Fearn Abbey

Fearn Abbey stands in the flat farmland southeast of Tain in Ross-shire. The simple oblong church is built of grey stone with tall lancet windows and a single bell tower. The rope for the bell has worn a deep groove in the wall beneath the tower. Inside, the east end was once a burial vault for the Ross family of Balnagown. Two later chapels were added against the north and south walls, the most important being the south wing built by Abbot Finlay McFead in the 15th century. The abbey’s long history began when Premonstratensians from Whithorn Priory settled here in the 1220s. After moving to the present site in 1238, the abbey grew under royal protection. In the 14th century abbots rebuilt the church and added a cloister, an organ, and Flemish furnishings. The Reformation brought turmoil, including the burning of Patrick Hamilton in 1528 and the appointment of wealthy commendators to restore the buildings. A disaster in 1742, when the roof collapsed during a service, killed nearly fifty people. Today the abbey is still used for services in the modern hall beside the old walls. The 1772 restoration left medieval parts visible, including the east gable with its four lancets. Visitors can see the canopied monument to Abbot McFead with his shield and Latin inscription. The worn bell-rope crevice and the blocked windows mark the abbey’s centuries of use and decay. The graveyard holds the tombs of early earls, abbots, and admirals from the Ross family.