Saints in Scottish Place-Names
Funded by a Leverhulme Trust Project Grant
St Eata's Chapel, Alvie
Grid reference
NH 868 076 (accurate position)
Six-figure easting & northing
286800 807600
Latitude
57.14549857335392
Longitude
-3.871064804028682
County
Inverness-shire
Nearby places
St Eata's Well, Alvie (0.22 miles)
Alvie, parish (1.08 miles)
Rothiemurchus, former parish, Duthil and Rothiemurchus (1.45 miles)
St Adomnán's Church, Insh (2.49 miles)
Insh, former parish, Kingussie & Insh (2.49 miles)
Object Classification
Antiquity
Ecclesiastical
Is linear feature?
No
Notes
A monument to Jane, Duchess of Gordon erected in 1812 stands here now, the chapel having been totally obliterated, though its remains were visible before 1812 (NMRS). It does seem strange to have a dedication to St Eata here. This is not a saint with a popular cult in Scotland. If this is the bishop of Hexham and Lindisfarne (basically Bernicia, therefore) who died in 686, he was the bishop therefore when Ecgfrith led his ill-fated invasion of Pictland inn 685 and when he and his army were slaughtered at *Dun Nechtain. Eve Boyle (HES, pers. comm)has suggested that the battle was fought near Torr Alvie, on the summit of which is a large pre-historic fort (NH876088) which might be the dún in question. This background - or modern antiquarian speculation about it - might explain the otherwise strange dedication to Eata here.
Relationships with other places
Adjacent St Eata's Well, Alvie
Names
1 head-name linked to this place ?St Eata's Chapel
Head name
St Eata's Chapel
Place
St Eata's Chapel, Alvie
Certainty that this name applies to this place
Certain
The status of this name is
Obsolete
Is this a current OS form? ?
No
Is this the original referent of the place?
Yes
Is the association of this name to this object hypothetical?
No
St Eata's Chapel 1843, OS 6 inch first edn.
Historic formSt Eata's Chapel Head nameSt Eata's Chapel PlaceSt Eata's Chapel, Alvie Certainty that this name applies to this placeCertain SourceOS 6 inch first edn. Date of citation1843 x 1882 Notes on the context of this place-nameMid to late 19th c. |
Source code
OS 6 inch first edn.
Source title
Ordnance Survey 6 Inch to the Mile, First Edition
Notes
Mid to late 19th c.
Saints in this place-name
Eata (ns) (probable)
Eata bishop of Hexham (probable)