St Erat
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St Erat (also recorded as St Heriot) was, according to tradition, a 5th-century holy man notable for bringing Christianity to Inverkeithing in Fife, Scotland.
Tradition suggests St Erat was born in the 5th century AD. St Erat is said to have been a follower of St Ninian, an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland.[1][2][3]
St Erat is said to have established the first church in Inverkeithing around 500AD, on the site of the current Inverkeithing Parish Church.[4][5]
An ancient well, formerly known as St Erat's well, stands in Heriot Street (after St Theriot, an orthographic variation of St Erat).[6]
Historicity
The first written references to St Erat are in a sasine of 1588, which makes reference to St Erat's well. The well is first recorded in a charter of 1219. The form St Herriot appears in 1686.[6][7]
In the late 19th century, tradition seems to have developed that St Erat arrived to Inverkeithing in the 5th century, as well as his connections with St Ninian.[7]
The ancient well, and a chapel at nearby Fordell, are the only recorded dedications to St Erat or Heriot in Scotland; and there are no contemporary documents nor archaeological evidence that confirm the local tradition.[7] This led Steven (1938) to cast doubt on the evidence on St Erat in his work The Story of Inverkeithing and Rosyth.[3]
Inverkeithing Parish Church has a dedication plaque commemorating St Erat's founding of the first church in Inverkeithing.[8]
References
- ↑ "St. Peter's Church of Scotland, Inverkeithing | Places of Worship in Scotland". powis.scot. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- 1 2 James Wilkie, Bygone Fife. From Culross to St Andrews. Traditions, Legends, Folklore and Local History of “The Kingdom” (Edinburgh, 1931), p. 38-39.
- 1 2 William Stephen, The Story of Inverkeithing and Rosyth (Edinburgh, 1938), pp. 13-14.
- ↑ "Inverkeithing from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- ↑ "CHURCH STREET, INVERKEITHING PARISH CHURCH (ST PETER'S BUILDING; CHURCH OF SCOTLAND) INCLUDING CHURCHYARD AND BOUNDARY WALLS (LB35086)". portal.historicenvironment.scot. Archived from the original on 2025-05-28. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- 1 2 "Inverkeithing, Heriot Street,... | Place | trove.scot". www.trove.scot. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
- 1 2 3 4 "Church/Chapel of St Erat, Inverkeithing". sacredlandscapesoffife. tt27@st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ "DUNFERMLINE EUROWALK – EuroWalks". Retrieved 2026-02-26.