Some Early Saints of the North

The early Saints were often called 'peregrins' because they went out on peregrinãtiõ to bring Christianity to the distant corners of the land - they were peregrinãtõris or "travellers".

A number were foreigners but there were some notable local tribespeople who became peregrins, e.g. St Erchard, and they learned about their faith at the fledgling local Banchors, (placesof learning) such as the one at Banchory, on Deeside, or more distant ones such as those at Whithorn (Candida Casa) and Bangor in Eire. These peregrinãtõris were hardy individuals who were absolutely dedicated to what they were doing. But they were not without a twinkle in their eyes and their humour can often be found glinting through the sometimes gloomy clouds of tribal society.

These individuals were saints by acclaim rather than by any Papal edict. Indeed, the pope was a very distant figure who had little real influence on their day-to-day lives amongst the heather and the peat-stanks! Acclaim was seldom achieved in their own lifetimes but we, if we aspire to be true disciples, have the responsibility of maintaining that acclaim and ensuring that these brothers are forever recognised as one of the 'foundations' of this nation. One has no need to be a Christian to be filled with admiration for them and the lives that they lived!

One of the more practical problems that the peregrins faced was that of language. The language of the northern-peoples, who were mostly Picts, was very unlike that of the peoples who lived in the west of Scotland and in Eire. It had more in common with the language of the Cwymric pople. Many modern 'devotees' forget the immense barrier that this presented to such as Colum Cílle (St Columba) and the severe restrictions it placed on their work beyond the western sea-board. To be a peregrin in the North and North-east required a mastery of the local language and its dialects. We should also remember that there was never a ready welcome for foreigners in these parts!

Above: The Inside Cover of St Fillan's Crozier
© National Museums of Scotland

A number of collections of the 'Lives' of our Scottish saints have been made over the years, none better that Alan Macquarrie's wonderful publication.¹ What we seek to do here is to provide a number of brief lives with a somewhat narrower focus, concentrating on those whose influence on the coming of Christianity to the north-east of Scotland was essential as far as our understaning of its history is concerned.