The inside of this beautiful 18th century church was excavated and many archaeological finds were made, including several burials.
There are exhibitions detailing the history of Tarbat from the earliest times of the Picts, Norse right up to the displacement of some of the locals in preparation for the D-day landings.
Well worth a visit.
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| Tarbat Parish Church | The crypt |
Tarbat Discovery Centre web site
Baptism Well
Within the grounds of the church is a well, which has strange connections with the past.
The inscription reads, "Baptism Well. This may have been the original Tobar a' Bhaistidh, or Baptism Well. It is said to have been sanctified by St. Rule, when he landed in Portmahomack, on his way to St.Andrews. Having drunk from the well he cast into it a fragment of the Sacred Cross and blessed its waters forever.
The water is used to this day to baptise the eldest sons of the Earls of Cromartie, a tradition begun by a witch, Kirstie Bheag, who first used it in the baptism of the son of the third Earl at Ballone Castle at the end of the 17th Century."
Interesting spelling of Cromarty.
Baptism Well
D-day Evacuation Memorial
"The Evacuation 1943-44. This stone commemorates the contribution made by the people of Inver and the Tarbat and Fearn areas who left their homes and land at short notice from December 1943 until May 1944.
The evacuation was needed to enable the British armed forces to prepare for the allied invasion of Normandy. This concentrated training of the 3rd. Infantry Division and the naval Force "S" was considered vital for the D-day landings 6th June 1944, and helped to bring World War 2 to a successful conclusion."
I learned a lot about the event from a display inside the Discovery Centre. The beach area was made to represent a piece of the Normandy beach, with mock-ups of the German fortifications. Tactics were then devised and put into place in time for the actual landings in Normandy.
For many years the evacuation remained a secret and it only come into the fore with the recent 60th anniversary D-day celebrations.
Evacuation Memorial