Archives: Map Markers

Cill Bharra is the remains of a 12th century church dedicated to St Barr. The site is thought to have been used for Christian worship since the 600s when there was a chapel here dedicated to St Barr – probably the same saint as St Finbarr of Cork.

Parts of the north and south walls of Kilbar Church are still standing. You can see the remains of the original door in the north wall. Alongside there is one remaining ruined wall of another chapel dating from the 1400s.

The North Chapel was probably built in the 16th century and is the only roofed building left on the site. Inside there is replica of the Kilbar Stone which dates from some time between 900 and 1100.

On one side there is a Christian cross. On the rear is an inscription in Nordic runes written from top to bottom in three lines. The runes are transcribed as:-

…(t)ir·þ:ur·kirþu:s(t)in(a)r …r·is·kurs:sia(:)rstr …(k)a

making the sentence:-

…eftir Þorgerðu Steinar’s dóttur es kors sjá reistr

which translates as:-

‘In memory of Þorgerðr Steinarsdóttir is the cross raised’ or ‘This cross was raised in memory of Thorgerth, daughter of Steinar’.

Runes, ogham and latin were the three written scripts used during this period. Runes come from Scandinavia. Ogham was used by the Irish, Picts and Scots – an ogham inscription can be found at the Pictish fort of Dunadd. Latin was the language of the Christianity and spread with the faith. But most people could neither read nor write.

The cross is carved from local stone and is 1.36m high. The stone is unusual in combining both Christian and Nordic symbols. The Kilbar stone was found here but the original is now in the National Museum of Scotland.

The North Chapel also contains four graveslabs belonging to the MacNeill chiefs. These stones were carved by men from Iona and Oronsay and are similar in style to those found all along the west coast of Scotland. (See Iona, Kilmartin Church, Keills Chapel, Kilmory Knap Chapel in Argyll.)

Writing in 1703 in his ‘Description of the Western Isles’ Martin Martin says,

‘The natives have St. Barr’s wooden image standing on the altar, covered with linen in form of a shirt; all their greatest asseverations are by this saint. I came very early in the morning with an intention to see this image, but was disappointed; for the natives prevented me by carrying it away, lest I might take occasion to ridicule their superstition, as some Protestants have done formerly; and when I was gone it was again exposed on the altar.

Local tradition tells a story that St Barr was a follower of Colmcille who came to Barra to convert the islanders. A previous missionary had been burnt and eaten but St Barr managed to bring Christianity to Barra. When it was time for him to leave the island, St Barr prayed for the islanders and when he had gone, a statue was erected of him. In 1625, Father Cornelius Ward notes that he saw a statue of St Barr in the church at Kilbar. The islanders celebrated the saint’s day with a holiday from work and horse racing and shinty matches until the mid 19th century. By the mid 20th century, local people with friends or relatives buried at St Barr would still mark the saint’s day with a day of rest.

The township of Tobha Mor – or Howmore – lies between the main North-South road on South Uist and the beach which forms much of the island’s west side.

In among the thatched houses of Howmore are the ruins of a church and four chapels. Writing in 1703 in his ‘A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland’, Martin Martin describes one of these churches as being dedicated to St Columba and one to St Mary. A stone slab incised with a cross was found on this site, indicating that there may have been Christian worship here in the 9th century.

Today the largest ruin is the east wall of the Teampull Mòr – or Large Church – of St Mary’s built in the 1200s as the local parish church. The wall contains two windows from the original church. Looking west you can see the position that the church used to occupy – stretching about 20 metres.

Behind the Teampull Mòr wall is a graveyard surrounded by a 19th century stone wall. Within the walled area is the ruined wall of another chapel – Caibeal Dhairmaid – St Dermot’s. It was probably 5.7 metres wide and 17 metres long.

In the far corner of the graveyard is Caibeal Chlann ‘ic Ailein – Clan Ranald’s Chapel – dating to 1574. The Clan Ranald stone commemorating John of Moidart – Chief of the Clan Ranald in the late 16th century – once stood in the chapel but is now in the Kildonan Museum just north of Daliburgh on the A865 before the turn off to Lochboisdale.

To the south of Teampull Mòr are the remains of Caibeal Dubhghaill – Dougall’s Chapel.

As with many of the coastal areas on this part of the Sli Cholmcile, the landscape has changed considerably over time. When it was built, the Teampull Mor was probably surrounded by marshland, creating the effect of an island.

Martin Martin writing in 1703, describes the language spoken here:-

‘The Natives speak the Irish tongue (Gaelic) more perfectly here than in most of the other Islands; partly because of the remoteness, and the small number of them that speak English, and partly because some of ‘em are Scholars and vers’d in the Irish language’

What else?

One of the thatched houses in Howmore is now a youth hostel.

The ruined medieval chapel sits in a graveyard which is still in use. The chapel was rectangular and would have had a pitched roof. The walls would have been much higher – you can see the top part of the door in the west wall.

According to oral tradition, this was the site of a nunnery associated with the 12th century monastic foundation in Iona and that the land was given by the grandson of Somerled whose successors ruled the Hebrides until the late 15th century.

Teampull Mhuire is the only early Christian site on Benbecula which is still in use. In the 19th century, a hand bell – perhaps of religious origin – was found here but its whereabouts are not known today.

Teampull na Trianaid (Church of the Holy Trinity) sits on a mound beside the village of Carinish. There are views west towards the low-lying island of Baleshare

The remains of the Teampull na Trianaid dominate the site. There was probably a series of settlements on this site before the chapel was built here in the early 13th century.

The Book of Clan Ranald says that Teampull na Trianaid belonged to the Prioress of Iona, Beathag. She was daughter of Somerled who was the Norse rí Innse Gall – king of the Hebrides – in the 12th century. ‘The Book of Clan Ranald’ was written in the 17th century by Niall MacMhuirich. It is one of the earliest known Gaelic books and gives a Gaelic view of the events of the time.

It is thought that the site was enlarged in the late 14th century by Amy MacRuairi (c.1350-1390) who had been married to John, Lord of the Isles.

The chapel and graveyard are enclosed by a stone wall. There is another chapel – the Teampull Clann a’Phiocair – Chapel of the MacVicars – on the north side of the main church. This building may date from the 16th century and used as a priest’s house. It was later used as a burial place for the MacVicar family of scholars.

According to oral tradition, the site is said to have been a place of learning since early medieval times. In the 14th century it was granted to the Abbey of Inchaffray in Perthshire but by the 16th century it was under control of the Abbot of Iona.

In 1601, Carinish was the site of a battle between the local Macdonalds and the MacLeods from the Isle of Harris. As you walk towards the church site, you cross a ditch signposted Fèith na Fala – Ditch of Blood. During the battle, the church and grounds may have been used as a refuge for animals and belongings.

This is the largest medieval church in the Outer Hebrides. Of all the churches in the islands, only Iona is larger. It was built in the 16th century but there is some suggestion that there may have been an older monastery on the site. The church was restored in 1873 by Catherine Herbert, Countess of Dunmore.

St Clement was the patron saint of sailors but there are only a few churches dedicated to him in this part of Scotland.

St Clement’s is well-known for the detailed stone carved tomb of Alexander MacLeod, 8th Chief of Harris and Dunvegan (in Skye), who built the church. The arched tomb was made in 1528 before his death some time between 1545 and 1547.

Until 1495, Lords of the Isles had been buried in Iona. Now each clan chief needed to build a tomb on his own land. The clergymen who lived here may have been employed to pray for MacLeod’s soul.

Alexander MacLeod’s tomb is carved with images from the Bible and from his lifetime – the apostles; angels; Christ on the cross; bishops; a hunting scene of a knight and two stags; a birlinn – sailing galley; and a castle (probably Dunvegan). A carved effigy of Alexander in armour lies below.

There are also a number of carved graveslabs, stone carvings and a late medieval cross which sits in the window opposite the entrance.

St Clements has a tower at the west end which can be climbed via a dark stone staircase. The upper levels are reached by ladder.

There are a number of stone carvings on the outside of the tower including this image of a man wearing an early kilt – fèileadh mòr – the big kilt. This was a bigger piece of cloth which covered the whole body rather today’s waist-down version.

Northton Chapel faces south across the Sound of Harris looking towards the Uists. It sits on a small headland – Rubh’ an Teampull – at the foot of Ceapabhal hill.

The chapel is in a stunning location and is reached by a 2.5km walk across grassland.

The chapel is late medieval and was built on the site of an Iron Age broch (round stone building) which measured 16.5 metres in diameter. The church was probably built re-using some of the same stones. It has a window in each of the four walls. The wall at the east end has two niches where religious vessels were kept. There are remains of a graveyard surrounding the ruined church.

Nearby, archaeologists have found the remains of the oldest known settlement in the Outer Hebrides which dates back 9,000 years.

What else?

The village of Northton is home to the Seallam Visitor Centre which houses the genealogical research centre for the Western Isles.

The small island of Eilean Chaluim Chille has probably been connected with Christianity since the 7th century. It sits on the eastern extremity of Loch Erisort as it leads out to the Minch.

The remains of the church on the island probably date from the 12th century. Any earlier church would have been made of turf, peat or wood so there would be no remains. Archaeologists have found pre-Christian, Christian and Norse remains here.

The church was dedicated to Colmcille – hence the name of the island. Local stories tell how the island was home to a monastery and a priest’s house. In 1549, Sir Donald Munro visited the island and described seeing an orchard there. When he visited the Hebrides in the late 17th century, Martin Martin mentions a church on the island of St Columkil.

The church was a rectangular shape but there may have been other buildings nearby. An area of the east of the island is called Crois Eilean and may mark the edge of the area under the church’s protection.

The graveyard was used until the 19th century for the whole Parish of Lochs. An account of the island was written by John Sands in 1876 in his book ‘Out of the World’ or ‘Life in St Kilda’,

‘Captain M’Donald took me in his gig to see a churchyard situated on an island called St Colm. It is quite close to the water, and is about sixty feet square…Although there seems to be plenty of suitable ground outside, the people persist in interring the dead within the ancient limits. Nay, not interring but piling the coffins one on top of the other, until they have risen to the height of ten feet above the surface. The coffins are not even covered with earth, but are only wrapped in turf.’

On the mainland at Cromor, one of the crofts was known locally as Lios an Teampull or Garden of the Chapel. And there are some local accounts that the priest of St Colm lived here on the mainland.

Taigh a’Bheannaich, Gallan Head, Aird, Uig

The name of this chapel translates as ‘House of the Blessed or the Benediction’. It’s unusual because it is not dedicated to an individual saint. Unlike many of the other locations on this trail, the chapel is high on a cliff rather than being close to a beach or directly accessible by boat.

Taigh a’Bheannaich is still enclosed by the remains of a wall and the remains of 5 small monastic cells can be found nearby – archaeologists have also found traces of another 13 cells on this site.

The walls of the chapel are just over 1 metre high. The interior measures 5.5 metres by 3.3 metres.

Mealasta ruined nunnery and crofting township

The ruined crofting township of Mealasta dates from the 17th century although people lived here for many centuries before then.

Local tradition says that this was the site of a nunnery called Taigh nan Cailleachan Dubha – House of the Black Women or Nuns. The ruins of an early church and graveyard are close to the sea.

The crofting township of Mealasta was typical of many in these islands and was unchanged for centuries. The people lived on the resources of the land and the sea. They made fires from peat cut from the bogs in summer and dried in the wind. They grew crops in the machair land behind the beach. They fished.

The name Mealasta – and other names in this area – are Norse and reflect the Viking raids and settlements here.

The township was cleared for sheep farming in 1838 and local people moved to Ness in the north of Lewis or emigrated to Canada and Australia.

You can still see remains of the Second World War radar station that was here between 1941-1946.

What else?

It is worth heading to the Uig Peninsula not only for the sites relating to early Christianity but also for the stunning beaches of Uig and Mangarstadh.

The Lewis Chessmen were discovered on the beach at Uig. Find out more about the Lewis Chessmen and the history of Uig beach here.

For more local history, visit the Comunn Eachdraidh Uig website.

Head west from the crofting township of Bragar to find the medieval chapel of Teampull Eoin – St John The Baptist – on a small headland next to the beach.

The ruins of the chapel lie within a graveyard that is still in use today. The building was in two parts – a nave with a chancel at the east end. The nave is about 6 metres long and the chancel just over 2 metres. Most Hebridean chapels of this period only have one room. It was probably built in the 15th century.

St John’s is also known as Cill Sgàire. Sgàire is thought to be a Norse name and is sometimes anglicized as Zachariah or Zachary.

Eoropie township is on the northwest tip of the Isle of Lewis. It is the most northerly township in the Outer Hebrides.

This restored chapel is dedicated to St Moluag or Moluoc. The building is flanked by two small side chapels to the north and south, creating a T-shaped outline.

The date of the chapel is unknown. The plan is similar to a ruined church at Gardar in Greenland built in the 12th century and extended in the 13th century. There are a number of churches dedicated to St Moluag in Ireland and the west of Scotland also dating from this period. There are stories that St Moluag visited this site in the 6th century but there is no documentary evidence for this. Another story tells that the first chapel here was built by a son of the king of Scandinavia.

Pilgrims used to visit the chapel in search of cures for insanity and sores. People suffering from insanity were given water from a nearby well dedicated to St Ronan and tied to the altar for the night in the hope that they would be sane in the morning. In 1630 it was recorded that people looking for a cure for sores and who could not visit the chapel in person would send a wooden version of their limb to be placed on the altar.

Martin Martin writing his ‘Description of the Western Isles’ in the late 17th century records another former local tradition:-

They were in greater veneration in those days than now: it was the constant practice of the natives to kneel at first sight of the Church, though at a great distance from them, and then they said their Paternoster. John Morison of Bragir told me that when he was a boy, and going to the Church of St. Malvay, he observed the natives to kneel and repeat the Paternoster at four miles distance from the church.

The inhabitants of this island had an ancient custom to sacrifice to a sea-god called Shony, at Hallow-tide, in the manner following: The inhabitants round the island came to the Church of St. Malvay, having each man his provision along with him; every family furnished a peck of malt, and this was brewed into ale; one of their number was picked out to wade into the sea up to the middle, and carrying a cup of ale in his hand, standing still in that posture, cried out with a loud voice saying, “Shony, I give you this cup of ale, hoping that you’ll be so kind as to send us plenty of sea-ware for enriching our ground for the ensuing year”; and so threw the cup of ale into the sea. This was performed in the night time. At his return to land they all went to church, where there was a candle burning upon the altar; and then standing silent for a little time, one of them gave a signal, at which the candle was put out, and immediately all of them went to the fields, where they fell a-drinking their ale, and spent the remainder of the night in dancing and singing, &c.

The next morning they all returned home, being well satisfied that they had punctually observed this solemn anniversary, which they believed to be a powerful means to procure a plentiful crop. Mr. Daniel and Mr. Kenneth Morison, ministers in Lewis, told me they spent several years before they could persuade the vulgar natives to abandon this ridiculous piece of superstition; which is quite abolished for these 32 years past.

The museum at the Comunn Eachdraidh in Ness has a stone cross connected with St Ronan and a stone reputed to have come from Iona.

What else?

After seeing the chapel, head one mile further north to the Butt of Lewis lighthouse. It was built by the Stevenson family who were responsible for building lighthouses in some of the most treacherous seas in the British Isles.

Find out more about the history of Ness at the Comunn Eachdraidh Nis website.