| Fowlis Easter is not to be confused with Fowlis Wester which is west of Perth, nor to be confused with Muir of Fowlis, northwest of Aberdeen. The name Easter simple means "Eastern" The original Scottish spelling was Foulis with the pronunciation the same as in fowl (bird) but in the plural form. |
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St. Marnock's in the village of Fowlis as it appears today, is one of the best preserved fifteenth century churches in Scotland. The west end of the church has a oriel window with the east end containing a large pointed Gothic window (as seen above). Each fall the church is open for a weekend for public viewing.
It was built by Sir Andrew, Lord Gray, first Lord Gray in 1453 on the site of an earlier church. Its dedication to St. Marnoch by the bishop of St. Andrews is recorded in 1242. The original church was built, under a vow, by a lady of the Mortimer family, during the crusades in 1142 "in case her husband should return in safety from the holy wars". This inscription appears on a beam that supports the organ gallery although it is accredited to to the Gray family, this is known to be in error. The Barony passed into the Gray family in 1377 in consquence of the marriage of Sir Andrew Gray of Broxmouth to Janet, daughter of Sir Roger Mortimer. St. Marnock's contains some large pre-Reformation paintings on wood panels which at one time were part of a carved ambry and rood-screen, which is now dismantled and moved westward into the nave. These depict such scenes as the Crucifixion, the Trinity, the Virgin, John the Baptist and St Catherine. Patrick the 4th, Lord Gray was involved with the paintings done about 1541. The rood screen used to separate the main part of the church from the burial sites of the Gray family. Other antiquities in the church include a bronze alms dish and bell dated 1508. Jougs (iron collars for tying up wrongdoers), still hang from oak doors. The belfry above the Gothic window was erected in 1889. It became a collegiate church between 1514 and 1538, becoming part of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) and is still used as a parish church to this day. It was combined with Lundie Parish (4 miles to the northwest) in 1618 to form a single parish but each parish maintained its own parish register. The earliest records in the Parish Register are from 1687. At that time St. Marnock's in Fowlis resided in Perthshire. In 1854 the village was incorporated into the county of Angus (formly Forfarshire). Nearby Fowlis Castle was built in the early 17th century, being the first major home of the Gray family. By the mid 19th century the castle had fallen into disrepair ultimately became a dwelling for labourers, mostly very poor. For most of the last century it was used as a farm building. Lately additions have been put on the castle to refurbish the stone structure for upscale apartments. With Fowlis Easter being on the outskirts of the growing city of Dundee, the whole village of Easter Fowlis is being redeveloped for upmarket townhouses. |
| "Lundie .... united to Fowlis Easter, which is situated in the county of Perth. The united parish extends seven and a half miles in length, and one and a half in breadth, containing 5202 acres, of which Lundie contains 3258, and Foulis 1944: of these 3200 are arable. The soil is in general rich, well cultivated, and mostly enclosed. There are several lakes; one of which Lundie loch, covers 72 and 1/2, and is intended to drain off by a tunnel cut through one of the surrounding hills. The greater part of Lundie belongs to Viscount Duncan, and the whole of Foulis belongs to Sir William Murray of Ochtertyre; niether of whom have residences in the parish. The church of Foulis is still perfectly entire, although it was built on 1142." (The Gazetteer of Scotland, W Chalmers, Dundee 1803) |
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Some of the information provided here was obtained by the Statistical Accounts of Scotland published in the years 1791 and 1845. I've included other accounts taken of parishes in the area where records have been recorded for other Dand ancestors in the area around Dundee and beyond. | |
| 1791 Publication Page 281 |
1845 Publication Page 455 |
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