Monument record MHG40753 - St. Fintan's, Nuide

The wire-fenced graveyard at Nuide is another little known ecclesiastical site first noted by Shaw in 1775 as one of the dependent chapels of Kingussie (Vol. III, 384). The square enclosure is named as Cill Nuide on the modern 1:10000 OS map, the only confirmation of this as an early medieval chapel. Its dedication is most commonly given as Fintan, an Irish saint, who was briefly present at Iona in the 7th century, before moving on to found a monastery at Kilmun on Holy Loch (Mackinlay 1914, 71). The dedication is also given as St. Finnian's, St. Ninian's or St. Munans (Sinton 1906, xxx; Watt, quoted in Harman 1988, 5), seeming to confirm Sinton's statement that the original saint with which Nuide is connected is open to question.

Its small size, the wire fence and its position immediately behind a modern bungalow gives Nuide a rather unusual appearance. It is only the McKay gravestone, recording what is probably the date of the last burial at Nuide (1922), which confirms that this is a burial ground. Amongst the long grass are further, recumbent and small upright graveslabs. The similarity between this date and that of the last burial at Invertromie, suggests that both graveyards shared a similar history, until changing population structure in the early twentieth century meant that they slipped into obscurity. The McKays were in fact long-time residents of Invertromie (Macpherson 1893, 182). If this site did continue as a family burial ground from its early medieval beginnings as a local chapel, then it was again connected with a branch of the Macphersons. In this case, the lands were under the superiority of Cluny and therefore part of the forfeited estate (Shaw 1775, Vol. I, 287, 291). There was also a close connection with Ralia, a mile to the south-west, suggesting that the name might mean 'new Ralia', from Gaelic nuadh or nodha (Macbain 1889-90, 195); Ralia was again the seat of a branch of the Macphersons.

The fragmentary stone wall on the downslope side of the present fence suggests that there was once a more substantial - and larger - enclosure surrounding the graveyard. Unlike all the other chapels in Badenoch, Nuide is invisible from all but the rising ground on the south side. Its almost completely enclosed position may have given rise to an alternative meaning of the word, Noid, as 'nest' (Macpherson 1893, 317). There a number of building footings close to the burial ground suggesting that there was once a township to the south-east of it. The large farm of Nuide lies just to the east, while Milton of Nuide lies on the Milton Burn to the south-east. The combination of all these elements suggests the core of an early estate.
J Hooper : 26/11/02
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