MHG45415 - St. Columba's Chapel and Burial Ground, Eilean Chaluim-Chille

Summary

No summary available.

Type and Period (1)

  • CHAPEL (Undated)

Protected Status

  • None recorded

Full Description

See also:
NG44SE0093 Graveyard
JA itken : 10/12/02
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NG44SE 3 4847 4222.

(NG 4847 4222) Chapel (NR) (Remains of)
OS 6"map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1904)

In the inner bay of Portree, formerly called Loch Columkille, is a small island still called Eilean Columkille. It is nearly covered with stones, which were spread upon it for the drying of sea-wrack, and kilns for burning kelp, so that the soil is nearly hidden. However, the traces of graves, and of a small building standing E-W amy be discerned; and some old people remember one or two interments on the islet (Adamnan 1857). The building, a church bearing the name of St. Columba, is a simple oblong chamber, 26ft long by 16ft wide, the walls being roughly 2ft 7ins at the sides and 3ft 6ins at the gable ends (RCAHMS 1928).
Adamnan 1857; RCAHMS 1928.

St. Columba's Chapel exists as described by RCAHMS, and it has in, addition, a doorway 1.5m wide in the W end of the N Wall. The walls are reduced to turf covered first and second courses of irregular shaped boulders with no obvious trace of mortar. Condition: poor.
Visited by OS (C F W) 20 April 1961.

Excavation of this chapel demonstrated a wall of earth and stone construction (1m in thickness) enclosing an area 6m E-W by 3.5m N-S. An entrance 1.2m in width lay near the W end of the N wall, and a platform base for the altar at the E end. Finds deposited with Skye and Lochalsh Museums Service (Acc No: 1988-4).
R Miket 1988.

A 17th or 18th century bronze weight cup from Nuremburg, found during excavations, is in the Skye of Lochalsh Archive Centre along with pottery sherds, under Acc. No. 1988.4. <1>

Sources/Archives (4)

Map

Location

Grid reference Centred NG 4850 4222 (40m by 40m) (2 map features)
Map sheet NG44SE
Geographical Area SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish PORTREE

Finds (2)

  • SHERD (Undated)
  • WEIGHT (17th Century to 18th Century - 1601 AD to 1800 AD)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (0)

External Links (1)

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