MHG11982 - Crannog, Eilean A' Chairn
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- MONASTIC SETTLEMENT (Early Iron Age to Early Medieval - 550 BC to 1057 AD)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
NC50NE 15 5769 0685.
(NC 5769 0685) St Maelrubha (d 722) may have had cell on island on Loch Shin which is named after him, Eilean Ma Ruibhe, and lies about 60 yards from shore of the south end immediately below the manse of Lairg (? Eilean a Chairn: NC 5769 0685).
J Mackay 1897; F O Blundell 1913; W J Watson 1926.
Rev F MacLeod, Lairg could offer no further information on this site. Visited by OS (W D J) 25 June 1963
The tradition of an association of St Maelrubha with Eilean a Chairn, though tenuous, is still known to hydro-electric engineer at Loch Shin Dam. There is no trace of any structures, but the island appears wholly artificial, being composed entirely of rubble stones, now covered with turf and stunted trees. It measures 9m in diameter and 0.6m high, but the stones extend a further two or three metres around the island before deep water. The engineer states that the water level of Little Loch Shin has been raised about a foot as a result of the dam at NC 582 051.
Visited by OS (N K B) 9 August 1976.
Surveyed at 1/2500. Visited by OS (J B) 16 March 1979.
See also NC50NE0186
Sources/Archives (3)
- --- SHG1596 Text/Publication/Article: Mackay, J. 1897. 'Sutherland place names: parish of Lairg and Creich', Trans Gaelic Soc Inverness Vol. 20 1894-6, p.103-25. Trans Gaelic Soc Inverness. 103-25. 107.
- --- SHG2918 Text/Publication/Volume: Watson, W J. 1926. The history of the Celtic place-names of Scotland: being the Rhind lectures on archaeology (expanded) delivered in 1916. 288, 338.
- --- SHG829 Text/Publication/Article: Blundell, F O. 1913. 'Further notes on the artificial islands in the Highland area', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 47 1912-13, p.257-302. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 257-302. 281-2; illust..
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 5769 0685 (100m by 100m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC50NE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | LAIRG |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/4983 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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