Spynie

Spynie Church lies at the eastern end of a ridge which rises to a height of some 130m at its western end, terminating at Quarrywood Hill {NGR NJ 180637}. The estate of Spynie was the property of the Bishops of Moray as was the neighbouring estate to the west - Findrassie - held of the bishop by the family of Leslie for a number of generations.

In the 1980s and 1990s, significant excavations were made around the castle in order to determine the state of the stonework. During these excavations, considerable evidence was foud to show that the site, and its environs, had been used by prehistoric peoples who had estalished a settlemet here. This added to stray finds made in the 1800s ( a pottery urn and three bronze axes, now in Elgin Museum).

It is believed that there was a church here, at Spynie, from the times of the Early Church but the oldest church in the parish is thought to be that which lay at Kintrae {NGR NJ 169652} which is thought certainly to date to what might be called "the Golden Age of the Saints" in Scotland.

In 1189x98, Spynie became one of the first prebends of the cathedral. Kintrae was added to this prebend in 1224-6. This was a simple prebend provided to a canon who had no other function in the Chapter of the cathedral. The canon was required to keep a 'stallar' in the choir who carried out the canon's functions when he was absent.

It is well-known that the bishops of Moray chose Spynie as an appropriate location for their Castle or Episcopal Palace, and over the course of time, a small village grew up to accomodate the various individuals who were required to provide for 'the master'. The locality had a number of important advantages to offer. There was good sandstone for building available only a matter of a few hundred metres from the chosen location; it had its own harbour which provided for vessels engaged in fishing, both in the Loch of Spynie, and further out in deep water; there was direct access to the sea; the location had excellent agricultural land nearby; there was easy access to Elgin which was only a matter of a few kilometers away; it was part of the Barony of Spynie (which became a Regality) that was one of the secular lordships enjoyed by the successive bishops of Moray.

The Church at Spynie was made into a cathedral church in 1207 - one of three churches that acted at various times as the cathedral of the diocese (Birnie, Kintrae, and Spynie). But it only held this 'honour' for a brief period from 1207-1224.

The last remains of the building, a Gothic gable, fell about 1850. Mackintosh, writing in 1924, stated that the foundations were traced and were found to be only about 74 feet by 35 feet, and showed a small church of simple character apparently built of clay except for the east gable.¹ At one time, the later parish church boasted a few ornamental features, doorways and a window adorned with Gothic mouldings: these in 1735 were built into the Church of New Spynie at the western end of the parish {NGR NJ 182642}. When this new church was built a bell-cote bearing the date 1723 was removed from the old parish church building at Spynie and re-erected on the apex of the West gable of the new building. Within the bell-cote there is the original bell, cast by Michael Burgerhuys,⁵ bearing the date 1637.

An annual Fair was held at Spynie every Trinity Sunday to celbrate the dedication of the church and parish to the Holy Trinity.

In 1907, the New Spynie Parish Council had the ground within the churchyard of Old Spynie "thoroughly put to rights". Mackintosh reported that, "In doing this a few medieval grave-stones with crosses were discovered, four of which were preserved on the outside of the east wall of the Rothes enclosure." This latter enclosure belongs to the Earls of Rothes (Leslie).²

Charter evidence .

1501. A bull of Pope Alexander VI, dated 23 February, 1498, addressed to Andrew Stewart, Bishop of Moray, was promulgated at a gathering held within the chapel of the episcopal palace of Spynie on 11 February, 1501. Bishop Andrew addressed the promulgation to his colleagues nominated by the Pope - the Bishop of Aberdeen, and the Official of Ross, to the Bishop of Ross, as diocesan of Beauly Priory, and to the Abbot and Convent of Val des Choux, the Superior of the Valliscaulian Order, as well as to the Subprior and Convent of Beauly Priory. The Bishop of Moray read what was before him - the Papal Bull - in full, and then, being requested by Dougal (Rorieson) to execute it, and being satisfied with the candidate's fitness, the Bishop admits him as a monk and brother of the monastery of Beauly, clothes him with the habit prescribed by the rule, and then receives his profession as a member of the Valliscaulian Order. Thus admitted, the bishop next confers on him, and invests him by the placing of the episcopal ring on his finger with, the office of prior of the house, having administered to him the oath of allegiance (to the Pope) transmitted from Rome. This was all recorded by one Donaldus Thomæ, a presbyter of Moray Diocese, who was also a Notary Public by Papal, Imperial and Royal authority. All was done in the presence of a significant collection of individuals⁶ The fact that there were at least sixteen people present at this event gives us some idea of the size of the Episcopal Chapel at Spynie.

Other Churches and Chapels in the parish .

Kintrae {NGR: NJ 169652} : Spynie was united to the even more ancient church of Kintrae by Andrew, Bishop of Moray, prior to 1242. The name Kintrae comes from the Gaelic - Caenn Tràigh ~ "the head of the strand/beach" or the level of the sea at the highest tides. In a charter of Bishop Bricius, of date 1203-1222, Kintrae is referred to as Veterem Ecclesiam de Kyntra - "the old church of Kyntrae." For Bricius to call it 'an old church' it must mean that this was, indeed, a very early site of Christianity amongst the Picts. In early history this site was on the very margins of the Loch of Spynie. The muinntir is thought to have stood in the eastern margins of a a field called Chapelfield {NGR: NJ 168651}, on the Westfield estate. Of interest is what must have been two areas of raised land, (similar to the Holms), further to the north {NGR: NJ 169656 & NJ 166652} which, one might suppose, would have presented a drier site for the establishment of a community. When members of the Ordnance Survey walked the Chapelfield site in December 1962, soon after it had been ploughed, a “thin scattering of rubble was noted in the area of the Chapel.” At a site about 20m. NE of the supposed chapel site {NGR: NJ 16886517}, a number of human bones, including fragments of a skull, were found in the soil.
Inshhagarty ("the Priests' Island") lies about half a kilometer to the west of Kintrae. It is now but a slight rise in the landscape, but it must have been an island, or Holm, when the surface of the Loch of Spynie was much higher than it is now.

Spynie Castle - Episcopal Chapel and Private Oratory {NGR: NJ 169652} : Parts of the standing remains of Spynie Castle reveal that there was a chapel situated on the first floor, at the south-east corner of the courtyard. Sadly, the historical records reveal very little about this chapel, even though it was of a considerable size. An interesting point is that, in addition to the main Chapel, there is thought to have been a chamber within "Davie's Tower" which served as a private oratory for the bishop.⁴