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MHG31366 - St. Moluag's Church and Burial Ground, Kilmaluag

Summary

The burial ground, recently enclosed, associated with the medieval church of St Moluag.

Type and Period (3)

Protected Status

Full Description

NG47SW 2 4356 7492.

(NG 4356 7492) Chapel (NR) (Ruin) Grave Yard (NAT)
OS 6" map, Isle of Skye, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1904)

The parish of Kilmuir was anciently named Kilmaluag, and the church, dedicated to St. Moluag, stood at this latter place on the NE coast of the parish. Its remains, situated in the open burying-place there, measure 40' in length internally, but only the W wall remains standing. In its immediate vicinity is a well Tobar Heibert.
The first notice of the church is given when a Master Mertyne M' Gillemertyne is listed as its rector from 1507 to 1536. Various subsequent rectors are known and the last mention of the church is in 1573. After the reformation Kilmuir Church seem to have become the parish church (Muir 1885; OPS 1854).
The RCAHMS (1928) do not list this church.
Orig Paroch Scot 1854; T S Muir 1885; RCAHMS 1928; W D Simpson 1935.

St. Moluag's Church measures internally 12.5m E-W, and 6.0m tranversely. It is set slightly into a S facing slope and its N. wall has gone, but the footings of the E and S walls remain, and the W gable end, of mortar set rubble masonry 0.9m thick, remains complete to its finial. The graveyard has now been enclosed.
The well, Tobar Heibert, is a strong spring issuing through two stone slabs right at the High water mark (at NG 436 751, some 140m NE of the church). However, so far as can be ascertained locally, it has no religious associations.
Visited by OS (C F W) 25 April 1961.

The church is as described by Wardale except that it measures internally 6.5m by 13.0m Graveyard still in occasional use. Tobar Heibert is at NG 4365 7504.
Surveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (I S S) 9 September 1971.

A hand bell, presumed to be Celtic is reported from Kilmaluig by Anderson.
J Anderson 1881.

The above notes are taken from the RCAHMS Canmore record and refer both to this graveyard and the associated church (MHG5207). <1>

The church name associates the site with the Irish Christian monk, St. Moluag, a contemporary of St. Columba in the 6th
century who converted the Picts to Christianity. It may, therefore, link the immediate area with a Pictish presence and, indeed, there are several known sites where Pictish carvings have been found on the Isle of Skye. <2>

Description from record MHG25344:
See also:
NG47SW0024 Chapel
J Aitken : 20/01/03
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NG47SW 36.01 4365 7492

Formerly NG47SW 8427.01
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NG47SW Grid Ref: NG4365 7492
Source: O/S 1:10,560 Map, 1967.

Sources/Archives (7)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 4357 7492 (66m by 66m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG47SW
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	KILMUIR

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Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

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External Links (1)