Home Page John Wilson Related Sites Acknowledgements Send a message Email about the diary Start from January 1st

January 13th 1523

Previous day Next day

St Bride of Abernethy

St Bride or St Bridget, came originally from Ireland but was intimately concerned with Abernethy and was said to be buried there.

Even as a child she was apparently possessed of unusual powers. When told by her mother to take the butter home she gave it all away to the poor. But when she arrived back home the butter had been miraculously reinstated.

“She bare,”  said Boece, “ane leathern belt over ane white kirtle, with ane veil over her shoulders.”  She performed all the usual feats associated with such persons, giving speech to the dumb and sight to the blind, and curing lepers and other diseased persons.

She once encountered a leprous woman who refused to allow her to pick any of her apples. Bridget for a change showed the more human qualities of irritation and anger. She soundly cursed the orchard and blasted all the apples.

There was a St Bride’s well at Auchtergaven and in 1523 James Fenton founded an alter in her honour in the parish church of Perth and endowed it with various properties in the town and the sum of £7.13s.4p.



Previous day Next day

Perthshire Diary Home | Author | Perthshire Links | Reference | Contact Us | Tell a friend | Browse