Restenneth Priory

Restenneth Priory is located just outside the town of Forfar. It is largely a ruin that is free to enter. Much of the church dates to the 1200s although some of the surviving masonry dates to the 1100s. It is likely that there may have been an ancient Pictish church on the site built around 710.

The area was caught up in the Wars of Independence in the late 1200s and early 1300s and Restenneth Priory suffered badly, being seriously damaged by fire. After the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Robert the Bruce provided for the rebuilding of the Priory. The result appears to have been on a grander scale than previously and, in particular, included the surviving spire.

In 1327 Robert the Bruce buried his infant son John at Restenneth. The Priory then continued to receive support during the reign of David II, John's brother, but spent much of the 1400s in a state of decline. The last prior was appointed in 1490. After the Reformation Restenneth and its lands were granted to the Home family although the nave of the priory church continued to act as the parish church for Forfar until 1591. Subsequently the ownership of Restenneth Priory passed through various hands over the centuries. It was damaged by the troops who set up camp there during the 1745 uprising, and spent much of the 1800s as accommodation for livestock. It was eventually transferred into state care in 1919, and is now looked after by Historic Environment Scotland and as we were only 15 minutes away last month we went for a look.