MHG11754 - St. Findbarr's Monastery, Dornoch
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- MONASTIC SETTLEMENT (Early Medieval - 561 AD to 1057 AD)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
(Area: NH 799 896) Findbarr of Cork (died 610) is said to have founded a monastic establishment at Dornoch, where fo parish church (NH78NE 18) was dedicated to him.
Between 1127 and 1153 David I ordered Reinvald, Earl of Orkney and others to respect 'the monks who live at Dornoch'. (Reg. de Dunfermelyn 1842) Since no other record of a monastery at this date is known Easson (1957) suggests this could apply to a surviving Celtic establishment and Cowan agrees that this may have been site of a 'monasterium' or minister and further suggests that this could have been an influencing factor in development of see at Dornoch.
Scott (1915) maintains that the remains of buildings found during excavations for the Public School (NH 7991 8968) probably in mid 19th century were those of St Finbarr's monastery. These foundations were of two types - square and mortared, and rounded and unmortared 'of the usual early Celtic type'.
A B Scott 1915; C D Bentinck 1926; W J Watson 1926; Information from 'Map of Dornoch' by J F Wyness 1926; D E Easson 1957; I B Cowan 1964.
No further info. Visited by OS (A A) 31 March 1971.
Sources/Archives (6)
- --- SHG1974 Text/Publication/Volume: Bentinck, C D. 1926. Dornoch: cathedral and parish. opposite 142.
- --- SHG2071 Text/Publication/Volume: Cowan, I B. 1964. Corrections and additions to Easson. 27.
- --- SHG2156 Text/Publication/Volume: Easson, D E. 1957. Medieval religious houses in Scotland: with an appendix on the houses in the Isle of Man. 94.
- --- SHG2682 Text/Publication/Volume: Reg Dunfermline. 1842. Registrum de Dunfermline.
- --- SHG2918 Text/Publication/Volume: Watson, W J. 1926. The history of the Celtic place-names of Scotland: being the Rhind lectures on archaeology (expanded) delivered in 1916. 272-3, 338.
- --- SHG423 Text/Publication/Article: Scott, A B. 1915. 'Chapters in the history of the church of the Picts (ii)- S. Finbarr of Caithness and Ulster', Trans Gaelic Soc Inverness Vol. 27 1908-11, p.20-30. Trans Gaelic Soc Inverness. 20-30. 24.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 7990 8950 (100m by 100m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH78NE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | DORNOCH |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/14619 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
Comments and Feedback
Do you have any more information about this record? Please feel free to comment with information and photographs, or ask any questions, using the "Disqus" tool below. Comments are moderated, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible.