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history |
The church of Cullen, which was known anciently as Invercullen, was dedicated to St Neachtan of Mortlach and formerly belonged to the Abbey of Lindores. Within the bounds of the parish there existed a chapel of St Mary which, in around the year 1543, was rebuilt by Alexander Ogilvie of Findlater and Deskford who subsequently endowed the chapel as a collegiate church. It later followed early in the 17th century that this church of St Mary became the parish church. After the reformation the parish of Cullen was attached to Fordyce and remained so until 1622 when it was once more disjoined. In 1946, following the union of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church in 1929, Cullen old parish church united with the formed United Free Church congregation of Cullen Seafield. After the two charges united, under the name of Cullen, both churches remained in use. A link later followed in 1967 with Deskford and in 1986 this arrangement was terminated in favour of a union between the two sessions, under the name of Cullen and Deskford. The kirk session sat within the Presbytery of Fordyce until 1961 when, by Act of Assembly, the Presbytery of Strathbogie and the Presbytery of Fordyce were united together under the name of the Presbytery of Strathbogie and Fordyce. Following the restructuring of the Presbyteries in 1976, it became part of the Presbytery of Moray. |