁵
"Carta feodifirma; terrarum de Etlis una cum pifcaria vocata the Coiffey in baronia de Kynneddor, ab Episcopo cum consensu capituli data Thomae Innes de Pethnik et Elizabet Nori ejus sponsce; quas ipse Thomas ejusque pater Alexander Innes prius occupaverant: Reddendo annuatim £6. 6s. 7d. cum quarterio mertae, 1 muttone, 2 duodenis caponum, 2 bollis avenarum et 20 solidis pro 3 bollis ordei aridae multurae. Reservatis piscibus captabilibus lye Tak fische, computando 20 lie Haddokis seu Quhytings et aliorum piscium minorum pro denario; pro uno kylling 2 denarios ; pro uno lie skait 2 denarios ; pro uno lie lyng 2 denarios ; pro uno lie turwait 4 denarios ; pro uno lie seleich 4 folidos. Testibus magistro Willelmo Hepburne decano Cathanensi, magistro Johanne Rettray, Andrea Moncref, Waltero Ramsay notario; Apud Elgin et Sconam, 8 et 18 Maii 1561."

Other Churches and Chapels in the parish . (None are known.)

Parish Clergy : (None known.)

References .

^1. Moray Reg., no. 94. Return

^2. Fawcett, R. & Oram, R. (2014) Elgin Cathedral and the Diocese of Moray, Edinburgh: Historic Scotland/Alba Aosmhor, 121. Return

^3. The early House of Plewlands was built for George, 1st Marquess of Huntly. The lands were created into the Barony of Gordonstoun in 1642, at which time the House of Plewlands was renamed after the barony. Return

^4. Shaw, L. (1882) The History of the Province of Moray, Vol.2, London: Hamilton, Adams, 69-71. Return

^5. ibid., 68; Moray Reg., 369. Return

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Elgin Deanery

Ogstoun