lthough lying beyond our Presbytery limits, allusion may be made to the
very ancient religious house at Abernethy, one mile south of the Earn,
and near its junction with the Tay. The dedication of Abernethy is to S.
Brigid or Bride. About 590, when Abernethy was the seat of the Pictish
rule, Columban monks were planted here under King Lartnaidh. In 717 they
were expelled by Nectan III. for non-conformity to Rome; but in 865 the
old order was re-established by Abbot Kellach, of Iona. This continued
to 908, when the See was transferred to St. Andrews. Culdees appear at
Abernethy in the reign of Edgar (1097-1107), and they still held the old
nunnery associated with S. Brigid in 1189-1198; and in 1272 the Culdees
were changed into a priory of Augustinian monks. The famous Round Tower
is assigned by Dr Petrie to 712-727, under Nectan III.; by Dr Skene to
865, the year of Kellach's visit; Dr Muir makes it later than Brechin,
_i.e._, 950; while Mr Anderson makes it one or two decades later still.
For our purpose here the most important fact relative to Abernethy is the
original dedication to S. Brigid. She was Abbess of Kildare, and died
Feb. 11, 523 (Feb. 1 in Irish Kalendars). She received the veil from S.
Mel, nephew of S. Patrick; wore a leathern belt over a white kirtle, and
had a veil over her shoulders. Her cell was under a large oak, Kildara =
cell of the oak, and she founded communities of women; died at the age of
70. Many miracles are ascribed to her, one of which reveals a very
ancient ecclesiastical usage, parallel to the buns and ale associated
with Scottish communions of three generations ago, as described in "The
Holy Fair." From one barrel, S. Bride supplied beer to eighteen
churches, the beer lasting from noonday, Thursday, in Holy Week, till
after Easter.

Reviewing these primitive local churches and churchmen, we see that the
general Christianisation of our Strath began about 500 A.D., and has
continued and grown ever since. The three earliest dates above, given
are S. Fillan, +520; S. Kessog, +520; and S. Brigid, +523. The three
latest are S. Cattan, +710; S. Rowan, +737; and S. Bean, +920; all these
being dates of death. This Celtic form of church began earlier in
Scotland, and especially in Ireland, but in this district we see it in
considerable strength from 500 onwards, and we know that it continued in
vigour till about the year 1200, when it was superseded by a better
organised and more d