Urquhart Priory

Priory in Moray, Scotland, UK

Urquhart Priory was a Benedictine monastic community in Moray; the priory was dedicated to the Holy Trinity.^[1] It was founded by King David I of Scotland in 1136^[2] as a cell of Dunfermline Abbey in the aftermath of the defeat of King Óengus of Moray. It remained a dependency of Dunfermline.^[3]

In 1453, John Bonally, the Prior of Urquhart formally requested from the Pope that his monastery and Pluscarden be merged. At that time, Urquhart had only two monks and Pluscarden had six.^[4] A papal bull was issued by Nicholas V on 12 March 1453 joining the priories and from then on Pluscarden became a daughter house of the Benedictine Dunfermline Abbey. Pluscarden was chosen over Urquhart for the priory location as the buildings were larger and thought easier to restore^[5] and Bonally was appointed as its first Benedictine prior.^[6]

The site was abandoned; there are no surface remains of the priory, although stones are occasionally ploughed up.

See also

• Prior of Urquhart, for a list of priors and commendators

References

1. "Urquhart Priory", Canmore
2. "Urquhart Priory Site, Moray", Powis
3. "Urquhart Priory", PoMS, no. 549
4. Macphail, S R: History of the Religious House of Pluscardyn.1881 Edinburgh, p 223
5. "Urquhart Priory", Aberdeenshire Council
6. "The Abbey", Pluscarden Abbey

Bibliography

• Cowan, Ian B. & Easson, David E., Medieval Religious Houses: Scotland With an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man, Second Edition, (London, 1976), p. 61
• Watt, D.E.R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries, The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001), pp. 213–16

57°38′58″N 3°11′35″W / 57.64944°N 3.19306°W / 57.64944; -3.19306