2 20 PROCEEDING SE SOCIETY OTH F , FEBRUAR . 191212 Y .

IV. FURTHER NOTES ON THE ANTIQUITIES OF SKYE, CHIEFLY IN DISTRICTE TH SLEA F . MACLEODSTRATHO T SD . F T AN Y B . , F.S.A. SCOT. These further notes upon Antiquitie Skyn i s e for ma continuatio n of a paper read by me to this Society on the 9th of May 1910. The districts dealt with in my first paper were Skeabost, Dunvegan, Trumpan d Glendalean , , popularly knowe MacLeoth s na d country. In these notes I propose to deal mainly with the districts of Sleat and Strath, in the south-east of the island (the Macdonald and MacKinnon country) mattere referree Th b . o st foro dt ma ver y small portion oa largf e numbe f interestino r g remains well worth closea f d yo an r more systematic survey. I take first the district of Strath, or Strathswordale, or Strath Mhic lonmhuinn (MacKinnon's Strath), in the neighbourhood of the Coolin Hills. About four miles to the south-west of Broadford, on the north roae sidth df eo leadin Sligichano gt ruine th Kilchrisf e o s ar , t Church (fig. 1). According to the Origines Parochiales, King James IV. in 1505 presente r KenzetSi d h Adamsoun chaplai rectore th d o t nyan vicarage of Kilchrist. In 1508 the same king presented John Ronald - sou ne rector clerth e o parist kyth f "ho churc f Strato h h called Christskir e Isl f Skye,th eo n i k " e deceas vacanr Johth Si y f nb to e Johnesoun. In 1561 the parsonage of Kilchrist belonged to the Abbot of lona, the Bishop of the Isles having one-third. In 1662 the church of Strat s assignee " hwa th prope f Kiny o b d e rg on Charle s a . II s kirks " of the Archdeacon of the Isles, then appointed by that king. Scots Fasti give a shors t accoun f eaco tf nino h e ministero wh s officiate thin di s building between 162 1840d 7an , churcwhew ne nha was buil t Broadforda t . Kilchrist Church is 58 feet 8 inches long (excluding the small FURTHER NOTES ON THE ANTIQUITIES OF SKYE. 203

building formin n annexe a eastergth t a en e end)heighTh f . o t e walth l wit e doorwa hth e centr fee8 th 1 inches8 t s n e i i ey Th . breadth of the building, measured from the inside face of each wall, fee2 i 2 sinches5 t buildinge Th roofless. w no , , facese southth n I . o' " sout windowo h centratw a wal e d ar lan s l doorway e latteth , r being 5 feet 8 inches high, 3 feet 6 inches broad, and 2 feet 4 inches deep. Ther three ear e sockets whicf o o htw , were evidently use supporo dt t

Fig . Kilchris1 . t Church, Strath, Skye.

the door, and one for the reception of a bolt or other fastening. The windows are 4 feet 8 inches high, 2 feet 9 inches broad, and 2 feet 3 inche inside s deepth n eeasI e fac.th tf egablo e ther recessa e s ei Th . west littlgable th churc e f eeth o buildinf o commo s hease i d th ten t ga n o bott h buildings. This annex fee9 1 inche6 ts i e sfee7 lond t gan 6 inches high. It.is entered by a separate doorway of more modern design tha ne principa thath f o t l building s alsi od rooflessan , e Th . rang f smalo e l ornamental pillars formin a parapeg t e pointth o t s roof having bee ne groun flatTh . d thus enclose e burial-placth s i d e of the MacKinnons, one stone bearing the date 1740. 204 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, FEBRUARY 12, 1912. e adjacenth n I t burial-ground ther s onli e ston on yf specia o e l interest (fig carvine . 2)Th . t car vergs i hazarno o et y o roughd I dd an , an opinion upon the design. Abou ease milta Kilchrisf th o t o et t Church ther groua s ei standf po - ing stones on the top of a mound known as Dun Sithan. About two miles to the west of Kilchrist Church is the district of Kilbride. According to the Origines Parochiales there were at its date remain n anciena f o s t chape t Kilbridea l e paris, th use s ha d church for some time before the new church was built at Broad ford. Whe I nvisite e localitdth y last spring there wer traco n e f suco e h remains venturI . thino et k that Kilchris buildina t t Churchno d g an , at Kilbride, was formerly the parish church. It is not improbable that in Pre-Reformation days there was a chapel in close proximity to the standing-stone at Kilbride, " Clach-na-h-annait " (fig. 3), and the well " Tobar-na-h-annait" . (fig"4) Clach-na-h-annait. s i " abou fee7 t inche6 t s fousha r hig d aspectshan , N.E., S.W., N.W., and S.E.foo1 inche2 s ti , se par th wid tt a efacin g S.W. foo1 , t 4 inches wide at the part facing N.W., and 1 foot 7 inches wide at the part facing S.E . Mackinnon D D. rA , with whom I converse e th n do occasion of my visit, informed me that this stone fell down during the time his father occupied the estate upon which it is situated, and that underneath were found a bell and holy water stoup, both of which, he thought, were handed a Londoove o t r r Edinburgo n h Museum. Martin, always interestin t alwayno t sgbu accurate, state s: " There is an erected stone in Kilbride, which is 10 feet high and 1| broad." The well (fig. 4) is within a stone's throw of the Kilbride stone, and is doubtless " Tobar-na-h-annait. covered buils an y n wa i tb d t I " the mill-stone by Dr Mackinnon's grandfather. The use of the word " annait" in association with the stone and well. provides fairly conclusive evidence e immediatthath t n i bot e har e vicinit f whayo t at one time was ecclesiastical property. At Borreraig, on the shores of Loch Eishart, the south boundary of

206 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, FEBRUARY 12, 1912.

Strath, I came across the standing stone of which fig. 5 is a photograph. A second ston uprootey ela yards distanca erece w t fe da Th a t. f eo stone is situated on a slight elevation around the base of which lie several boulder stones dimensione Th . thesf so e stonefollows a e sar : s Standing stone, heigh fee3 t inche9 tfee2 inche4 y t b s s; recum - bent stone fee4 , inche 4 tfoo1 inches0 1 y t b s . Ther s anothei e r group of these stones (fig. 6) a short distance away. In the immediate vicinity, close to the seashore, there are extensive ruins, probably of chapela , which, accordin e Originesth o gt Parochiales, dedicates wa d to St Congan. There are many desolate spots in Skye, but none more desolate than Borreraig, nor more difficult of access. To obtain photographe th standine th f so g stone t thisa s manplacd ha eyI miles to walk over hill and moor, during which time I neither saw nor heard any evidence of human habitation. Regarding the district of Sleat, the Origines Parochiales states that e Reformatioth t a parsonage nth f Sleao e t belonge e Abboth o f dt o t lona e Bishoe Isleth ,th f s o pbein g entitle o one-thirddt n 157I . 6 James M'Donill Growemech of Castell Cammes paid yearly to the Bishop of the Isles at Ycolmkill, between Petersmess and Beltane, e parsonagmark8 th 1 r fo s f Kilmoio e marke 6 1 th Slai n i r d sfo an t bishop's third of the same. In 1662, on the appointment of an arch- deacon for the Isles by King Charles II., the kirk of Slait, which appears to have been at the time united to Strath, was assigned to him as one of his " proper kirks." This account states that " The church, dedicated perhap Virgie th o st n Mary, stoo t Kilmorda e nea middle rth e same th parishe t eoa th plac f d churca an ,s e i h seventeent e builth n ti h century, and still used as the parish church." The length of this seventeenth-century building is 55 feet 8 inches, and the internal width 20 feet 1 inch. The gables face east and west. The walls are abou fee1 1 t t doorwae highTh . s situateyi e south-westh t da d en t soute same th th n hi en i wall wald an l, ther three ear e windows. There is alswindoe ease oon th t wn i gable .

8 20 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , FEBRUAR , 191212 Y .

One, at least, of the recumbent slabs in the churchyard is of a much earlier date than the present building. The carvings on this slab generally resemble those describe formey m n di r paper—a two-handed sword, with oblong panels abov belod ean e quillons wth surface Th . e e stonworo s oth f s nei thaimpossibls i t i t o judgt e e whether there were any, and if so, what the designs were upon the lower panels. e Ouppenth r panel ther tracee foliaga ear f so e design n anotheI . r

Fig . Grou6 . Standinf po g Stones near Borreraig.

case the mortuary emblems are arranged in a rather unusual manner. e spades,Th - instea f beino d g arranged crosswise e placea ar , n i d vertical position e cross-bonesideth side y d ,b an , hour-glasd san e ar s carved in one piece and so arranged that the head of each bone is attached to the lower corners of the hour-glass. Martin states that ther e threar e e standinga stonese e th s n "o coast opposite to Skeriness (about four miles west of Portree), each of them 3 feet high, and that the natives have a tradition that upon thes eboilinr stone fo cauldrog Mac-Coul'n t bi gFi se sa s nwa s meat. This giganti s reportei n cma havo dt e been genera militia f o l a that FURTHE RE ANTIQUITIE NOTETH N 9 O S 20 F SKYEO S .

came from Spain to Ireland and from there to those Isles ; all his soldier callee ar s d Fienty from believes i Finn e H .havo dt e arrived in the Isles in the reign of King Evan." The exploits of Finn Mac- Cumha frequentle ar l y Deae booe referreth th Lismoref f nko o n i o dt , as, for instance, in the following :—

"Finn MacCumhai fathery m s i l , Who nobly leads the Feinn's seven bands ; hounds Whehi e nh s lets loos huno et t To follow him is truly sweet."

Dr Skenes introductiohi n i , thao nt t work, relate accoune th s f o t the Feinn e same Irish th s giveth a set a y ,tim b n e stating that i t cannot be 'accepted as history in any sense of the term. The Irish account of Finn, though perhaps not historically accurate, is interest- ing. That account states that Finn MacCumhal lived in the reign of Cormac MacArt, who ruled from A.D. 227 to 266, and whose daughter Grain e marriedh e . e yea Fins slaith rn wa ni 285 s grandsonhi , , Oscar, having e battlfalleth f G-abhran ni eo , foughe followinth n i t g year. Martin's generalities are sometimes a little misleading. There can be little doubt thae stoneth t o whict s e refer h e thre ar s e stones lying in a straight line north-west and south-east, the centre stone being equidistant fro e othemth rs inaccurat i two t I . o describt e e smallese coast,a th se d e thef thean "o th t ms morn s "i mo a e than " 3 feet " high. Their measurements are as follows :— North-west Stone.—Height, 3 feet 4 inches ; breadth, 2 feet 3 inches. Centre Stone.—Height, feet5 ; breadth fee2 , inches3 t . North-east Stone.—Height, 5 feet 10 inches ; breadth, 2 feet 2 inches, at the broadest of its five faces. An accommodation road, made abou x yearsi t s ago, skirts these stones. The contractor, who superintended the making of the road, informe makin e time roa e th tha e th proprietof e th e t o dm df th a tg o r 4 1 VOL. XLVI. 210 PROCEEDING F THO S E SOCIETY, FEBRUAR , 191212 Y .

of the land, Macdonald of Skeabost, gave strict injunctions that in the course of the operations these stones were to be left intact. The e roath lin df eo passe e position closo th ds o et f theso s e stones that in the course of preparing the bottoming, the foundations of the stones were exposed. Mr Roderick MacLeod, the contractor, informed

Fig . Vie 7 .Broca f wo h near Dunvegan. fooe eacthaf e th o tm t ha tlon w stonsa g e flaeh t stones, which when struck with a hammer indicated that they formed the covering stones of hollow chambers. indebtem . MacLeoa e Rev C I th . R o .d t f MacLeo do r photodfo - graphs of a broch near Dunvegan, and a portion of the gallery thereof d 8)(figs.an 7 . About three miles from Dunvegan e nortth n he roao ,th sid df o e between it and G-lendale, immediately at the base of Dunosdale, is FURTHER NOTES ON THE ANTIQUITIES OF SKYE. 211

the well called " Tobar-na-maor." From time immemorial up till two years ago this well was partly covered by a' large slab. About two years ago MacLeod of MacLeod, believing this stone to be of

Kg. 8. View of entrance to one of the galleries in the broch near Dunvegan.

unique interest, had it transferred into the courtyard of Dunvegan •Castle, where it is at present preserved. MacLeod's factor informed me that from a cursory examination of it made by him it bears a •striking resemblance to the standing stone with incised symbols 212 PROCEEDINGS OP THE SOCIETY, FEBRUARY 12, 1912. figured on page 385 of the Proceedings of the Society for 1910, the characteristic feature e symbo f whicth o s e har l knowe doublth s na e diszigzad can e gsculpture th floriate f o d ro d stonee Easth f f o t o s

tumulo tw f t Roago a Figi e . Vie9 .on . f wo

Scotlan d crescenan d t with V-shaped floriate d towardro d e th s upper part of the stone. My last illustration (fig. 9) is a photograph of one of two tumuli at Roag.