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Supposed site of monastery, dedicated to St James. Said to have been established by Alexander II in 1233/34, and terminated before 1570. Its exact site is not known, but it is said to have lain to the north of castle. It appears to have been a substantial property, with 17th century references describing 'a manor place, houses, biggings, yards, orchards, etc.'. The buildings and burial ground are said to have been levelled in the 18th century, with the ground being made over for arable use, although a later report, from 1838, has a local resident recollecting having seen the ruins of the friary buildings at the west end of the Borough Briggs, south of a stank (pond) formed by flooding of the River Lossie. On both the 1st and 2nd edition OS, this site is labelled as 'Supposed site of Blackfriars Monastery'. There are no visible remains. At circa NJ 212 629, excavations in 1971 uncovered 50 skeletons circa 0.4 m below the modern ground level. The skeletons lay at random and there was reportedly no sign of any coffin nails. It was later suggested that this may be the remains of a cemetery of plague victims dating to the 17th century, rather than having a direct connection to the Blackfriars monastery.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Moray
HER -
NJ26SW0006 - BLACKFRIARS MONASTERY, ELGIN