(6th century)

Devenick was a contemporary of Columba and Machar. He is mainly associated with the Don and the Dee but travelled around Caithness, where he died. His remains were taken to Banchory-Devenick for burial. There is also a connection to a fair at Creich.

See Towill p. 61, Cat p. 37, Woodside p. 14.

Diman (7th century)

Diman was named in a letter of pope-elect John in 640 regarding the controversy over the dating of Easter. He was associated with Daimsey, Orkney but died in Strathnaver in 670.

See Cat p. 35.

Donan/Donnan (d. 617)

Donan was one of the most important figures in early Church history in the Highlands. He was probably Irish and a contemporary of Columba. He spent time on Iona before travelling North, where he and his followers were based at Suisgill, Kildonan. They founded eight churches, including Fordyce in Banffshire (Talorcan), Reay (Colman), Halkirk (Tarlogan), and Strathmore in Caithness (Ciaran). He is also commemorated at Auchterless, Aberdeenshire, where his ‘bachail’ or staff was kept. There are many ‘Kildonan’s up the West coast e.g. Eilean Donan, Cil Donan (Loch Garry). Donan and many of his followers moved from Kildonan to Eigg, where their settlement also became known as Kildonan. In 617/8 all 52 of them were martyred. There are conflicting stories of the martyrdom but the most popular is that they were trapped in a cave while saying Mass and were burned to death by Viking raiders. (This might not be historically accurate, as the Viking raids were typically late 8th century and after. Iona Abbey was first plundered in 794.) The community later re-established itself under the leadership of the Iona monks. A cave on the island is known as the cathedral cave but it is not clear whether this is because it was the one used for saying Mass or because of its shape.

See Towill p. 70, Cat p. 33, 40 and 51, Woodside p. 50, Ecc Hist p. 78-82.

Drostan (see also Trothan/Trostan/Tear/Teer) (c. 6th century)

Drostan is a Pictish name. It appears in many forms – Trostan, Tristan, Tustan, Trothan, Tear and Tears. (The mutation of D to T and vice-versa is common to both Pictish and Old Welsh usage). He is associated with many places in Aberdeenshire and the North East, also in Glen Urquhart, Galloway and Fife. He was head, possibly the founder, of the monastic institution at Deer in Buchan. According to the Book of Deer, Columba taught Drostan at Deer but this is disputed. 

Note: Columba’s foundations at Derry and Durrow both derive their names from the same Gaelic source as Deer. If Deer was deliberately named after Durrow (which also produced famous books), this may explain the Columban connection.

Drostan’s followers in Caithness, where he was known as Trostan, were Fergus, Colum/Colm and Modan. The Chapel of Teer, near Ackergill, is connected with Deer in Aberdeenshire. Teer is a Caithness form of Deer, even as Trostan is of Drostan. The abbot of Deer had lands and tenants in Caithness, which may have been gifted from the Keiths of Ackergill, whose original home was near Deer. 

An aside about the Chapel of Teer: in a clan dispute between the Gunns and the Kieths, it was agreed to meet to settle the matter at the chapel of Teer, near Wick. The Keiths cheated and murdered the Gunns. This must have happened after 1461. (See Cat p. 103.)

Dedications to Drostan occur at: Westfield, where there was a chapel to the East of the burial ground. The baptismal font is on the South wall of the burial ground; Westerdale, where there are two sites. Between Olgrinmore and Westerdale is a burial ground and chapel, opposite a place called Aisle. A little further to the NW is St Trostan’s well.  There is also a chapel and unenclosed graveyard at the edge of a field to the E of the road that leads from Westerdale to Balindannich and ½ m N of the former place; about ½ mile N of Olrig House are the ruins of the parish church of Olrig known as St Trothan’s at the entrance to the graveyard; the present church at Canisbay is on the site of a church dedicated to Drostan; further along the coast at the farm of Shorelands near Ackergill there are the foundations of a larger than usual chapel; inland, at Brabstermire on the W side of the high road to the NW of Brabstermire House is another chapel. The baptismal font is in Brabster House.

See Towill p. 73 Cat p. 35, 42, 103 Woodside p. 20, Inventory no 57, 159, 167, 175,and 317,

Ecc Hist p. 45, 49, 51, 58, 62 and 82.

Duthac (11th century)

Duthac was born in Tain, where he was renowned as a miracle worker. He studied in Ireland but came back to be bishop of Moray and Ross. He died in Armagh in 1065. Tain rapidly became a pilgrimage centre, including several visits by King James IV. Three medieval churches were built to meet the demand. The modern St Duthac’s Way runs from Tain to St Andrew’s via Aberdeen. There is a modern heritage centre in Tain with details of Duthac’s life and work.

In Caithness, St Duthac’s (or St Duddock’s) chapel was built on some raised ground  near the Burn of Kirk Stanes on Killimster Moss, about 1 mile to the West of Loch Killimster. There had been a lull in Christian missionary work in the North due to Viking raids. The work of Duthac in the area marked a revival and devotion to him continued well into the post-Reformation times. ‘At Wick, folk used to take food and silver to the ancient St Dudoch’s kirk.’

There is also a chapel dedicated to Duthac at Pickaquoy, Orkney with a charter dated 1448 granting right of patronage to the earls of Orkney.

See Towill p. 75, Cat p. 36, Woodside p. 83, Ecc Hist p. 50 and 83, Inventory no 592.