There
has been a church on this site since the 7th Century. It
was dedicated to St Finan a Celtic monk like St Columba.
The present church was built in 1758. There were special places in
the graveyard for the graves of Clan Chattan and Clan MacGillivaary.
Some of the symbols on the clan graves are calf, fish and ship. Travelling
people like the Stewarts buried their dead at Dunlichity and tended
their graves every year when they camped nearby.
Farr Primary senior
class had an expedition to Dunlichity Church to study the Church
and its gravestones and to find out a little about its history.
The origin of the name Dunlichity is uncertain.
Some ideas are:
· Hill of the wet place
· Grave of the fifty
· Hill of Clan Chattan
The story goes that 500 years ago cattle thieves came from Lochaber
to steal some beasts. When they came the men on Nairnshire surrounded
them and killed 50 of the thieves. Only the two sentries survived.
The fifty that were killed are supposed to be buried round about
the church.
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