Archaeology Notes

Event ID 667265

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/667265

NJ36SE 5.00 3533 6101

NJ36SE 5.01 35310 61000 Bellie, Old Parish Church, Burial Ground.

NJ36SE 5.02 35329 60988 Bellie, Old Parish Church, Burial Ground, Gordon Tomb

NJ36SE 5.03 35340 61015 Bellie, Old Parish Church, Burial Ground Extension

(NJ 3533 6106) Church (NR)

OS 6" map, (1959)

The fragmentary remains of the east wall of the former parish church of Bellie.

According to W Macfarlane (1906-8) this was a chapel-of-ease dependent on Urquhart Priory previous to the Reformation, but afterwards was erected into a parish church. Various dedications are given - St Peter (H Scott 1915-61), St Andrew (A Jervise 1875-9), and St Mary. Since Macfarlane's Geographical Collections (anon 1725) says it was called 'Mary's Chappell' before the Reformation and Fasti ecclesiae Scoticanae (ed H Scott 1926) says fairs were held at Bellie 'on the five feasts of St Mary', it is very probable that the dedication was that saint.

The surviving fragment of walling is though to be of the post-Reformation church. It bears an almost indecipherable tablet to 'Guilielmus Armand' who died in 1770. The parish church was transferred to Fochabers in 1798, when, presumably, this church was allowed to fall into decay.

A Jervise 1875-9; Name Book 1870; W Macfarlane 1906-8; H Scott (Fasti Eccles Scot) 1926; G Hay 1957.

Both parsonage and vicarage (of Bellie) were appropriated to Pluscarden at the Reformation, it being uncertain when the original annexation took place. As the church itself does not appear in any of the early taxation rolls it would appear, however, that in origin it may have been a pendicle of Urquhart (NJ26SE 6), belonging originally to the priory of that name and passing to Pluscarden (NJ15NW 6) with the union of the two houses in 1454.

I B Cowan 1967.

The surviving fragment of the church is at NJ 3531 3601 and is part of the N wall not the E gable. It measures 2.0m long by 1.9m high by 0.7m thick and incorporates the memorial tablet in its N face. The burial ground has been extended and is still in use.

Visited by OS (A A) 18 May 1971.