| Primary Reference | NJ26SE0005 |
| Name | URQUHART PRIORY |
| NRHE Card No. | NJ26SE6 |
| NRHE Numlink |
16577
|
| HES SM No. |
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| HES LB No. |
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| Site Form |
Documentary Record Only
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| Site Condition |
Destroyed
|
| Details |
Urquhart Priory was a Benedictine order, founded by David I in 1124 and dedicated to the Holy Trinity, with Dunfermline as its mother house. On 12 March 1453/4 Pope Nicholas V issued a Bull uniting the priory with Pluscarden Priory (NJ15NW0006). This was thought to have been initiated by John Benale, Prior of Urquhart, who had petitioned the Pope suggesting that both houses should be united. Both priories appeared to have suffered from both spiritual and material reduction, as at that time Urquhart had 2 monks and Pluscarden six. The buildings at Pluscarden were thought to have been larger and easier to repair than Urquhart. It was subsequently abandoned. It is now completely destroyed although stones, potsherds and slag are occasionally found. A lintel stone from Garmouth ( NJ 2831 6269) and a flat stone bearing a cross inside a church hall (NJ 2885 6269) are both thought to have come from the priory. A number of features are visible as crop marks on a vertical aerial photograph taken in 1976, including several rectilinear enclosures which probably represent the foundations of buildings. There is also a linear feature which may be a ditch or line of a priory outer wall. A few coins and a seal have been found by metal detectorists. This has also been suggested to be the possible site of a crannog.
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| Last Update | 20/06/2016 |
| Updated By | nackerman |
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NJ26SE0005 - URQUHART PRIORY
