MHG7112 - Craiguch Well
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- RAG WELL (Undated)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
NH65SE 9 6793 5318.
(NH 6794 5318) Craiguch Well (NAT) OS 6" map, (1959)
'Tobar Chragag' - well of the little rock - was a rag well which was still resorted to on the first Sunday of summer in 1885.
According to Fraser it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It may be associated with the possible chapel site (see NH56SE 10) nearby.
A Fraser 1878; A J Beaton 1885; 1885; W J Watson 1904. <1>-<4>
Craiguch Well is still resorted to as a rag well. It is a natural spring flowing into a shallow basin cut into the natural rock of the hillside. A stone dam on the S side of the wall has a small orifice through which the water escapes downhill.
Visited by OS (N K B) 17 March 1966.
Information from a participant in the Black Isles Heritage Memories project. Mentioned by the Brahan Seer (possibly a Clootie well); participants remembered walking to the well and tying cloots to the nearby vegetation, as children in the 1940s and 1950s. <5>
The site was visited by members of the North of Scotland Archaeological Society on the 9th of January 2014. At this time the well appeared to have fresh and a few fading cloots attached to the top of the well suggesting it was still in use and frequented. The site was quite dificult to get to as the stones surrounding the well were collapsing, particularly due to the weight of the roots of an adjacent tree. <6>
Sources/Archives (8)
- --- SHG1643 Text/Publication/Article: Willis, D. 1995. 'The cult of the clootie well', The Scots Magazine Vol. 142 May 1995, p.527-30. The Scots Magazine. 527-30. 527-9; colour photograph.
- --- SHG2534 Text/Publication/Volume: Morris and Morris, R and F. 1982. Scottish healing wells: healing, holy, wishing and fairy wells of the mainland of Scotland. 165-6.
- <1> SHG1964 Text/Publication/Volume: Beaton, A J. 1885. Illustrated guide to Fortrose and vicinity with an appendix on the antiquities of the Black Isle. 37.
- <2> SHG1200 Text/Publication/Article: Beaton, A J. 1885. 'Notes on Ormond or Avoch Castle, in the Black Isle, Ross-shire, with a plan and section; and notice with drawing of bronze celts found in its vicinity', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 19 1884-5, p.400-5. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 400-5. 405.
- <3> SHG2223 Text/Publication/Volume: Fraser, A. 1878. Northern Folklore on Wells and Water, with an account of some interesting wells in the neighbourhood of Inverness and the north. 25.
- <4> SHG2917 Text/Publication/Volume: Watson, W J. 1904. Place names of Ross and Cromarty. 133.
- <5> SHG24970 Text/Report: McCullagh, C. 09/2010. Black Isle Heritage Memories: Remembering your Community Avoch, Culbokie and Tore. Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH). Yes. Digital. A48.
- <6> SHG26225 Image/Photograph(s): North of Scotland Archaeological Society. 2014. Photographic record and site visit to Craiguch Well. Colour digital. Yes. Digital.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 6792 5317 (4m by 4m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH65SE |
| Geographical Area | ROSS AND CROMARTY |
| Civil Parish | AVOCH |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (3)
- http://www.ambaile.org.uk/en/item/item_audio.jsp?item_id=145336 (Link to Am Baile - Black Isle Heritage Memories ARCH Highland project - Hermoine Protheroe)
- http://www.thebookofdays.com/months/may/15.htm (Link to Chambers' 'Book of Days' - description of site during a visit in 1869)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/13596 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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