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downloadable articles

These are the most recent articles which we have made available to you for download.

We are thrilled that you have shown an interest in the very ancient traditions of the Early Church in Scotland ... we Scots, in whatever part of the World we now live, should all be more proud of this unequalled heritage. Not everything pre-1560 was bad!

The following articles are the product of many hours of research and we trust that you will respect this and allow us a mention whenever you cite them. A simple link back to this web-site will usually be sufficient but please do not hesitate to get in touch with us should you require additional information.

All the articles are available in (.pdf) format. When you open the page it will show an option to "download" the file to your own computer. Any maps included in the articles are either in (.jpeg) or (.gis) format and so can be easily read by any modern operating system.

The Church of Kintail
Above: Probably one of the most evocative of the Highland Churches - Kintail, looking north with
Beinn Fhada (1032m) in the background.

NARATIVES AND EXTRACTS
FROM THE RECORDS OF
THE PRESBYTERY OF ELLON
1607 to 1628

Scanned (PDF format) images of all pages of an original copy of this booklet, compiled by Thomas Mair of Kermuck, and published by W. Jolly & Sons, of the Albany Press, Bridge Street, Aberdeen, in 1894.
There is, to be found within these pages, a veritable treasure-trove of local history detailing witch trials; the influence of the local gentry - notably the various branches of the family of Cheyne; "the Papists in the Presbytery," etc..

Created 04 March 2024

ARTICLE (PDF)

REPRINT OF AN ARTICLE
DETAILING THE RUINS OF
THE CHURCH OF THE GREYFRIARS
AT ELGIN

Written in 1891 for the Transactions of the Aberdeen Ecclesiological Society, this article details the ruins of the church before it was restored. Included are three pages of particularly fine architectural scale-drawings.

Created 18 September 2023

THE FAMILY OF 'le CHEN'
AND THEIR LANDS
IN NORTHERN SCOTLAND

This article provides historical, genealogical and heraldic information relating to the family of ‘le Chen’ (Cheyne) in Scotland, from the time of the Norman Conquest to that of the Second Reformation of c.1560. The primary focus is the family of ‘le Chen, who were lairds of Inverugie, but information is also provided about other ‘cadet’ families.

Created 8 November 2022
Edited 21 April 2023

THE FAMILY OF 'de MORAVIA'
IN NORTHERN SCOTLAND

The family of 'de Moravia' is one of Scotland's oldest, dating back to the Flemmish Migration in the time of King David I.

The early ecclesiastical history of the Diocese of Moray cannot be understood without reference to the generations of nobles who bore the name de Moravia and this is completely understandable since they were holders of vast tracts of land, including estates in Caithness, Buchan, and Lothian.

Created 8 July 2022

THE MEDIEVAL PRIESTHOOD
IN NORTHERN SCOTLAND

This essay presents an outline of the structure and heirarchy of priesthood, revealing the several 'levels' of ordination through which an individual could progess in order to achieve the ultimate state of being an ordained priest. Examples are regularly drawn from historical sources, particularly from the Vatican Archives, in order to present local examples to 'illustrate' the text.

Created 1 May 2022

ARTICLE (PDF)

HELYA DE PARTIK

This paper presents evidence to answer the question, "Was Helya(s) de Partik ever a Canon of Glasgow cathedral in the later half of the 12th Century?"

Created 18 October2021

THE AUCHTEN PART LANDS OF ELGIN

In this article we reveal information (dating from 1800) detailing the ownership and extent of the twenty-five Auchten Part lands of Elgin, including a sketch map of their locations.

Created 20 August 2021

THE CHURCHES OF STRATHSPEY DEANERY

This article re-visits one published by Prof. G.W.S. Barrow in 1989 and adds precise locations for all of the churches and chapels in the Deanery of Strathspey. It also includes certain establishments which were not included in Prof. Barrow's article. It then presents a map, using modern GIS software (QGis 3.20.1), which reflects the precise locations of these parish churches and chapels.

Created 10 August 2021

KNOCKANDO 1887-1955

John Shand was brought up in Knockando towards the end of the nineteenth century. In this delightful article, he reminisces about the people and places around Upper Knockando, reflecting on past times after a career in the London Police Force. The tales are colourful and, at times, cheeky, but there is a mine of information here about the crofts and farms he remembers from his childhood.

Created 12 August 2021

ARTICLE (PDF)

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MAP

MAP OF CHURCHES & CHAPELS

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THE TOSNY FAMILY OF NORMANDY

The Tosny family of Normandy deserves to be better-known to the people of Scotland in general and those of Morayshire in particular. For generations they were members of the unofficial 'barony' in Normandy and some of the family's illustrious members left a reputation which inspired the troubadors of medieval Europe. Closer to home, one of the family became a very early Bishop of Moray, and was responsible for much of the episcopal establishment at Birnie.

Created 28 May 2021

THE HAUGHLANDS OF ELGIN

On a number of occasions, the student will encounter references within old charters from the Diocese of Moray and the Elgin Burgh Records to the Haughlands of Elgin. The names of some of these haughlands (e.g. Uchterspynie, Midilhalch, Frankoklaw) are not easy to locate on modern maps since their names have long since gone out of use.

This article locates the Haughlands on a modern street map.

The Haughlands are an important part of the life of the Burgh. The extracts quoted here reveal a considerable royal interest in Elgin. They also allow us glimpses of the life led by the ordinary inhabitants.

Created 28 Aug 2020

THE EARLY CHURCH AND
THE LOCH OF SPYNIE

The Loch of Spynie (or Sea of Spynie as it was called) is one of the most important geographical features in Moray. Here we explore its full extent and the important influence it had upon the development of Early Christianity in the north of Scotland. This is a suject that has been ignored by many scholars and which, of necessity, must be placed centre-stage in any study of the Church in this area.

Created 19 Nov 2019
Edited 12 February 2023

THE SYNOD OF ST GILES
5 May 1226

The Synod of St Giles marked one of the most important points in the transition of Elgin Cathedral into a constitutional organisation which was to become an equal with the greatest cathedrals in Scotland and a rival of many in England. It marked out Bishop Andrew as an ambitious, but generous, cleric who wished to see his cathedral arrayed and arranged in a way that would better serve the Diocese as the 'Lantern o' the North'.

Created 1 Nov 2019

PENANCE IN THE EARLY MEDIEVAL NORTH

Dr Graham Watson explores the current understanding of penance and offers some thoughts on how it might have been practised in the north of Scotland in the eighth century. Having taken a look at the geographical and historical background to the area, including the sources of various external influences, he then outlines the development of penance as a practice before finally discussing how this may have looked in the early medieval north.

Created 16 Sept 2019

ECCLESIASTICAL 'FAT CATS'

The idea of the 'fat cats' of the pre-Reformation Church has become a part of legend - no longer to be questioned!

However, did they really have it so good?

In this article we briefly illustrate the finances of the prebendary of Moy, one William Sutherland. As a canon of the cathedral he had, as his prebend, the Rectory teinds of the parish of Moy - a typical highland parish. But, the question is, how much of this 'income' was he able to enjoy?

Created 7 April 2019

CHANONRY OF ELGIN

The Chanonry of Elgin Cathedral has received little attention since the times of Charles Rampini. Here, we present a revised plan of the precincts of this most wonderful of Scottish cathedrals, based primarily on the original research of Dr William Cramond. It illustrates the positions of the canon's manses and also contains an exhaustive modern list of the prebends with information regarding their foundations.

MAP (JPG)

THE REGALITY OF SPYNIE

Some background notes on the Regality of Spynie erected by King James II in 1451 for the benefit of John de Winchester, Bishop of Moray, making him one of the most powerful secular Barons of Scotland. The Barony of Regality included all of the various Baronies and diocesan lands which the Bishops of Moray possessed.

Created 21 March 2019

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LOST AND FOUND?

The Barony of Rathenec is an ancient portion of land but its exact location has always been a matter of debate amongst historians. Here we offer a possible resolution of the problem.
We suggest that Rethenec was a thanedom of the early 'Kings of Moray' but, in time, it came to be church land attached first to Dunfermline Abbey and then to one of the oldest monastic establishments in Scotland - Uquhard Priory, just a short distance east of Elgin.

Created 23 May 2019

BANNER OF ST JOHN OF BEVERLEY

A short essay telling the tale of the famous Banner which flew at the head of many an English army and which was a particular talisman of King Edward I.

Created 25 May 2019

CHARLBURY MINSTER

One of the very earliest products of the Iona school was St Diuma a little known saint but a colleague of Ss Cedd and Chad. He was sent as the first missionary to the West Mercian peoples and this draft article provides an argument to support the idea that Charlbury in west Oxfordshire was a main centre for his endeavours. Consequently it is argued that the parish church of St Mary the Virgin should be recognised as a 'Minster' church

MUINNTIRS

This article puts forward a strong argument that, when talking about the Early Church, professionals should be careful not to use the term monastery when it is not appropriate. It suggests that the name muinntir is preferable and presents evidence in support of the argument. This is a ground-breaking article that has received critical aclaim amongst ecclesiastical historians. It is to be hoped that the world of archaeology might follow suit.

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MAP OF ARGYLL DIOCESE

We have made available a large-scale map showing all of the Parishes in the ancient Diocese of Argyll.

This map is reproduced from the book by Cosmo Innes, "Origines Parochiales Scotiae", the map itself was produced by W.H. Lizars, Edinburgh. Both w0rks were published in 1856.

Created 29 April 2023

THE WAR DIARY OF THE
15TH LANCERS
(CURETON'S MULTANIS)
IN FRANCE

The 15th Lancers were the Regiment of the Indian Army in which Lt. Colonel A.Y. Cheyne served. This article is a transcription of the Regiment's War Diary [WO-95-3918-1] for the period of their WWI service in France - 8th August 1914 to 30th December 1915.
Colonel Cheyne was the author of "The Cheyne Family in Scotland."

Created 21 April 2023

SIMON DE TOSNY

For too long Simon de Tosny, Bishop of Moray (1171-1184), has been marginalised and simply relegated to the ranks of the obscure - a non-descript Norman cleric of no real import.
This article blows all ill-serving historians out of the water and allows Simon to take his deserved place amongst the greatest ecclesiastics of the land!

Created 14 March 2020