henceforward, in what we may call the Fourth Period, the 

 story of the Province is merged in the general history of 

 the Scottish Kingdom. 



The early records of the Church in Scotland, especially 

 in the North of Scotland, are extremely vague. From the 

 times of St. Ninian, St. Palladius, St. Kentigern, and St. 

 Columba, up to the ecclesiastical revival in the 12th 

 century, there are but few facts which can be held as 

 proved. Although the first three Saints had succeeded 

 in converting the Southern Picts to Christianity, the races 

 North of the Grampians were much later in receiving the 

 light. The picturesque story is well known of how 

 Columba, leaving the humble Church built of wood and 

 thatched with reeds which he had erected in Iona, came 

 to the stronghold of King Brude near the river Ness, and 

 how, though derided by the Magi or heathen priests, he 

 wrought the conversion of the King and his people. When 

 we find Machar, one of his followers, penetrating to the 

 mouth of the Don, and there founding a Church where 

 the river wound in the form of a crosier, we need not 

 doubt that in Moray there were established many outposts 

 of the faith, and no site for such an erection is more 

 historically probable than the Hill of Birnie, with its 

 venerable traditions. The Paschal and Tonsure contro- 

 versies which had agitated the early Scottish Church were 

 set partly at rest by the Council of Whitby, but some 

 time elapsed before the Roman usage was introduced into 

 the Pictish kingdom by Nectan, the King, who also sent 

 to England for an architect who might teach his people 

 how to build a stone church. The site of this church, if 

 it was erected, is not now known. No parochial or 

 diocesan establishments existed in the early church, 

 although there were bishops resident at the various 

 conventual centres, so that Birnie itself may have had a 



