Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Inchaffray

Inchaffray (Gael. innis-abh-reidh, 'island of the smooth water;'* Lat. Inla Msissarum, ' island of masses '), a ruined abbey in Madderty parish, Perthshire, crowning a small rising-ground-an island once-on the left bank of ditch-like Pow Water, adjacent to Madderty station, 6¼ miles E by N of Crieff. It was founded in 1200 by Gilbert, third Earl of Strathearn, and his Countess Matilda, to the memory of their firstborn son, and to the honour of God, St Mary, and St John the Evangelist. Colonised from Scone by canons regular of the Augustinian order, and endowed with many privileges and possessions by several of the Scottish kings, it held the churches of Madderty, Auchterarder, Aberuthven, Strageath, Kinkell, etc., and down to the Reformation possessed great note and influence. In 1556 James Drummond, younger and infant son of the second Lord Drummond, was secular commendator of Inchaffray, which was erected into a temporal lordship in his favour; and in 1609 he was created Lord Madderty. The abbey, however, and a few acres adjoining, with the patronage of twelve livings, afterwards passed to the Earls of Kinnoull. Much of the walls remained standing till 1816; but a turnpike road was then carried through the ruins, which yielded, at the time of the demolition, a small ivory cross, several stone coffins, and a number of other interesting objects, and which now are represented chiefly by a western gable and a single arched apartment. One of the abbots, Maurice, blessed Bruce's army on the field of Bannockburn (1314); another was slain at Flodden (1513).—Ord. Sur., sh. 47, 1869. See Cosmo Innes' Liber Insule Missarum (Bannatyne Club, 1847).

* Some, however, connect -affray with the Gael. aifrionn, 'mass,' in which case the Gaelic and Latin names are identical.


(F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4); © 2004 Gazetteer for Scotland)

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a ruined abbey"   (ADL Feature Type: "historical sites")
Administrative units: Madderty ScoP       Perthshire ScoCnty
Place names: INCHAFFRAY     |     INNIS ABH REIDH

Pages for linked administrative units may contain historical statistics and information on boundaries.