Saints in Scottish Place-Names
Funded by a Leverhulme Trust Project Grant
Creich, parish SUT
Grid reference
NH 636 891 (assumed location)
Six-figure easting & northing
263600 889100
Latitude
57.87077973176136
Longitude
-4.2998074688679955
Nearby places
St Devenick's Church, ~eccles. Creich SUT (0 miles)
St Demhan's Cross, Creich SUT (0 miles)
Lady's Well, Kincardine (1.81 miles)
Kincardine, parish ROS (1.93 miles)
Edderton, parish (5.97 miles)
Object Classification
Parish (extant in 1975)
Is linear feature?
No
Notes
The present parish kirk of Creich is thought to lie on or near the site of the medieval kirk.
Relationships with other places
Contains Alltan Aonghais, Creich, Sutherland
Contains Càrr Dubh Lùb Thòmais, Creich SUT
Contains Cnocan nam Braithrean, Creich SUT
Contains Eilean Thòmais, Creich SUT
Contains Lùb Thòmais, Creich SUT
Contains St Demhan's Cross, Creich SUT
Parish TLA
CCH
County
Sutherland
Medieval diocese
Caithness
Parish notes
Church of Creich assigned as part of the prebend of the chanter of Caithness in the constitution of Bp. Gilbert 1224x45, both parsonage and vicarage were thus annexed, the church itself being served by a curate. Cowan 1967, 38-9. OPS ii pt 2, 618 & 684. Creich 684-92. The church probably dedicated to a saint corruptly named Saint Tevenick appears to have always stood on the site of the present church at Criech on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, 9 miles from the east and about 30 miles from the west end of the parish. (p.684). .. It was rebuilt in 1790, and has since been repaired. (685). There were burial grounds and apparently chapels at Knockan (or Crockan) and Achness ‘at the first of which they bury for ordinary’ (1726. Macf. Geog. Coll., quoted p.685). In 1569 Donald Logane ‘reidar in the Irsche toung’ at Criech had as his stipend £21, and in 1574 he had £14 and the kirklands. 685. William I confirms to Master Gilbert archdeacon of Moray the whole of the land of Skelbo Scelebol (Dornoch) and Ferenbeuthlin’ (Creich) and the whole land of Sutherland towards the west lying between these lands and the marches of Ross ‘diuisas de Ros’, granted to him and to those of his kin to whom he may choose to grant them, in heritage, by Hugh Freskin 1212x14, probably 1214. RRS ii no.520. Barrow notes ibid p.470 that Ferenbeuthlin’ seems to have been an alternative name for Ferincoskry, the eastern part of the parish of Creich. Probably this grant embraced the whole of the parish of Creich, together with Skelbo. See also Watson 1926, 117 (for Ferincoskry). It seems to be Ferancestgrayges granted by Donald lord of the Isles to Angus Mackay of Strathnaver in 1415 (Clan Donald 1896, i, 573, and elsewhere it is evident that it included the lands of Spinningdale (OPS etc. 686).