Another Church.

Mid afternoon today E. decided to phone an old school friend of hers and knowing them both as I do I knew the call would las at least an hour so - I jumped into the car and headed West, just going where the road took me. I ended up on the road to Loch Duntelchaig and stopped at the wee church at Dunlichity. Nothing much to look at but the situation is great. The light was not too good but the shots seemed not bad. The one shown is taken from the West end of the churchyard which rises to building roof hight.



The church of Dunlichity was originally situated at the south side of Creagan an Tuirc (the boar rock) at Brinmore, where traces of a burial ground can still be seen. The stones from the walls of this church are supposed to have been used to build the present church in 1759, which, it is said, is the third to be built on this site. According to tradition, the building previous to the present church had a porch, where the men of the district left their bows and arrows during Sunday services and the marks made by the sharpening of arrows and swords could be seen on the sandstone cheeks of the porch. Such marks are still to be found on a corner stone in the wall of the burial enclosure of the Shaws of Tordarroch, and of the Macphails of Inverernie near the east end of the church. Unfortunately Idid'nt learn about the sharpening of the swords and arrow heads until later so I did'nt look for that. I will have to go back- but I digress.

There is a story told in the parish that the bow and arrow sports held near the church were stopped by a presbyterian minister in the following way. One Sunday morning as he was making his way to church, he found the men of the district at the usual practice and persuaded them to go into church. He then announced that no-one was to leave the building until the service was over. When one bold rough fellow got up and left with his bow, the minister came down from the pulpit, and taking with him another bow, followed him out and shot an arrow into his thigh before returning. After the service was over, the minister tied up the man?s wound. On that day ?Sunday Sports? came to an end. In those far-off days ministers were sometimes selected for their physical strength; they could then ?speak a language? which the roughest of their hearers could understand.

The present Church of Dunlichity, like the Church of Daviot also stands in a graveyard belonging to the Inverness District Council. It is oblong in shape, with a gable at each end, and faces north and south, and is sited near the point where the road leading to Loch Duntelchaig joins the road to Brin, 12 miles from the west end of the parish and 8 miles from the manse at Daviot. It was thoroughly overhauled and painted in 1949 at a cost of £65. A large hand-bell, with the date 1702 inscribed on it, is kept locked in a safe repository in the vestry. According to tradition, this bell was used for calling the people to worship on the Lord?s Day.

Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and their household, worshipped often in Dunlichity Church, when they were in residence at the House of Farr during the shooting season.

Services are held alternately each Sunday in the Churches of Daviot and Dunlichity. The Parish was linked with the parish of Moy and Dalarossie about 12 years ago (1983). In 1962 communicants of the two churches numbered 55, and there were 28 in the Sunday school. Communion is held at Daviot on the third Sunday and at Dunlichity on the fourth Sunday of July. Fifty years ago the principal service was held in Gaelic, but now it is in English. Very few people in the parish can speak Gaelic nowadays, just like me.

See my back blip for 17th Sept.