Urquhart

We should first start by dispelling some confusion. There are, in fact, three parishes in the north of Scoutlad which go by the name of Urquhart. The first is in the diocese of Ross, the second lies on the western shores of Loch Ness, and the third lies a few miles to the east of Elgin. The last of the three is, perhaps more properly, and certainly for our purposes, spelled Urquhard. The first is described elsewhere in our site. The second, lying on the shores of one of the most famous stretches of water in the World, is the focus of this page. The parish church is often called Kilmore (Kilmuir) which reflects its dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The area around Urquhart is remarkable for the extensive presence of remains, both physical and written, from the time of the Early Church. In addition, if we are to believe the evidence presented, then we must accept that here we have some of the very earliest remnants of Christianity in the north of Scotand. Within the bounds of the parish there are no less than five chapels, each one associated with a different individual whose history takes us back to 'the Golden Age of the Saints'.

The parish of Urquhart had St Drostán as its patron and, in consequence, acquired its Gaelic name of Urchudainn mo Chrostáin. 'St Drostan's Croft or Dwelling' lies on the top of a hillock west of where the House of Balmacaan once stood before it was demolished {NGR: NH 500288} . The southern part of the parish, known as Glenmoriston, had, as its patron, St Erchard, known locally as Merchard. He was a native Pict educated at the banchor on Deeside, who is said to have spent most of his missionary life in Glenmoriston.
As in many other Scottish parishes, the Romanists of later times changed the parish's first 'dedication', which celebrated an early native saint, to the more orthodox choice of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

At some point between 1208 and 1215, the church of Urquhart, together with that of Invera'an in Strathspey, was erected into a prebend of the cathedral at Elgin, which prebend was held by the Chancellor of the diocese up to the Reformation.¹ As a consequence, Glenurquhart and Glenmoriston was served by a vicar who was responsible to the Chancellor.

In 1509, the parish was composed of three baronies - Glenmoriston, Corrimony, and Urquhart.

Other Churches and Chapels in the parish.

Bunloit - Lag an t-Seapail. Mackay tells us that, "There was in the times of Ss. Merchard, Columba and Curadan, a chapel at Lag an t-Seapail - 'the Hollow of the Chapel' - in Bunloit, where traces of old graves are still visible".³ The Ordnance Survey says that there is (now) no trace of a chapel. The graveyard at {NGR: NH 4950 2402} is roughly oval measuring about 20.0m NE-SW by 16.5m, within a tumbled wall. There are some earthfast stones.

Corrimony - Cill Churadain. There was a chapel of St Curetán⁴ within the burying-ground of Claodh Churadáin at Corrimony {NGR: NH 377301} in Urquhart parish, and on the adjacent lands of Buntait {NGR: NH 39_30_} are his croft and well, styled in the Gaelic Croit Churadáin and Tobar Churadáin respectively.⁵

Glenmoriston - St Erchard. Glenmoriston had its traditions regarding St Merchard.⁶ When in the district of Strathglass, he discovered a bell hidden in the ground at the foot of a certain tree, and resolved to found his church at the place where the bell rang for the third time of its own accord. After he reached Glenmoriston, the bell rang the first time at Suidh Mhercheird, 'St Merchard's Seat'; the second time at Fuaran Mhercheird, 'St Merchard's Well', at Ballintombuie {NGR: NH 279128} ; and the third time at a spot beside the River Moriston, known afterwards as Clachan Mhercheird, 'St Merchard's Burying-ground' {NGR: NH 279127}. A bell locally associated with the saint lay on a tombstone in the burying-ground at the Clachan up to about 1873, when it was 'removed' by some strangers visiting the district. Various miraculous properties were at one time attributed to it. It was believed to heal the sick if they touched it in faith; to find its way back if removed from Clachan Mhercheird; to ring of its own accord when a funeral was approaching the burying-ground; and finally, if cast into water, to float on the surface.⁷ To the east of the Clachan is the place-name Dalchreichart {MGR: NH 292126} that seems to include St Erchard's name.
There is an ancient tradition that members of one of the five septs of the Clan Macdonald who inhabited Glenmoriston in the old days,⁸ Sliochd Alasdair Choire-Dho, who lived in Corri-Dho {NGR: NH 19_13_} , were all buried in Clachan Mhercheird with their feet at the west end of their graves rather than at the east as was usual. It was said that this was so that, when rising at the Resurrection, they would face their beloved Choire-Dho. Their graves occupy the corner nearest to that Choire in the old churchyard of Clachan Mhercheird.⁹

Glenmoriston - St Columba. The chapel that was associated with Clachan Columchille {NGR: NH 42031665}, also known as Clachan an Inbhir, is thought to have been founded by St Columba himself. The site of the old church was pointed out to Ordnance Survey workers by a local resident in 1964. Nearby is Fuaran Cholumchille, St Columba's Well, noted for many centuries for its remarkable curative properties and now cared for by the Glenmoriston Heritage Group.

Kilmichael. A chapel of St Michael stood at Kilmichael, near Drumnadrochit. It was located at {NGR: NH 504303 }. In its burying-ground was a bell which was held in reverence in the district, and was believed to ring of its own accord to announce an approaching funeral.¹⁰ The site is now occupied by a substantial house called 'Kilmichael'.

Pitkerrald. Mackinlay states the "a pre-Reformation chapel to St Cyril once stood at Pitkerrald in Urquhart & Glenmoriston parish."¹¹ (On modern Ordnance Survey maps it is marked as Pitkerralo which the O.S. have confirmed to me is a printing-error for Pitkerrald {NGR: NH 503296} ). When, in 1509, the King created the Barony of Urquhart in favour of John Grant of Freuchie, he excepted the lands of Petcarill Chapell from the conveyance since they were reserved to the Chapel of St Ninian; which lands, adds His Majesty, "we are on no account willing to alienate."¹²

St Adamnán's - Croit Eonain. Within the parish there was a piece of land which was known as Croit Eonain, 'St Adamnán's Croft'. This croft funded the chaplainry of St Adomnán which existed within the Chapel of St Ninian. There was no separate Chapel here dedicated to Adomnán but he is the supposed founder of the ancient muinntir not very far to the north at Abriachan (Bona) and it is reasonable to assume that he was active in Glenurquhart as well as at Abriachan. The location of the croft is unknown today but Mackay wrote the following: "St. Adamnán ... was commemorated in our Parish by Croft Adamnán - probably the hollow at Tychat {NGR: NH 533303}, which is now known as Glaic Chill-Adhamhnain", 'the Hollow of St Adamnan'.¹³

St Ninian's. There was a chapel known as Kill St Ninian or the Temple, in Urquhart parish. The district in its immediate neighbourhood is known in Gaelic as Slios an Trinnein - 'the hillside of St Ninian'.¹⁴ There was within it a chaplainry of St Columba. Today, in St Ninian's Episcopal Church in Glen Urquhart, built in 1853 and re-consecrated in 1952, is the so-called St Ninian's Stone, an excised cross-slab which came originally from the supposed ruined Knights Templar Chapel of St Ninian at Temple Pier, Drumnadrochit. It was kept for a while at Corrimony House before being incorporated into the altar of the Episcopal church. A number of historians now consider that Temple was the most northerly base of St Ninian, so this very early cross may have been seen by the Saint himself at the end of the 4th century.
However, there is considerable debate here, still, regarding the dedication of this chapel. Ross¹⁵ points out that its name is found as Killsanctninian in 1509, ¹⁶and Kilsancttringand in 1563.¹⁷ Watson has argued that the Gaelic place-names that comemmorate the saint in Urquhart - Cill an Truinnein, Teampull an Truinnein, and Slios an Truinnein - are Gaelicisations of Scots vernacular forms of the saint's name (Ringan).¹⁸ This would suggest that the Gaelic forms are more 'modern' than had hitherto been suggested and that there could have been an older dedication than that to St Ninian. Mackinlay also notes that there appears to have been a dedication to St Drostán in the dabhach of Saint Ninian - a chaplainry/altar.¹⁹ Ross goes further and suggests that, in fact, St Drostán was the original dedication of this chapel rather than St Ninian, but, given the evidence, we find his argument hard to accept. The parish as a whole was dedicated to St Drostán but this chapel seems to have commemorated St Ninian.
A charter of 1556 (vide infra) shows that the chaplainries of St Drostán, St Adomnán, and St Ninian had been combined into one 'benefice' before the Second Reformation. These deeds show that with the combined chaplainry went St Adomnán's Croft, and the croft and relics of St Drostán, consisting chiefly, if not exclusively, of his cross, which disappeared after the Protestant Reformation. In older times, the relics of St Drostán were under the charge of a Deoir or keeper who had a croft at Kil St Ninian (Croit an Deoir) which is mentioned in a rental of 1649 preserved at Castle Grant.²⁰
The farm of Kil St Ninian extended from Abriachan to Drumbuie. It was at Kil St Ninian (Temple House), that the laird of Grant's tenants paid their money rent, and also delivered the rent which they paid in kind. Hence, it was called the Grange of Kil St Ninian as early as 1513,²¹ echoing the monastic use of 'granges' for the same purposes.

Lenie - Auchnahannet. This place-name is most revealing since Anoid and Annet are thought to signify the first, or mother church, of a district.²² Mackay (1914) suggests that this church "was probably the first built in Glen Urquhart". The site is at {NGR: NH 512262} near to the substantial township that became known as Lenie. If this is all true it is somewhat surprising that the site does not carry a name recalling one of the Columban saints.

Kilmartin. This place-name is a mystery! Although it points to a chapel or burying-ground there is no evidence of any kind that either existed here at any time in the past. These lands were called the four Meiklies and included Shewglie and Craskaig, sometime called Lakefield and now Kilmartin.²³ In 1509, the four Mikleis were described as eight pound lands lying within the Barony of Corrimony.

Templar Commandery. Some say that there was a Commandery of the Order of Knights Templar at Teampal Ninian (An Teampull). The old chapel's Gaelic name included the word Teampull, which is simply a word sometimes used for a chapel or church. That has not stopped many modern references to it as a "temple" and, more fancifully still, the author of the inscription on the St Ninian's Cross taking the name as evidence of a link with the Knights Templar.

At Stirling, on the 8th day of December, 1509, the King created the lordship of Urquhart in favour of John Grant of Freuchie, and the two baronies of Corrymony and Glenmoriston for his two sons. Consequently, the whole of Urquhart and Glenmoriston became the property of the Grants with the notable exceptions (made by the King) of the Church lands of Achmonie, Pitkerrald Chapel, St Drostán's Croft at Balmacaan, St Adamnán's Croft at Tychat {NGR: NH 533303} , and a croft attached to St Ninian's Chapel at Temple House.

Parish Clergy: