There have, in the past, been two places of worship in Dallas – the Parish Church which is situated at the churchyard near the village and the Free Church which was placed on a commanding site near the base of the Wangie overlooking the village. The Free Church was demolished some time ago and all that remains is the manse (now named ‘Mansewood’.) This manse was one of the few three storey dwellings in Dallas.
The patron saint of the parish church is St Michael and, in addition to the church, the name has been applied to a pool in the river Lossie near the church (now commonly referred to as the ‘Muckle Pow’) and to a well in the rock on the opposite side of the river.
St Michael’s Church 2010
A weather-beaten effigy of St Michael, the patron saint, once stood near the top of the eastern gable. This effigy was reported as being about 4 feet high but does not seem to have been replaced when the church was rebuilt. It is understood that it was buried somewhere in the middle of the churchyard, close to the Mercat Cross.
Details of some of the Protestant Ministers of St Michael’s parish church over the years are:-
Minister – Year
Mr William Thomson, Reader – 1567
Mr John Clerk, Reader (Altyre & Dallas) – 1569
William Paterson & Alex Johnston, Readers – 1574 to 1576
Patrick Cumming, Minister – 1576 to 1586
George Douglas, Minister – 1588 to 1601
Robert Leslie, Minister (Dallas & Altyre) – 1602 to 1624
George Cumming – Ordained 1624 – Died 1648
James Strachan – Ordained 1649 – Died1671
Alexander Cumming – Ordained 1672 – Died 1681
George Dunbar – Ordained 1682 To Nairn 1687
Thomas Urquhart – Privately Ordained 1688 – Deserted post 1699 – Died 1706
John Crocket – Ordained 1708 – Died 1748
Robert Dalrymple – Ordained 1749 – Deposed 1763 – Died 1778
James Hay – Ordained 1763 Died 1777
David Milne – Admitted 1778 To Edinkillie 1793
Richard Rose – Admitted 1794 to Drainie 1816
Francis Grant – Admitted 1816 to Banff 1821
William Tulloch – Admitted 1822 Died 1845
John MacDonald – Admitted 1846 Died 1879
John L Brown – Admitted 1880 Died 1924
William Robertson – Admitted 1925 to 1931
William Martin – Admitted 1932 to 1948
Robert MacMillan – Admitted 1948 to 1952
William Fleming – 1953 to 1961
John C Cordiner – 1961 to 1989
Peter Robertson – 1989 to 2000
Paul Amed – 2000 to 2008
Donald Prentice – 2010 to present
