Fortrose Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Fortrose Cathedral was the episcopal seat
(cathedra) of the medieval Scottish
diocese of Ross
. It is probable that the original site of the diocese was at Rosemarkie
, but by the 13th century the canon
s had relocated a short distance to the south-west to the site known as Fortrose
or Chanonry. According to Gervase of Canterbury
, in the early 13th century the cathedral of Ross was manned by Céli Dé (culdees).
in the 1250s, the bishop of Ross
held Nigg
and Tarbat, the archdeacon of Ross
Fodderty
and Killearnan (previously holding Lemlair and Logie Bride too), the dean Ardersier
and Kilmuir
, the chanter
Kinnnettes and Suddy, the treasurer Urquhart and Logiebride ("Logie Wester"), the sub-dean Edderton
and Tain
(later going to the provost of the collegiate church
at Tain), and the sub-chanter Inverferan and Bron (merged later as Urray
).
The chancellor of Ross, appearing to hold no fixed prebend in the 13th century, later acquired Kilmorack; he exchanged it with the chanter in the 16th century for Kinnnettes and Suddy. The wealthy parishes of Rosemarkie
and Cromarty
were quartered between the dean, chanter, chancellor and treasurer. Likewise, was quartered between the dean, chancellor, chanter and treasurer. The western churches of Applecross
, Gairloch
, Kintail
, Lochalsh, Lochbroom and Lochcarron
were held by the chapter in common.
Alness
, Contin
, Cullicudden
, Dingwall
, Kilchrist, Kilmuir (Easter), Kiltearn
, Kincardine, Kirkmichael, Logie Methet ("Logie Easter"), Roskeen (with Nonakiln) also constituted prebends for the cathedral. By the early 14th-century the abbot of Kinloss
was a permanent member of the Fortrose cathedral chapter on account of holding in perpetuity the rector
ship of the parish of Avoch
.
. Two sections, the chapter house
and the nave
's south aisle
, still stand on location. The outline of the remainder of the cathedral complex was revealed by excavations in 1873. The cathedral building appears to have begun, probably in the early-to-mid-13th-century, as an "extended rectangle" with a tower in the north-west, and a chapter house and sacristy
north of the choir
.
The south-eastern chapel, aisle and porch were commissioned by Euphemia I, Countess of Ross
in the late 14th-century, but likely replaced earlier building. These portions of the cathedral resemble work at Elgin Cathedral
from the same period, something that can be attributed to the fact that its bishop Alexander de Kylwos
had earlier been Dean of Moray
.
The south aisle, which contains two distinct chapels, has several burials. The eastern chapel is thought to contain burials of Countess Euphemia and Bishop Robert Cairncross
. The tomb in the western chapel is, reputedly, Bishop John Fraser
. Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross
and Lord of the Isles
, was buried in the cathedral, but the location is not known. On the ceiling of the western chapel there are two heraldic bosses, representing Earl Alexander and Bishop John Bulloch
.
After the Scottish Reformation
it continued to be used as a church for the town. It began to fall apart in the later 16th- and early 17th-century, though the sacristy
and chapter house were still used for local gatherings of officials in the 18th century. Like other Scottish ex-cathedrals, its grounds remained in use as a graveyard
. The government took over responsibility for its care in 1851.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
(cathedra) of the medieval Scottish
Christianity in Medieval Scotland
Christianity in Medieval Scotland pertains to the Christian religion in Scotland in the Middle Ages. Prior to the Reformation in the early modern period, Scotland was a Roman Catholic country.-Early Christianity:...
diocese of Ross
Diocese of Ross
The Diocese of Ross was an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in Scotland in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period. The Diocese was led by the Bishop of Ross, and was based at Fortrose. The diocese had only one Archdeacon, the Archdeacon of Ross, first attested in 1223 with the appearance of...
. It is probable that the original site of the diocese was at Rosemarkie
Rosemarkie
Rosemarkie is a village on the south coast of the Black Isle peninsula in northern Scotland.-Geography:Rosemarkie lies a quarter of a mile east of the town of Fortrose...
, but by the 13th century the canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
s had relocated a short distance to the south-west to the site known as Fortrose
Fortrose
Fortrose is a burgh in the Scottish Highlands, located on the Moray Firth, approximately ten kilometres north east of Inverness. The town is known for its ruined 13th century cathedral, and as the home of the Brahan Seer. In the Middle Ages it was the seat of the bishopric of Ross...
or Chanonry. According to Gervase of Canterbury
Gervase of Canterbury
Gervase of Canterbury was an English chronicler.- Life :...
, in the early 13th century the cathedral of Ross was manned by Céli Dé (culdees).
Chapter and prebends
The cathedral had twenty-one prebends involving the income of thirty-one churches. After the reconstruction of the cathedral chapterCathedral chapter
In accordance with canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese in his stead. These councils are made up of canons and dignitaries; in the Roman Catholic church their...
in the 1250s, the bishop of Ross
Bishop of Ross
The Bishop of Ross was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Ross, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first recorded bishop appears in the late 7th century as a witness to Adomnán of Iona's Cáin Adomnáin. The bishopric was based at the settlement of Rosemarkie until the mid-13th...
held Nigg
Nigg, Highland
Nigg is a village and parish on the north east shore of Nigg Bay in north east Ross-shire and is in the Scottish council area of Highland...
and Tarbat, the archdeacon of Ross
Archdeacon of Ross
The Archdeacon of Ross was the only archdeacon in the medieval Diocese of Ross, acting as a deputy of the Bishop of Ross. The following is a list of archdeacons:-List of archdeacons of Ross:* Robert, x 1223-1249 x 1250* Robert de Fyvie, x 1269-1275...
Fodderty
Fodderty
Fodderty is a small hamlet, close to Dingwall, Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland.The small hamlet of Bottacks is located 1 mile to the west and just to the east is Brae or Brea, formed in 1777 from the lands of Davochcarn, Davochmaluag and...
and Killearnan (previously holding Lemlair and Logie Bride too), the dean Ardersier
Ardersier
Ardersier is a small former fishing village in the Scottish Highlands, on the Moray Firth, east of Inverness, near Fort George, and Nairn . Its name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic "Àird nan Saor", or "Headland of the joiners", one local legend being that carpenters working on the construction...
and Kilmuir
Kilmuir
Kilmuir is a village on the west coast of the Trotternish peninsula in the north of the island of Skye. It is in the Scottish council area of Highland and is the only place in Scotland where Scottish Gaelic is spoken by over 50% of the population...
, the chanter
Chanter
The chanter is the part of the bagpipe upon which the player creates the melody. It consists of a number of finger-holes, and in its simpler forms looks similar to a recorder...
Kinnnettes and Suddy, the treasurer Urquhart and Logiebride ("Logie Wester"), the sub-dean Edderton
Edderton
Edderton is a village near Tain, lying on the shores of the Dornoch Firth, Easter Ross. It has approximately 388 inhabitants. It is the location of the Balblair Distillery, and of the Class III Pictish stone, the Edderton Cross Slab, which lies in the old churchyard of the village...
and Tain
Tain
Tain is a royal burgh and post town in the committee area of Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland.-Etymology:...
(later going to the provost of the collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
at Tain), and the sub-chanter Inverferan and Bron (merged later as Urray
Urray
Urray is a scattered village, consisting of Easter, Old and Wester Urray and is located in the former county of Rossshire region in the Scottish council area of the Highland.Urray is located 2 miles northwest of Muir of Ord and 1.5 miles east of Marybank....
).
The chancellor of Ross, appearing to hold no fixed prebend in the 13th century, later acquired Kilmorack; he exchanged it with the chanter in the 16th century for Kinnnettes and Suddy. The wealthy parishes of Rosemarkie
Rosemarkie
Rosemarkie is a village on the south coast of the Black Isle peninsula in northern Scotland.-Geography:Rosemarkie lies a quarter of a mile east of the town of Fortrose...
and Cromarty
Cromarty
The Royal Burgh of Cromarty is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:It was previously the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire...
were quartered between the dean, chanter, chancellor and treasurer. Likewise, was quartered between the dean, chancellor, chanter and treasurer. The western churches of Applecross
Applecross
The Applecross peninsula is a peninsula in Wester Ross, Highland, on the west coast of Scotland. The name Applecross is at least 1300 years old and is not used locally to refer to the 19th century village with the pub and post office, lying on the small Applecross Bay, facing the Inner Sound, on...
, Gairloch
Gairloch
Gairloch is a village, civil parish and community on the shores of Loch Gairloch on the northwest coast of Scotland. A popular tourist destination in the summer months, Gairloch has a golf course, a small museum, several hotels, a community centre, a leisure centre with sports facilities, a local...
, Kintail
Kintail
Kintail is an area of mountains in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It consists of the mountains to the north of Glen Shiel and the A87 road between the heads of Loch Duich and Loch Cluanie; its boundaries, other than Glen Shiel, are generally taken to be the valleys of Strath Croe and Gleann...
, Lochalsh, Lochbroom and Lochcarron
Lochcarron
Lochcarron is a village, community and civil parish in the Wester Ross area of Highland, Scotland. It has a population of 923.-Local Information:...
were held by the chapter in common.
Alness
Alness
Alness is a town and civil parish in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. It lies near the Cromarty Firth, with the town of Invergordon to the east and the village of Evanton to the south west...
, Contin
Contin
Contin is a Ross-shire village and civil parish between Strathpeffer and Garve in the Highland council area of Scotland...
, Cullicudden
Cullicudden
Cullicudden is a village located close to the south shore of the Cromarty Firth, 2 miles northeast of Dingwall, on the west shore of the Black Isle in Ross-shire, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
, Dingwall
Dingwall
Dingwall is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,026. It was formerly an east-coast harbor but now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts...
, Kilchrist, Kilmuir (Easter), Kiltearn
Kiltearn
Kiltearn is a parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. The principal settlement is the village of Evanton, and the parish extends almost to Dingwall and about halfway to Alness. The old Kiltearn church and burial ground are on the shore of the Cromarty Firth. The current church is on the main...
, Kincardine, Kirkmichael, Logie Methet ("Logie Easter"), Roskeen (with Nonakiln) also constituted prebends for the cathedral. By the early 14th-century the abbot of Kinloss
Abbot of Kinloss
The Abbot of Kinloss was the head of the property and Cistercian monastic community of Kinloss Abbey, Moray, founded by King David I of Scotland around 1151 by monks from Melrose Abbey. The abbey was transformed into a temporal lordship for Edward Bruce, the last commendator, who became Lord Kinloss...
was a permanent member of the Fortrose cathedral chapter on account of holding in perpetuity the rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
ship of the parish of Avoch
Avoch
Avoch is a harbour-village located on the south-east coast of the Black Isle, on the Moray Firth.Ormond Castle or Avoch Castle was a stronghold built on the site and served as a royal castle to William the Lion; passed on to the Morays of Petty then Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway, upon his...
.
Building
The Cathedral was constructed primarily of red sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
. Two sections, the chapter house
Chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
and the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
's south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
, still stand on location. The outline of the remainder of the cathedral complex was revealed by excavations in 1873. The cathedral building appears to have begun, probably in the early-to-mid-13th-century, as an "extended rectangle" with a tower in the north-west, and a chapter house and sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
north of the choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
.
The south-eastern chapel, aisle and porch were commissioned by Euphemia I, Countess of Ross
Euphemia I, Countess of Ross
Euphemia I , also called Euphemia of Ross and Euphemia Ross, and sometimes incorrectly styled Euphemia Leslie and Euphemia Stewart , was a Countess of Ross in her own right.Euphemia was the elder daughter of Uilleam III, Mormaer of Ross...
in the late 14th-century, but likely replaced earlier building. These portions of the cathedral resemble work at Elgin Cathedral
Elgin Cathedral
Elgin Cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, sometimes referred to as The Lantern of the North is a historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, north-east Scotland. It was established in 1224 on an area of ground granted by Alexander II that was close to the River Lossie and outside of the burgh of...
from the same period, something that can be attributed to the fact that its bishop Alexander de Kylwos
Alexander de Kylwos
Alexander de Kylwos - written alternatively as Frylquhous, Kylquos, and a variety of other forms - was a Scottish churchman and prelate active in the second half of the 14th century. He is known to have held senior positions in three bishoprics, and senior offices in two, before being elected and...
had earlier been Dean of Moray
Dean of Moray
The Dean of Moray was the head of the cathedral chapter of the diocese of Moray, north-central Scotland, based at Elgin Cathedral. The diocese of Moray is first known to have had a dean from a document dating between 1207 and 1208, and its first dean known by name from a document dating between...
.
The south aisle, which contains two distinct chapels, has several burials. The eastern chapel is thought to contain burials of Countess Euphemia and Bishop Robert Cairncross
Robert Cairncross
Robert Cairncross was a Scottish bishop.At various times he was provost of Corstorphine, abbot of Holyrood. He was appointed bishop of Ross in 1539, holding in commendam the abbacy of Fern...
. The tomb in the western chapel is, reputedly, Bishop John Fraser
John Fraser (bishop)
John Fraser [also, more commonly then, Frisel or Frisell] was a late medieval Scottish prelate. Born about 1429 or 1430 if later tradition can be believed, with strong connections to the burgh of Linlithgow, Fraser held a variety of high-level ecclesiastical positions in Scotland, including being...
. Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross
Earl of Ross
The Mormaer or Earl of Ross was the leader of a medieval Gaelic lordship in northern Scotland, roughly between the River Oykel and the River Beauly.-Origins and transfers:...
and Lord of the Isles
Lord of the Isles
The designation Lord of the Isles is today a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It emerged from a series of hybrid Viking/Gaelic rulers of the west coast and islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages, who wielded sea-power with fleets of...
, was buried in the cathedral, but the location is not known. On the ceiling of the western chapel there are two heraldic bosses, representing Earl Alexander and Bishop John Bulloch
John Bullock
John Bullock O.S.A. was an Augustinian canon and prelate active in the 15th century Kingdom of Scotland. While earning a university degree between 1409 and 1417, Bullock gained several benefices in Scotland, and claimed the headship of St Andrews Cathedral Priory before becoming Bishop of Ross in...
.
After the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
it continued to be used as a church for the town. It began to fall apart in the later 16th- and early 17th-century, though the sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
and chapter house were still used for local gatherings of officials in the 18th century. Like other Scottish ex-cathedrals, its grounds remained in use as a graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
. The government took over responsibility for its care in 1851.