Building record MAB19178 - ST PETER'S CHURCH, FYVIE

Church, built on site of earlier church, with symbol stones incorporated into building, and associated graveyard.

Church, built on site of earlier church, with symbol stones incorporated into building, and associated graveyard. The present church was built in 1808 in the graveyard of St Peter's, on the site of its early medieval predecessor. The church is a 4-window Gothic rectangle, built of heathen rubble with cherry cocking and granite dressings with margins at the angles only. The centre of the west gable is advanced with curved skews to the double arch bellcote with spirelet. The crown of the roof is platformed, with a 3-pinnacle pediment feature at the apex of the east gable. It was repaired by James Henderson in 1863 after storm damage. The interior was completely remodelled, along with the chancel, and Leith-Hay pew, by A. Marshall Mackenzie in 1903. The east gable window is by Louis Comfort Tiffany, New York. This window was donated to the church by American friends of the Forbes-Leith family in memory of Lieutenant Percy Forbes-Leith, of Fyvie Castle, who died of enteric fever on 31st December 1900 while on active service with the British Army during the Boer War. The window depicts St Michael, the warrior angel, wearing a suit of armour, with angel wings outstretched against a clouded sky. He holds a flaming sword in his right hand and the banner of the cross in his left hand. On the south wall is a large Gothic memorial to Sir William Gordon with a marble bas-relief of a phoenix and simple Neo-Greek monuments to the Leslies of Rothie. Two wood panels, dated 1603 and 1671, can be found within the church, along with a Burgerhuys bell dated 1609 and another dated 1809. Simpson suggests that the church might mark the site of one of the foundations of St Bonaface in circa 750 AD. It is first on record in 1178 AD, when it was bestowed on the Abbey of Arbroath. Incorporated in the exterior of the east gable of the present church are three Class I Pictish symbol stones and a Class III cross-shaft. Of the sculptured stones, only two belong to the site, the 'eagle' stone and the cross-shaft stone. The eagle stone is truncated on the left and right sides, with head and tail feathers missing, and the left hand disc of a double disc has also been lost, set close above eagle. The cross-shaft has a key pattern deeply incised at the top but the design at the base, of four converging triangles, is less distinct. It had been trimmed for use as a lintel in the church, but was removed in the late 19th century and incorporated into the gable of the chancel when built in 1903. The other two stones are from: (1) Fyvie schoolhouse (NJ 7656 3810) bearing a crescent and V-rod above a beast and a mirror, the stone truncated through crescent, beast stubby, and (2) from a garden at Rothie Brisbane (NJ73NW0020, NJ 7456 3783), said to have been bought by J. Hay Chalmers, who is said to have removed a sculptured stone from the centre of a stone circle. This stone bears an elaborate arch surmounting a disc, with ribbing on the inner edge of the arch. The disc is represented by two closely set concentric circles enclosing three circles. A long cist with a cup-marked cover-slab was found nearby while removing road-metal circa 1882. Within the graveyard are six commonwealth war graves, including five from World War I.

Period Notes
Early church on record in 1178; gravestone dated 1673; present church built 1808; repairs 1863; reconstruction and additions 1901-3; memorial 1901; E gable rebuilt 1904; reconstruction of Leith Pew c.1920.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 02/08/2008 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Author unknown, , SCOTTISH NOTES AND QUERIES, Vol 1, 2nd ser, p131 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1839.

ORDNANCE SURVEY, 1871, Ordnance Name Book, No35(1871) 76,92 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1360.

ORDNANCE SURVEY, 1871, Ordnance Name Book, No77(1869) 25 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1360.

SMITH, A, 1875, A NEW HISTORY OF ABERDEENSHIRE, pp 40-3 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1794.

ANDERSON, J, 1889, PSAS 23,(1888-9) 344-55, 346-7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB22.

ALLEN, JR, 1903, EARLY CHRISTIAN MONUMENTS OF SCOTLAND 3, 116-7,164-5,184-5 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3.

BREBNER, J, 1904, BRAES OF GIGHT, p 12-13 (Bibliographic reference). SAB92.

HENDERSON, JA, 1907, ABERDEEN EPITAPHS & INSCRIPTS, 484, 504-6 (Bibliographic reference). SAB723.

RITCHIE, J, 1915, PSAS 49(1914-15) 33-49, 41-3, ILL (Bibliographic reference). SAB1500.

SIMPSON, W. D., 1935, THE CELTIC CHURCH IN SCOTLAND, 111 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1663.

EELES, FC, 1957, THE CHURCH AND OTHER BELLS OF ABERDEENSHIRE PSAS 90 (1956-7) 130-60, pp.151-152 (Bibliographic reference). SAB490.

BANFF & BUCHAN DISTRICT COUNCIL, 1989, FYVIE VILLAGE - A MOMENT IN TIME, P.3, 6-7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3731.

FRASER, I, 2008, THE PICTISH SYMBOL STONES OF SCOTLAND, 24-25 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2523.

GROVES, A, 2014, FYVIE WAR MEMORIAL: WORLD WAR I ANNIVERSARY - 2014, p.41-43 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2655.

MOTT MACDONALD, 2022, FYVIE - ROTHIENORMAN REFURBISHMENT PROJECT HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT DESK STUDY, MM003 (Bibliographic reference). SAB7622.

FIRTH, D, 2023, THE TIRONENSIAN HOUSE OF ARDLOGY AT FYVIE (Bibliographic reference). SAB4188.

Aug 14 2013 , AAS-GR-13-08-126 - 129, AAS-GR-13-08-126 - 129 (Ground Photograph). SAB35294.

Jan 1 1980 , AAS/GR/80/CT24,29,34,39, AAS/GR/80/CT24,29,34,39 (Ground Photograph). SAB32576.

Jan 1 1982 , AAS/GR/82/CT25, AAS/GR/82/CT25 (Ground Photograph). SAB32582.

Jan 1 1990 , AAS/GR/90/CT378-384, AAS/GR/90/CT378-384 (Ground Photograph). SAB32808.

Jul 23 1990 , KH 26-27, KH 26-27 (Ground Photograph). SAB33809.

Jun 19 1997 , AAS/97/08/CT79-82, AAS/97/08/CT79-82 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16772.

Jun 19 1997 , AAS/97/08/G18/5, AAS/97/08/G18/5 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16771.

Jun 27 2006 , DP 009791, DP 009791 (Ground Photograph). SAB20041.

Jun 27 2006 , DP 009798-099825 , DP 009798-099825 (Ground Photograph). SAB20042.

Jun 27 2006 , E 70165 CN - E 70171 CN, E 70165 CN - E 70171 CN (Ground Photograph). SAB20043.

May 31 2013 , UNK-GR-13-05-159 - 164, UNK-GR-13-05-159 - 164 (Ground Photograph). SAB13441.

Sep 18 1984 , DI 8-20, DI 8-20 (Ground Photograph). SAB14328.

Sep 20 1985 , FB 2-12, FB 2-12 (Ground Photograph). SAB14329.

Sep 20 1985 , FC 1-3, FC 1-3 (Ground Photograph). SAB14330.

Sep 28 2016 , AAS-GR-16-09-418 - 590, AAS-GR-16-09-418 - 590 (Ground Photograph). SAB35929.

Record last edited

May 12 2026 2:26PM