Dyke

Parish Church: OS Ref: NGR NH 990584 H.E.S. No: NH95NE 11 Dedication: St Ninian

Associated Chapels: Culbin {NGR NJ 012616}.

The name of this parish is given variously as Dich, Dike, Dyk and Kintessoc(k).¹ It is also given as "Dyke & Moy" which, for some, leads to a certain confusion. The reader should be aware that the Moy being referred to here, in conjunction with Dyke, is not the parish of Moy that lies in Strathdearn {NGR: NH 772342} and which is more properly called Moymore or Lunnin. The reference here is to the ancient parish of Moy which lay just south of Findhorn Bay {NGR: NJ 016598} and was sometimes referred to as Moyness.

The earliest church at Dyke was associated with St Ninian, one of the first of the Saints to bring Christianity to these parts. The parish church was gifted to Richard, then Bishop of Moray, by King William the Lion (1189x95)² and was afterwards part of the episcopal mensa.

The present church buildings are said to have been built in 1780-81, behind the site of the old Roman Catholic church. During this construction project, major finds were made - a fabulous 9th Century cross-slab (the Rodney Stone) and a hoard of 12th century coins.³ The slab was removed and now stands just inside the East Lodge entrance to Brodie Castle. The presence of this cross-slab and the ancient dedication to St Ninian is substantial evidence in favour of this having been a very early Christian site indeed. If we add Bain's comments to this evidence, that not only was there a "St Ninian's Chapel near the village of Dyke" but also that there was Moluag's Well nearby,⁴ then it is difficult not to accept this parish's most ancient credentials.

Photo of the Cross carved on the <em>Rodney Stone

Above: The Rodney Stone - west face (front).

Photo of the reverse side of the Rodney Stone showing Pictish symbols.

Above: The Rodney Stone - east face (reverse).

Originally, the right of patronage of the church of Dyke was held by the king. However, this must have proved to be a difficult arrangement and, after the bishop had de facto made presentations and instituted clerics to it (the king's approval only being given after the event), an approach was made in the king's name, to the Pope , to have any right that he had in the church converted for the use of the bishop and his successors. The Pope, Honorius III, agreed to the request in an instrument dated 10 February 1220, issued at Viterbo.⁵

The parish of Dyke contained two thanages - Dyke and Brodie - both of which paid 'second teinds' to the bishop.⁶ For many years, Dyke was the property of the Earls of Moray and many members of that family lie buried in the 'Moray enclosure' within the churchyard beside the parish church.
Grangehill in this parish was a property of the monks of Pluscarden and it is possible that they 'inherited' them at the time of the amalgamation of Urquhard Priory and Pluscarden Priory in 1454. This land is now called Dalvey,⁷ a change that was made c.1740 by the owner, a chieftain of Clan Donnachaidh, who had previously owned a property of the same name in Speyside.⁸

Photo of Dyke Church

Above: The parish church of Dyke.

Photo of the burial place of the family of Moray in the churchyard at Dyke.

Above: Burial place of the family of Moray in the churchyard at Dyke parish church.

Some suggested lands of the medieval parish of Dyke.
Name	OS Grid Ref.	Extent	Property of	Comment
Grangegreen *	NJ 007590	8p.	Pluscarden Priory.
Middle Binn		5p.
Easter Waterside *	NJ 007589	4p.		Part of Grangegreen.
Meikle Tearig		3p.
Meikle Tearie in Darnaway Forest	NH 998568			"Easter fourth part".
Eistertoun		2p.
Terneway	NH 994551	0.5 dabhach		Darnaway
Easter Binn	NJ 030629?	2p.
Nether Binn	NJ 030629?			"auchten parts".
Kincorth		2p.
Newtoun of Watersyde *		2p.		Part of Grangegreen.
Wester Watyrside *		2p.		Part of Grangegreen.
Blackhill of Moyness	NH 964528	2p.
Wester Watyrsyde		1p.	Urchard then Pluscarden	In the Regality of Pluscarden.
Halfdavoch		0.5 dabhach?
Squaredoch		?
Information from Ross (2003).⁹ * = part of the Regality of Urchard. / p = ploughgate

The two separate medieval parishes of Dyke and Moy were not conjoined until in 1618 and so, for the purposes of this Website, they are always treated separately.

Charter evidence .

1189 x 1195 King William I grants to R(ichard), bishop of Moray, the churches of Dich (Dyke) and Foreys (Forres) with an annual payment of £10 to be made from the firma burgi (burgh rents) of Elgin until such time as both Dyke and Forres become vacant. [RRS, ii., 360 & 361]

1386 (4 December) Instrument recording a meeting between Alexander, bishop of Moray, and members of the Brothi (sic.) family,¹⁰ namely Thomas Brothi and his eldest son John. Alexander de Brothy (who appears to be a younger son of Thomas) is to become the perpetual vicar of Dyke in succession to Johannem son of Colini who has resigned. One of the witnesses signing the instrument was Adam, chaplain of Dyke. [Moray Reg., no. 248]

Other Churches and Chapels in the parish .

Culbin. Mackinlay said that, "In Elginshire, S. Ninian had a chapel in the parish of Dyke".¹¹
The first family of Culbin {the 'de Moravia' family}, not unmindful of what was required of them in religious matters, had in the earlier period a chapel of their own. It stood to the south of the House of Culbin (at Wellhill), and was dedicated to St Ninian. The Chapel Croft, or manse of the Chapel of St Ninian, is referred to in a succession of legal deeds.
The site of this chapel lies next to Kincorth House {NGR: NJ 012616} which is thought to be only a little distance from the site of the original House of Culbin {NGR: NH 96 61}.¹²

It must be remarked here that the Barony of Culbin was, in its early existence, one of the most productive (and so most valuable) in all of Morayshire. The estate itself was called the "garden and granary of Moray".¹³

Parish Clergy :

1386 (4 December) Adam was chaplain of Dyke and witnessed a charter by Alexander, Bishop of Moray. {vide supra.} In the same charter we find Alexander Brodie being appointed perpetual vicar of Dyke in succession to John son of Colin who had resigned.

References .

^1. Batten, E.C. (1877) The Charters of the Priory of Beauly, London: for the Grampian Club, 129, n. ‡. Batten says that, "Kintessack is the present name for a locality in the parish of Dyke". Return

^2. RRS, ii, no.360.; Moray Reg., 11. Return

^3.The hoard consisted mostly of silver 4p. pieces of William the Lion. They had been minted at Edinburgh, Perth, Roxburgh, Stirling and Berwick. The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland has about one hundred of them. In a personal communication dated 18th March 2021, Ms Lydia Prosser of the National Museum of Scotland confirmed that these coins are in their custody but have not yet been accessioned onto their online catalogue.https://canmore.org.uk/site/15513/dyke-church Return

^4.Bain, G. (1893) History of Nairnshire, Nairn: "Telegraph" Office, 40. The religious settlement at Roseemarkie, just accross the Moray Firth, is supposed to have been founded by St Moluag. Return

^5.Moray Reg., no. 24. The pope included the parish churches of Dyke and Elgin in this new arrangement. Return

^6.Ross, A.D. (2003) The Province of Moray, c.1000-1230, unpublished PhD thesis presented to Aberdeen University, Vol 1, 62; Moray Reg., no.40, p.35. Return

^7.Jervise, Epitaphs, II, p.52-3. Return

^8.The lands of Dalvey in Speyside were on the south bank of the River Spey some 4km north of Cromdale {NGR: NJ 110321} Sir Alexander Grant of Dalvey, Baronet, chief of Clan Donnachaidh, was a merchant in London and various foreign countries, especially Jamaica. Like many other gentlmen of the time, he had significant interests in the slave-trade, particularly in Sierra Leone. In 1749, he purchased several lands from the Laird of Grant, and also the estate of Grangehill, near Forres, in the parish of Dyke and Moy, of which he obtained a Crown charter, 26th July 1749, and named them Dalvey. He obtained, on 24th February 1755, a charter of sale of the lands of Newton Park, etc., in Nairnshire. He obtained a royal warrant for supporters for his armorial bearings on 8th July 1761, and registered the arms and supporters on 15th April 1762. He died at London on 1st August 1772. He left no issue, and was succeeded by his brother. Return

^9.Ross, A.D. (2003) The Province of Moray, c.1000-1230, unpublished PhD thesis presented to Aberdeen University, Vol 2, 26. Return

^10."Brothy" is the old form of the name of the family of Brodie. Return

^11.Mackinlay, J.M. (1916) Ancient Church Dedications in Scotland: Non-scriptural Dedications, 33. Return

^12. Fraser-Mackintosh of Drummond, Charles (1865) Antiquarian Notes: a series of papers regarding families and places in the Highlands, Inverness: printed at the "Advertiser" Office, 313-323. Available to download from Google Books. https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Charles_Fraser_MACKINTOSH_Antiquarian_Notes?id=BacHAAAAQAAJ (Accessed 18/03/2021) Return

^13.Ross, Sinclair (1993) The Culbin Sands - a Mystery Unravelled, Journal of the SSNS, Vol. 30, 187-204. https://www.ssns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/10_Ross_Moray_1993_pp_187-204.pdf (Accessed 18/03/2021) Return

Return to top of page

Elgin Deanery

Dyke