Restenneth Priory

Restenneth Priory stands in a quiet field just outside Forfar in Angus. Founded in 1153 by Jedburgh Abbey with King Malcolm IV of Scotland as patron, it began as an Augustinian house for canons. Earlier traces suggest a monastery may have existed here from the 8th century, possibly the Pictish church of St Peter built in 710. The priory remained small, with only two canons and an income of £120 in 1501. Attempts to turn it into a royal chapel or merge it with St Andrews failed, and it later became a secular lordship for Thomas Erskine in 1606. George Dempster of Dunnichen chose part of the choir as a family burial site after the Reformation. The site was excavated in 1883 by William Galloway and Dr John Stuart, revealing layers of its long history. All that survives today is the tower; the rest is ruins protected as a scheduled monument. Among those once buried here is John Bruce, youngest son of Robert I and twin brother of David II, who died around 1327. The priory’s modest scale contrasts with grander abbeys like Arbroath, yet its early origins and royal connections give it special interest. Visitors follow a short path from the parking area past Angus Archives to reach the priory. Once there, the ruins sit in open fields with no view of the town, only medieval walls and the tower rising above grass. The quiet setting and scattered stones evoke centuries of worship and change. The absence of modern distractions lets the site speak for itself, its history visible in every remaining stone.