Scotsman Walking Wearing Kilt By St John's Church On History Visit To Aberdeenshire Scotland

Tour Scotland short 4K early Autumn travel video clip of a Scotsman wearing a Kilt and Sporran and walking by St John's Church on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit and trip to the coast of Aberdeenshire, Britain, United Kingdom. St John's Church, historically known as the Kirk of Sculls or Kirk O'Skulls, is a medieval church ruin perched on a dramatic cliffside overlooking Gamrie Bay and the fishing village of Gardenstown. A fleet of Norse invaders or Viking raiders sought refuge in Gamrie Bay due to severe weather. The Mormaer the Earl of Buchan rallied the Scots to challenge them. He vowed that if St John gave them victory over the Danes, he would build a church on the very spot where the invaders camped. The Scots won a gruesome victory, supposedly by rolling massive stones down the steep hill onto the Danish camp. The bodies of the fallen invaders were thrown into nearby natural hollows, which became known as the Bloody Pits. True to his word, the Mormaer established a church dedicated to St John the Evangelist on the cliff terrace. The church earned its macabre nickname because the skulls of three defeated Danish chiefs were cut off and built directly into the inner masonry walls, displayed in niches next to the pulpit. This rather morbid trophy collection remained fixed in the walls and was viewed by visitors well into the 19th century before the skulls eventually disappeared. The church served the historic parish of Gamrie continuously through the Scottish Reformation until 1830. Because the local population had shifted toward the coast, a new parish church was built closer to Gardenstown, and the old cliffside kirk was officially abandoned to the elements, quickly falling into ruin. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome. Meteorological Autumn or Fall is different from standard and astronomical Autumn and begins September 1 and ends November 30 All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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