Saints in Scottish Place-Names
Funded by a Leverhulme Trust Project Grant
St Adrian/All Saints Church, Isle of May
Grid reference
NT 654 993 (accurate position)
Six-figure easting & northing
365400 699300
Latitude
56.18514260810916
Longitude
-2.5574985482126524
County
Fife
Nearby places
St Andrew's Well, Isle of May, ANR (0.14 miles)
St Maolrubha's Chapel, Crail (5.69 miles)
Holy Cross Kirk, eccles. Crail (5.86 miles)
Crail, parish (5.86 miles)
St Ayle's Chapel, Anstruther Easter (5.91 miles)
Object Classification
Ecclesiastical
Is linear feature?
No
Notes
Though we have no actual medieval occurrence of a place-name attesting the dedication, the church on this island was apparently dedicated to St Ethernan, as suggested by a grant 'to Saint Ethernan of May' (Sancto Ydernino de Mai) in 1140 x 1159 by Earl Gospatrick of Dunbar (Taylor & Markus iii, 67), but this dedication appears to have been displaced by one to All Saints (David I Chrs. no. 132) as early as 1145 x 1153. The All Saints dedication may have displaced the Ethernan dedication as a result of the takeover of the Isle of May by the monks of Reading 'to replace a local and, from a Reading perspective, uncouth cult' (Taylor & Markus iii, 71). The Ethernan cult persisted in spite of this, a 'light of St Ethernan' surviving on the island.
Relationships with other parishes
Within Anstruther Wester, parish
Names
3 head-names linked to this place ?Ecclesia Omnium Sanctorum
Head name
Ecclesia Omnium Sanctorum
Place
St Adrian/All Saints Church, Isle of May
Certainty that this name applies to this place
Certain
The status of this name is
Obsolete
Is this a current OS form? ?
No
Is this the original referent of the place?
Yes
Is the association of this name to this object hypothetical?
No
Ecclesia Omnium Sanctorum 1145, David I Chrs.
Historic formEcclesia Omnium Sanctorum Head nameEcclesia Omnium Sanctorum PlaceSt Adrian/All Saints Church, Isle of May Certainty that this name applies to this placeCertain SourceDavid I Chrs., no. 132 Date of citation1145 x 1153 Feature named in sourcechurch |
Source code
David I Chrs.
Source title
The Charters of David I
Editors
G. W. S. Barrow
Secondary Title
The Written Acts of David I King of Scots, 1124-53, and of his son Henry, Earl of Northumberland, 1139-52
Year
1999
Ecclesia Omnium Sanctorum 1166, RRS ii
Historic formEcclesia Omnium Sanctorum Head nameEcclesia Omnium Sanctorum PlaceSt Adrian/All Saints Church, Isle of May Certainty that this name applies to this placeCertain SourceRRS ii, no. 8 Date of citation1166 x 1171 |
Source code
RRS ii
Source title
Regesta Regum Scottorum, the Acts of William I
Editors
G. W. S. Barrow
Year
1971
Ecclesie Sanctorum 1195, RRS ii
Historic formEcclesie Sanctorum Head nameEcclesia Omnium Sanctorum PlaceSt Adrian/All Saints Church, Isle of May SourceRRS ii, no. 376 Date of citation1195 x 1199 |
Associated person or bodyWilliam I, king of Scots Certainty of identity of person or bodyCertain |
Source code
RRS ii
Source title
Regesta Regum Scottorum, the Acts of William I
Editors
G. W. S. Barrow
Year
1971
Saints in this place-name
All Saints (certain)
All Saints (ns) (certain)
Ecclesia Sancti Ethernani
Head name
Ecclesia Sancti Ethernani
Place
St Adrian/All Saints Church, Isle of May
Certainty that this name applies to this place
Certain
The status of this name is
Hypothetical
Is this a current OS form? ?
No
Is this the original referent of the place?
Yes
Is the association of this name to this object hypothetical?
Yes
Saints in this place-name
Ethernan, Iternan (ns) (certain)
Ethernan of May (certain)
St Ethernan's Church
Head name
St Ethernan's Church
Place
St Adrian/All Saints Church, Isle of May
Certainty that this name applies to this place
Certain
Is this the original referent of the place?
Yes
Is the association of this name to this object hypothetical?
No
Saint Adrian's Chappell 1665, Geog. Coll. III
Historic formSaint Adrian's Chappell Head nameSt Ethernan's Church PlaceSt Adrian/All Saints Church, Isle of May Certainty that this name applies to this placeCertain SourceGeog. Coll. III, 220 Date of citation1665 x 1733 |
Source code
Geog. Coll. III
Source title
Macfarlane's Geographical Collections
Editors
Arthur Mitchel and James Toshach Clark
Series
Scottish History Society
Year
1908
Saints in this place-name
Ethernan, Iternan (ns) (certain)
Ethernan of May (certain)
Place-name data
The place-name data featured in this resource is copyright of the University of Glasgow.
Map Layers
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Default map:
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Satellite map:
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Satellite map with labels:
Base map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA, Imagery © Mapbox
Modern OS map:
Ordnance Survey OpenData. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right (2010)
OS 1840-1880 map:
National Library of Scotland Historic Maps
OS 1920-1933 map:
National Library of Scotland Historic Maps
