Knockando

The identification of this parish's name is a little confused. Some scholars say that it is to be identified with Aberbrandely whilst others refute this. Since there is no evidence which directly contradicts that the two names are one and the same place, we have, to begin with, adopted this line of approach here. To add to the confusion, over the ages, different scribes have given various 'phonetic' spellings of the name as they heard it spoken, such as, Knocandoch, Knokaynoch, Knokeandoch, Knokendocht, Knockandoch, and Knoknyndoche.¹

In addition, because there are two Pictish Symbol stones and also a Rune Stone kept at the present parish church, many readers have been mislead into thinking that this was the location of the ancient church.² The stones, however, were moved here in about 1820 from their original location in the grave-yard at Pulvrenan.³ It is at this latter location that the very earliest church seems to have been founded and dedicated to St Brendan.

As we have said, at some point, the church was moved to Upper Knockando, most probably from Pulvrenan {NGR NJ 203422} , and a new church building erected. Certain remains are pointed out within the present-day churchyard which are said to be all that can be identified as having belonged to this older church. A 'new' church building was erected in 1757 and this was extended in 1832. It was described as, "a long narrow building with outside stairs to the galleries". This church was then rebuilt and a tower was added to it in c.1904. But disaster struck the parish when this church was destroyed by fire in 1990. A replacement was erected in 1993 and the architects included Sir James Dunbar-Nasmith whose famous father, who lived near Rothes, won the Victoria Cross in the First World War. This building is the epitome of good church design and has a 'round tower' which echoes the pedigree of the Picts.

However, in general, the medieval history of the parish of Knockando is very obscure. As we have already said, most scholars accept that Knockando is one and the same as Aberbrandely, which name is found in a number of charters, and that it may have once been a 'pendicle' of Invera'an parish church. But nothing regarding this possible association with Invera'an is certain. The name Aberbrandely, in the form Abberbrandolthin Brenin, is first encountered c.1200 as one of the lands in Stratha'an.⁴ This, in itself, presents us with a problem since the lands of Invera'an are located on the opposite side of the River Spey from Knockando. However, much of the land in Invera'an was held of the king by the bishops of Moray, as were large parts of what became the parish of Knockando - principally the small barony of Kirdells and most of the lands of the barony of Knockando - so it is not outwith the bounds of possibility that all of these lands, on both sides of the river, were administered, in both a secular and an ecclesiastical sense, by the same 'authority'.

We have noted that much of the land around Knockando was church land - most particularly the southern part around Kirdells.⁵ Indeed, there is still a location named Bishop's Croft about 500m north-west of the bridge at Blacksboat {NGR NJ 178393}. The property of Kirdels, in the south of the parish, formed part of the patrimony of the Domus Dei (Maison Dieu) in Elgin, possibly from its foundation during the reign of Alexander II. Kirdels was said to comprehend Pitcroy, Delnpot, Smiddycroft, with the mill, mill lands, multures and sequels, and salmon fishing on the water of Spey. In a later charter of King James VI, dated on the last day of February, 1620, it is made clear that these were the lands of Over and Nether Cardells (Kirdels). ^5b

Knockando was the southern-most parish in the Deanery of Elgin, the neighbouring parishes - Aberlour (to the east, over the River Spey), Invera'an (south-east, over the Spey), and Inverallan (south-west, and on the same side of the Spey) - were in Strathbogie, Strathspey deaneries respectively.

Knockando's important link with the ecclesiastical 'power-base' at Elgin is amply demonstrated by the existence of what, for generations, has been called the Mannoch Road. It leads directly from Knockando, northwards over Càrn na Cailliche, to the Episcopal 'Palace' and church of Birnie. There then follows the Glenlossie Road which takes the traveler from Birnie directly into Elgin via the lands of Mayne. Place-names along the route of the Mannoch Road reveal its ancient pedigree - Shian na Mannoch {NGR NJ 194455} , Mannoch Moss {NGR NJ 201450} , Bishop's Stones {NGR NJ 227472} , Mannoch Cottage {NGR NJ 191449} .

Having been known since antiquity, it may be reasonable to suggest that the Mannoch Road was, indeed, a 'Pictish road' since it is known that there were Pictish communities at both Knockando (Pulvrenan) and Birnie. In more recent times the Road became famous for the number of illicit stills that were to be found scattered amongst the peat-hags on either side of its route. This, in turn, gave rise to a very active smuggling trade in the locality! The Mannoch Road is an excellent prospect for hill-walkers and ramblers, and further details of the route are published on the Heritage Paths website.

The lands around Knockando seem to have been church lands from a very early date. We see from the first and second of the charters noted below that, in 1350, the Countess of Moray, Isabella Randolph, widow of the first Earl, Thomas Randolph,⁶ having already disposed of half of her lands of Aberbrandely to the earl of Fife in 1349, then used her remaining half to endow a chaplainry in the cathedral of Moray in memory of her late husband. We learn a number of very important things here: that the lands she had inherited after her husband's death included what was then known as Aberbrandely; that this land of Aberbrandely had been divided into two parts; that she had used the 'half' of Aberbrandely which she had retained to endow a chaplainry in the cathedral, the chaplain to serve at the altar of the blessed Thomas the Martyr; that the lands of Aberbrandely were held of the bishop and chapter.
But there is another vital fact here that becomes clear from the charters relating to this cathedral chaplainry: it was known as the Aberbrandely, or Knockando, or Broadland chaplainry, in recognition of the lands from which it derived its income or financial support.⁷ It has proved to be very difficult to identify the lands known as Broadland. However, a close inspection of one of the sheets of Pont's Maps ⁹ shows Broidland immediately to the east (downstream) of the "Kirk of KnockAndich" which, of course, is Knockando church. In my view, this evidence regarding the chaplainry proves that Aberbrandely was equivalent to those lands known as Knockando and Broadland which were the source of finance for the cathedral chaplainry in question. It is important for us to note that we are talking here about lands, not parishes or parts of parishes. It is quite acceptable to assume that, at certain points in their history, these lands were the property of the same principal who also happened to possess (large) parts of Invera'an, without it having to mean that Knockando (Aberbrandely) was ecclesiastically part of Invera'an parish.

We have already quoted a post-Reformation charter of the then Laird of Freuchie which gives us details of the cathedral chaplainry of St Andrew (see Note 7 below). This first charter was given on 19 May 1643. Nearly thirty years later, on 21 December 1671, the new laird of Freuchie, Ludovick Grant, who is about to marry Janet Brodie, daughter of Alexander Brodie of Lethen, signs a marriage contract which lists the lands which she is to receive from her intended husband. These lands are given in more detail below (see see Note 8 below) but, most importantly, they include those "pertaining to the chaplainry of St Andrew."

The reader might be interested in a 'modern' article written by one who was born in Knockando in 1880. He locates some of the cottages, farms, and other features, as he remembered them when he went back to visit his old haunts after retiring from many years of service in the London Police.

Other Churches and Chapels in the parish .

Cardow {NGR NJ 191433} The name is derived from Càthar Dubh which signifies a 'black moss'. There was an old tradition that a chapel once existed at this site. Indeed, the nearby hill, which on older maps is called Druim Divan, is sometimes referred to as Chapel Hill. However, it is now thought that the cairn here, like several others in the vicinity, is simply that - a cairn. No remains have been found of any building which might have been a chapel.¹¹ However, the nearby cairns, having been thought to be 'clearance heaps', have now been identified as being similar to those associated with hut-circles. Also, a stone-circle once stood at nearby Knowiehillock {NGR: NJ 194433} and a cinerary urn and human bones were found in the field below the distillery in 1860 {NGR: NJ 189428} . This evidence all point to there having been a sizable community here in the time of the Pictish peoples, exactly at the southern terminus of the Mannoch Road.

Crofthead {NGR: NJ 23_42_} H.B. Mackintosh related that, "the site of a chapel and burying ground is still pointed out between Wester Tarnbreck {NGR: NJ 223417} and Crofthead NGR: NJ 235428}. "¹² The 1st Edition OS Map of 1843-1182 shows "Supposed site and remains of a Chapel and Graveyard" just south-west of Wester Tombreck, at {NGR: NJ 223419} . A farm, just to the north-west of the site of the supposed chapel, has a revealing name - Ballimeanach ('Middle Town' or 'Monks Town').

Kirdals {NGR: NJ 175397} H.B. Mackintosh was quite certain when he recorded, "the site of the chapel of Kirdals, close to the Bishop's Croft."¹³ When the Ordnance Survey visited the site in 1971, they described the site as, "a turf-covered cairn c. 10.5m in diameter and c. 1.0m high, mutilated in the North and East. Several stone kerbs survive in the Western arc. Ploughing has accentuated its outline, but the centre appears to be undisturbed." Many scholars today view the site as just the remains of a cairn. However, the tradition is strong that there was a chapel here. When the original Ordnance Survey was completed in 1868-1871, the surveyor recorded that "a few years ago, there stood a small piece of wall, which was supposed to be the remains of a chapel."¹⁴ When the wall was eventually removed by the proprietor {Grant of Ballindalloch}, the tenant was forbidden from tilling the land where it had stood. The dwelling house of Bishops Croft is said to stand on the site of the residence of the clergyman who served the chapel.

Pulvrenan {NGR: NJ 203422} This is the supposed site of an Early Church, said to have been the original parish church of Knockando. It was from this site that the three symbol-stones that are now at Upper Knockando were taken. The lower portion of the graveyard has been truncated by the railway {G.N.S.R.} that used to run along between the church site and the River Spey.
The Ordnance Survey Name Book has an interesting note to add, that "attempts were made to restore or rebuild the Church upon the site in question {at Pulvrenan} and the 'opposing party' got it removed to near the site of the present parish church."¹⁵ The surveyor also noted that the dedication of this church was not known. There is a suggestion here that the party who wished this church to be rebuilt, but who had to be satisfied with one being built instead near to the parish church, were not of the same denomination as those who attended the parish church, i.e. they were not Presbyterians. Might they have been the remnant of a Roman Catholic congregation? The Survey was carried out in 1868-71 but the surveyor gave no indication of when this proposed rebuild at the Pulvrenan site was mooted. The surveyor's notes conclude with the observations that this was, "the site where the old parish Ch [Church] stood, said to have been an ordinary building thatched with straw. The date is unknown, but [it] is supposed to have been the first Christian place of worship in the Parish."¹⁶
Macdonald & Laing wrote that the placename derives from a salmon pool on the River Spey known as Pool Veriner which is probably Poll Bhreunainn (St Brendan's Pool).¹⁷

Parish Clergy :