Cullicudden, former parish, Resolis

Grid reference

NH 650 650 (accurate position)

Six-figure easting & northing

265000 865000

County

Ross-shire

Object Classification

Parish (non-extant in 1975)

Notes

NGR is for St Martin's Kirk, which was the medieval centre of the parish; in 1609 a new church was built at NH649650, at the settlement of Cullicudden.

Relationships with other parishes

Within Resolis, modern parish

Relationships with other places

Contains St Martin's Church, Cullicudden, Resolis

Contains St Martin's Well, Cullicudden, Resolis

Contains St Martins Mill, Resolis

Contains St Martins, settlement, Resolis

Parish details

Cullicudden now part of Resolis RSS.

Parish TLA

CCX

Medieval diocese

Ross

Parish notes

The parsonage was apparently one of the prebends of the cathedral of Ross erected c.1256, and although no definite proof of this exists until 1378, both parsonage and vicarage appear in Bagimond as separate assessments, as they continue to do after certain proof of the prebend’s continuance is available (Vet. Mon., nos. lxxx, clxxxii; cf. Mor. Reg. no.65 [mistake for no.75?] etc.) Cowan 1967, 41. Church dedicated to Martin , and parish in Gaelic called Sgìre Mhartuinn - hence ‘Kilmartin’, where the old kirk of Cullicudden stood. (Watson 1904, 120). ‘The church of Cullicudden, ded. to St Martin, stood originally at Kilmartin or Saint Martin’s in the west end of the parish, where its foundations and the burying-ground (now disused) may still be seen. The site appears to have been changed previously to the year 1641, and the church built at Cullicudden on the shore of the Firth, where one of its gables is still standing (see APS v, 630). The parish is still locally known as Sgire-a-Mhartinn, the parish of St Martin.’ (OPS ii pt 2, 553). However, D. Alston writes that the original parish kirk was in fact at NH649650 (more correctly NH650650), at the east end of the medieval parish of Cullicudden, since there are a number of well-preserved 14th c. grave slabs. He adds that the site of the Chapel of St Martin, near St Martins, at the west end of the parish (NH645626) can be identified bu nothing remains of the building or the burial ground, which was ploughed up before 1825. A large annual fair was held here until 1641 (Alston 1999, 189). At the Reformation the rental of the parsonage was stated as follows (and can thus help define the parish): the town of Cullicudden, Drumnecudyne, Sanct Martenis, Kynebarch, the Craighouse, Eister Culboll, Wastir Culboll, the Wodheid, the town of Braire. i.e. Cullicudden, St Martins, Drumcudden, Kinbeachie, Easter & Wester Culbo, Woodhead, Brae. Cullicudden and Kirkmichael parishes were united in 1662 to form parish of Resolis (RSS). By 1836 ‘Resolis’ had practically ousted ‘Kirkmichael’ as the parish-name (Watson 1904, 120). OPS ii pt 2, 552-56. No changes noted in Shennan 1892.