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Tour
Abdie Church
 The
remains of the old church of Abdie is found at Grange of Lindores,
about a mile to the south of Newburgh. The Grange farmhouse
is on the site of the Abbey farmhouse; the granary and centre
for the agricultural produce for the monks.In 1300, Abdie
was referred to as Ebedyn, a modem descendent of an old ecclesiastical
term denoting a 'shrine' connected with an abbey or monastery.
As Abdie was known to have existed before Lindores Abbey was
built the shrine probably bore some relationship to the ancient
celtic foundation of Abernethy, of which all trace has been
swept away.
In the foundation charter of Lindores Abbey by David Earl
of Huntingdon in 1178, the first bequest made to the Abbey
was the Church of Lindores (as Abdie was then known). The
probable derivation of Lindores is Lann, sacred enclosure
and Dobbar (pronounced dour), water hence Church by the water.
Its altar (like Flisk Church) was dedicated to St. Ninian,
a 5th century missionary while the building was dedicated
to St. Adrian, a 9th century bishop of Abemethy whose name
is also associated with Macduff s cross. There are several
stones in and around the church that are of interest including
a floreated cross found under the floor of the chancel and
a 14th c. sculptured recumbent figure of an ecclesiastic clad
in cassock and amice (hood with tassels).
In 1652, Sir Michael Balfour of Denmiln, comptroller of the
Household of Charles I was buried here, and also his son,
Sir James Balfour, Lyon. King of Arms is commemorated
on a stone erected amongst various memorials in 1661 by Sir
James' son, Robert, then ten years old acting under the guardianship
of his uncle Michael Balfour of Pitmedden.
A much earlier artefact, at least 3rd century, can be seen
in the church yard, in the form of the Lindores stone. This
is a whinstone boulder 3ft. high and 17 ins. broad which used
to stand on the adjoining ridge but removed in 1850. It is
decorated with triple discs and a prominent crescent, two
leaf-topped wands and a rod, perhaps of office. This stood
near the site of McDuffs castle and not far from the Moot
hill of Lindores. A moot was an assembly held for the purpose
of trial and judgement. Here is where the Thane of Fife
and his forbears and descendants stood and delivered judgement
to the inhabitants of the surrounding region.
The Parish of Abdie in NW Fife stretches from Newburgh on
the Firth of Tay to the Loch of Lindores. It includes the
village of Lindores and the hamlet of Grange of Lindores,
and in its churchyard near Grange of Lindores is a 7th-century
Pictish symbol stone. Buried in the same churchyard are John
Bethune (d.1839) and his brother Alexander (d.1843) who are
remembered as local poets.
There is also a monument to Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland (1777-1839),
captain of the British warship HMS Bellerophon which took
the defeated Napoleon on board in 1815 prior to his exile
in St Helena.
Abdie parish, which is of considerable extent, but greatly
intersected by other parishes, lies on the south bank of the
river Tay, amongst those highlands to the westward, which
have acquired the apellation of the Ochil hills. The surface
is remarkably uneven, but the soil is in general fertile.
It possesses three quarries of granite, of which considerable
quantities are shipped for paving the streets of London. The
parish is well watered with lochs, the chief of which is the
lake of Lindores, about a mile in length, and of irregular
breadth. This piece of water is well stored with fish, and
being surrounded by some romantic scenery, is a beautiful
object in the view of the country." from Slater's
Directory, published 1852.
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