ST COLUMBA'S LOCH, IN SKYE, AND ITS ANCIENT CANOES. 651

IV. ST COLUMBA'S LOCH, IN SKYE, AND ITS ANCIENT CANOES. BY "WILLIAM JOLLY, ESQ., H.M. INSPECTOR OF SCHOOLS, INVERNESS. The parish of Kilmuir, in the north end of Skye, is much less known to the tourist, the man of science, and the archaeologist than it ought to be. picturesque th d an g e Ui Quirain f e onlo e sweeth y Th e pointgba ar t s visited, thoug morw fe eha leisurely fee fino d t do Flort theiy a wa r Mac- donald's grave in the old churchyard near the sea. To the scenery-seeker and the geologist this forgotten extremity of Trotternish is peculiarly rich ohjectn i beautf so interest.d yan 1 Her e historiaeth tracy scenee nema th s of ancient deeds done by the early Celts, the ravages of the Vikings, the feuds of the clans, the wild tales connected with the seats of the Macdonalds t Monkstada Duntulmd an t d othean , r places visie f th Jame;o o t t . V s the Western Isles, when he called at Duntulm and gave his name to Portree, the King's Port, and similar numerous old stories connected with this districte spoth sentimen f te o wher.n se y Herma e e ma t eth Prince Charlie landed from Uist with Flora Macdonald, the old mansion of Monkstadt wher e herointh e e beguile e Hanoveriath d n captaid an n gave the prince time to go to Kingshurgh, where he slept; and he may s she ha a brightedo wh e visi rgrave on romancth t f eo ed rounsa e th d fortune thaf o s t most hapless prince,archaeologise th o T 2 antiquariand tan , Kilmuir is also rich and interesting and full of valuable remains. It contains numerous example anciene th f so t " dun hilsr "O l f fortso x si , which receive names in the parish3; of cairns, some of which are large and chambered f circleo ; f standing-stoneo s t a various s parts f gravo ; e mounds and hut circles; of fine old ruins, such as the picturesque pile of Duntulm, occupying the site of a more ancient " dun "; of tills or chapels at different places ; of Highland huts, still largely primitive in their style ; e sceneth f ancieno s t custom superstitionsd san Locs a , h Sianta,e th r o 4 Holy Loch; othed an 6 r interesting remain primitivf so e days.

1 As I have elsewhere tried to show, in a paper on "the Glacier of Loch Sneisdale," read befor Edinburge eth h Geological Society this winter. 2 See Statistical Account of Inverness-shire, parish of Kilmuir, p. 255, &c. 3 Ibid p. 266. 4Siunta=sancta, or holy. 5 Ibid. p. 265. 2 55 .PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , JUN , 1876..E12 . It is to one centre of archaeological interest in this parish that I would now dra e attentiowth thef no . Society—the Lonht Columba.S f o

LoCH-CHOLUIM-ClLLB OE COLUMBA's LoCH. A. few miles beyond Uig, in the hollow between the high road and the old mansion of Monkstadt, the anoient seat of the Macdonalds of the ancienn a f o Isles d t lakebe ,drained w liee no ,sth , called LocU-Choluim- Cllle Columba'sor 1 Loch. It was 2doubt no , , named aftegreathe r t apostl lonaf eo populao s ,Highlandse th n ri , after who mano ms y places have been gratefully called. It would appear to have originally been a loch of about a mile long and an eighth of a mile broad, the reclaimed portio whicf n o cover w hno s somstil a acres 0 t le 23 A earlie. r periot di seae likelth ,f froo y formem m oy ar rwhic ba da a shor t ht liei sbu t dis- tance, and above which it is very little elevated, so little indeed that the want of elevation formed the chief difficulty in draining it. This an- cient sea connection is suggested and proved by a well-marked sea-beach existin coase runnind th an n t go g roun have y loce lochth dTh hma e . formed a sea bay in comparatively modern times, for the designation loch applies i bot o dgulft a fres d hse san h water lochs ove Highlandse th r d an ; the same name of Columba's Loch was applied, as already noted, to this lake and to Portree Bay. The loch would seem to have long existed as little better than a marsh, whose flatness and shallowness, as well as fine alluvial soil, suggested the wisdo f m drainint o i speak d an t •se gi enterpris th muc r e th fo h f o e Macdonald Islese th f , so tha undertakinn a t e timd th greao an s egr fo t the district should have been .seriously undertake earl. nas 171s ya 5n I ! that year of the first Stuart rising, the draining of the loch was begun afterwards wa t i t offn e swateru bu ;d som s th abandone an f wa ro e d on accoun e politicath f o t l disturbance e time th n 176I f .o s3 operations were renewed, and the loch was drained, but from neglect the water again returned. In 1824, after five years' hard labour and much expense, the

1I finname th d e variously spelled Loch-Choluim-Cille (which e Rev r Macth , M . - grogo correce th rs i tell te form)sm , Loch-Chalum-Cille, Loch-Colum-Cille. It is remarkable that Portree Harbour bore the same ancient name, Loch- 2 Choluim-Cille. ST COLUMBA'S LOCH, IN SKYE, AND ITS ANCIENT CANOES. 553

drainage was finally and successfully completed,1 the water being carried greaa y b t a canase r ditche o l th o ,t still preserved, three-fourth mila f so e formloce w th h no f so aflad length.n be i t e plainTh 2 , with great depth of alluvium, which is partly cultivated but is mostly covered with grass use d pastorar an dfo l purposes centre th n whicf i e,o h stand certain islands with ancient remains easw f accesyno o , invitind san g investigation.

ANCIENT CANOES FOUN THN DI E LOCH. Canoe discovered in 1763.—In 1763, the year when the second and temporarily successful attemp t drainaga t s made wa en ancien a , t boat was dug out of the bed of the loch. This boat is thus described in the Statistical Accoun Parishe th f o ofteto s , n already referrewhicd an , hdto e bes th n thesi tf o ee extensivon s i d valuablan e e s volumeswa t I . written by the Eev. Alex. Macgregor of the West Church, Inverness, once parish ministe f tho e f Kilmuir n o rforme so d ran , minister. "Whe lake nth f Choluim-Cill eo s drained ewa r abou o e yean th i ,t r 1763, there was an oaken boat discovered deeply imbedded in the botto lakee t woulI th f .m o d seem, fro s situationmit beed , ha than t i t there for many ages. The boat, although not large in size, is said to have been much stronger morfa d e an firmlr y buil f moderto thay an nn date. The iron rings which were fastened in the ends of it were of almost incredible thickness, so much so that they were converted into socket instrumentr sfo se paris useth tillinr n dhi fo ground.e gth " 3 Thinking thawore th t d " built thin "i s accoun beed ha tn used inad- vertently or in a vague general sense, as applied to an ancient submerged canoe, I •e wrot Eev r th Macgregor M o .et , mentionin y doubtm gd an , asking additional information, if such could be had. I found my sur- mise correct I receive d an , letteda r containing additiona interestind an l g details, part transcribwhicf w so no hI e :—

" INVERNESS, 15th April 1876. " I find, on consulting my manuscript scroll of the Statistical Account of Kilmuir, Skye righe , ar youn thai u t yo tr boae opinioth to t foun s na d 1 See Statistical Account, pp. 246, 247. 2 Ibid. p. 279. ; thes7 3 26 Ibide . werp .e iroth en e socketHighlanth r fo s d cas-c7iroms,r o "crooked spades." Seep. 555. 554 . PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. JUNE 12, 1876.

in Loch-Choluim-Cille. -I may state tliat the writers of that Account were restricte abouo dt t forty printee pageth f so d matter thinT . k .that about seventy pages of mine were granted ; yet, if they had published the whole t i woul, d have exceede a hundred d pages. Consequentlyy m , manuscrip greatls wa t y abridged, almost under every head. "1 find that I derived the account of the said boat from an old man, residing near the manse, named John Macdcnald, who died ten

" Old Johu says that this boat, found in Loch Choluim-Cille in 1763,' must have bee ' CutracJi-fiodha.' na suns kwa t ver I 2 ymude deeth ,n pi and was much destroyed in digging it out. Some said it was of fir-wood, and others maintained it was of oak, and all of one piece, about 14 feet long and 3 feet broad. At the one end, there were three large links The Eev. Mr Macgregor gives additional details regarding this remarkable old 1 man. He says—" I wish 1 had a month or two of good old John as he was forty years d songagod manol an , n ,y a many family incidents d manan , y thing f deeo s p interest connected with Skye would have been preserved. But, at that time, I had but little concern about these matters, and so I missed the opportunity. He was long in 79te arme th hth n Kegt.y(i Egypn )i elsewhered tan coule h d d telan , l s wherwa e eh and what doing on any day in any year. He understood English well, and being stone blind for fifty or sixty years, was exceedingly fond of my reading stories to him. I read to him all "Wilson's 'Tales of the Borders,' and many years afterwards he could repeat every inciden namd datd an t thesean n e i simila d ean r tales with perfect accuracy." 2 " Curradi " in a boat made of wattled work and hides or skins, anciently nsed ; but "jiodha" is wood—so that " Currach-fiodha" means a boat of wood or log boat. ST COLUMBA'S LOCH, IN SKYE, AND ITS ANCIENT CANOES. 555

fastened to a staple, and, at the other end two, links. The iron of the link s stron swa d f massy suco g an d h an ,goo d qualit s mady thawa et i t into cas-clirom ceaps.' It was supposed to be the ' Berlinn' which was

useferry-boaa s da t betwee monastere nth shoree 1 th d . yan John tole dm that his father, Donnucliaidh Ceannaich? was one of the party that raised the boat, and it was very heavy. The wood of it got very black after it was washe cleanedd dan , t verbugo ty brittle whe brokes nwa dryt nI . ende ringse takinth y soosd th b n i t an ,n gou destroye peoply db e taking pieces of it away." The above account is very interesting, and it is fortunate that Mr Mac- gregor secured so much information from this remarkable old man, and that his original notes have been preserved.

Canoe discovered n 1874:—Oi n Jun , 187529 e I visite, e parisdth h of Kilmuir for official purposes, as I do yearly. On that occasion, I examined, amongst other places, St Columba's loch and ruins, in company with the parish clergyman and the schoolmaster at Kilvaxter. On descending from the ancient cairn which stands near the quarry, whence buildinge stonee th th e locr saie th sfo hhavar o dt n i s e been takene w , e brokecamth n eo n remain f whaso t seeme n anciena d t boa r canoeo t , which, on inquiry, we learnt had been dug out of the bed of the loch. We happily found one of the two men who had dug it out, but the other, .unfortunately, was not then at band, and when his services would have been of great use afterwards in seeking for the rest of the boat, he had herrine th lefr fo gt e fisherwhoeasn th ma queste n m coastw ye o -Th . tioned was old, but showed considerable intelligence. He answered the inquiries made of him with fair distinctness, but having thought the discovery valueo n beind f an o , g engage n othei d r work whe boae nth t was found, he had not paid it any special attention, and varied not a little in his statements when closely questioned, especially in a later interview. This wan f clearnesso t , thoug t unnaturahno circume th n i l - stances, was none the less unfortunate, and rendered the subsequent attempt at finding the remainder of the boat unsuccessful. By the help of my two companions, who knew Gaelic well, for'the old man had little

1 " Cas-chrom" is the crooked spade, and " ccaps" the iron sockets on them. Tha , Dmicanis t merchant.e th 2 6 55 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , JDN , 1876E12 . command of English, especially in more minute description, I was able to obtain -the following information regarding the discovery of the boat:— It seems that in the summer of 1874, this old man and another tenant were employed by the farmer of Monkstadt to clean out the deep ditch which runs alon lochd wese ol gth .te sidth Neaf quarree o th r y already mentioned, while engaged at this work, they came on part of a boat, some 4 feet below the surface. It projected into the ditch from the west side, and lay more or less horizontally, in a natural position, and inclined to the ditch at an angle of some 20°. The projecting portion was evidently only part of a longer boat, the rest of which was buried iu the soil. Thinking it of little or no value, the men cut off the projecting end with their spades without much difficulty e woo e moss d softh th an f dwa tr o t fo , spongy. They thus severed from the rest of the boat a part of the stern end about 4 feet in length, threw it carelessly on the bank, and continued thei rditch e worth n ki . They though littlt o thai s t f eo t they mentioned it to no one in particular; so that the minister knew nothing of it, and the schoolmaster, who lived at no great distance, heard of it only on the morning of our visit, having accidentally met the old man and men- tioned tha e werw t searcn ei f ancienho t things. Therdoubo n s ei t that the wetness and uselessness of the wood alone prevented its being carried off and consumed as fuel. The broken part of the boat remained on the ban morr kfo e tha nyeara , expose wino dt weatherd dan sheepo t , , child- ren, and passers by, so that, when we saw it, the boat' lay in fragments, dried and broken, partly on the ground and partly in the ditch. It was, happily, in such a state, however, that we were able to put the pieces together and reconstruct very completely the stern end of the boat. Having obtained all the information we could from the old man, T took a sketch of the portion of the boat thus reconstructed, which is now shown. returo t d nA ha 'tsI o Skye some time after I though, t weli t tako t l e steps to discover, if possible, the rest of the boat which still remained in e oldth f lakeo I d wrote. be e ,th accordingly e proprietorth o t , , Capt. Frase Newtonf ro , near Nairn entereo wh , t oncda e int idee gavd oth aan e instructions to his local manager, to employ men to dig out the rest of the boat, when nex I tvisite e placeth d . aboud Thidi sI fortnigha t t after, on the 16th of July. Through the activity of the manager, who entered ST COLUMBA'S LOCH, IN SKYE, AND ITS ANCIENT CANOES. 557

keenly into the spirit of the search, and with the assistance of the minister schoolmasterd an larga , e numbewern me e f earlo r t worya k that morning at this part of the ditch, under the guidance of the old man who had pre- viousl ye informatio giveth s u n n regardin n hoate th gI founme .e th d hard at work on my arrival, having cut deep into the ditch for a consider- able distanc botn eo h e parsideth tf o sindicated . They had, however, discovered nothing of the missing boat, and had found only some pieces of wood and a long pole of soft saturated fir, which came out in fragments; and they were beginnin frog fa m o gt wan disagreeablee f succeso tth d san - ness of the work, which had to be carried on by wading deep in the oozy e accumulatinditcth n i h g water. After minutely questionind ol e th g man searce resumeth ,s hwa d with renewed vigour longee Th diggine . rth g was prosecuted, the more it began unfortunately to be discovered that the man'd ol s former certainte exacth o t placs ya e wher e boafouns eth wa t d had passed away, and his statements became the more hazy the more he was questioned. At last, after long digging for a considerable distance, amidst increasing difficulties froe gatherinmth g watere b , o whict d hha damme work e carro t th confesset e n yh ,o d ou d tha coule th t remembe dno r exace th t notspots i t ,I therefore! wonderee b o t , t thada t nothing came of the severe labours of that day, except the discovery of some additional piece whad f firso an , t seeme e dboat th bit f ,so timee whicon ,t ha wit h keenest expectation, we thought we had found. The search had to be abandoned thar fo , t day, sometime afte I leftr , without further discovery. I wrote again to Captain Eraser, urging him to continue Ihe digging along the ditch, on both sides of where' we had been at work, till the broken end should be discovered, as it undoubtedly lay somewhere near that place ; but he did not, I am sorry to say, deem it worth while con- tinuin searche g th thu d an ,s this laudable endeavou t discoverina r e gth lost canoe was abandoned for that time. It is to be hoped, however, thadiggine th t g wil e agaib l n resumed I shoul d an , d recommene th o dt Societ Antiquarief yo tako st e such step thethins y sa yma k good towards discovering this ancient boat. I can assure them that they will receive bese th t co-operation froe Eev mr Mackenzieth M . e paristh , h minister, Mcholsonr M d an e schoolmasterth , d myself I havan , d doubo n ean ; t that Captain Fraser will give every assistance in any efforts they may make for the purpose. The pieces of the boat already found have been 558 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JUNE 12, 187ft taken possession of by the manager, in accordance witlt' Captain Eraser's safn i ew directionskeepinno e ar g d houss aan ,hi t e near Uig. The boat seems to be of the usual kind of ancient canoe, being not built t hollowebu , t wholdou e fro trune pare mtreea th Th f tk o .foun d was s alreada , y said e ster feeth 4 , s nt endlongwa t I ., 2|- feet wide, and full inche6 y inches9 stere highs Th wa ne sbotto . thickth d man , inche3 s thick I sen( .a sketcds appearanc it f ho e whe parte nth s were finally pieced together.) The bottom was nearly entire, except a longitudinal wide crack or hole, which coincided wit a hgroov e alon e outside bottomth gth f o e . The stern seemed to be very nearly complete, and likely of its original height , 6 inchewhic e s side r th moreo wa sh t s werbu , a gooe d deal broken, althoug side hon e seemed pretty complete e outeTh r. curvf o e e sters welth wa nl rounded e inneth ; r curvd beeha en very well smoothed by some sharp tool, which seems to have cut with ease through e harth d e woodfibreth f o s. There wer o signn e f firo s e having been use hollowinn di boa e inside e treeth Th th t f t .eo seeme gou o havt d e been smoothed with muc e outsidhth cared ean , also rounded an d s originait smoothet lefn no i t d l rougan d h e statee markth Th f .o s spades use n cuttini d g throug e boath h t were vert ycu distince th t a t edges, which consisted of . good firm wood, little affected by its long immersio boge th .n ni In the middle of the thickness of the stern, a groove runs along the frop to m sid o sidet e , half-way betwee e insid th nd outside an e Th . purpos f thio e s groov t apparentno s ei , unles t wersi e smalmady la o elt articles on. The outside of the bottom was very much rubbed and smoothed d beeha n t I rounde. d and smoothed when first madet bu , e smoothnesth d evidentlha s y been very much increase e bottoth y dmb being subjected to much rubbing while the boat was in use, by grating along the ground and being drawn up on the shore.. Along the outside e bottomoth f , running from ste l likelihoodmo steral t n ni , wero tw e hollow grooves, at equal distances from each other and the sides. These grooves were about inc \n a h deep, and remarkably smoothed and rubbed, as if ropes had worked in them. I can make no suggestion as to their use. They terminated at the stem, where it began to curve, upwards from the flat bottom. . . ST COLUMBA'S LOCH ANCIENS IT SKYE N I ,D AN ,T CANOES9 55 .

The kin woof do whicf do boae hth t consist t bee sI hav ye ns ea unabl e to determine. I have sent a specimen of it to the Secretary of the Society, whsubmittes oha severao t t di l parties remainw , anno t r di s fo witm hhi inspection. The general opinion, he tells me, is that it is either alder or some kin pine.f do 1 When examine spoe freshld th an tn frot do e ycu m th boat undecayee th , d portion decidedla d sha y resinou pinr so y smell, which suggests some hard pine wood, suc pitcs ha h pine. There were different opinions expressed regarding it by those engaged in digging for the boat, and many thought it was oak. It would be a matter of some interest to" determin e precisth e e woodnature th this f a ,eo s would decide whether the tree grows in Skye, or was a foreign trunk, and if the latter, where it came from t mighI . thin i t sfloate a cas e brough g e b Gullo dth fy b t Stream, which carrie westere muco ss th o ht n shoreLone th gf so Island , cas'g lo ot a rashor e from some wreck. The main body of the bottom and stern was of firm wood, cut through with som ee boagreatls difficult th e res spadewa e tf th o th t y t y yb bu ; decayed throug lone hth g immersio undergoned ha t ni , piecee somth f eo s bein sofs gcora s a t r spongeko e e wholwoo s th intersecteTh f dwa .eo d blackenee th y b d e Equisetum,stemth f o s whic d pierceha h wooe th d d alonn ru grais gd it intd an nan o every crevice. The same dubiety seems to have existed regarding the wood of the canoe found in 1763, as already told in Mr Macgregor's narrative; but it seems to have been of a different timber, probably oak, as it turned quite blac exposuren ko , whereas this wood remained brow bleachedr no .

General Remarks tfien o Canoes.—Both e canoeth s foun thin di s loch, which have been here, described, resemble in appearance and formation visuae th l prehistoric canoes found elsewher n Britainei especialld an , n yi Scotland.2 Both had been formed out of single trunks, according to the universal type of such canoes found in Scotland and Ireland, except one of The Eev. Mr Macgregor does not think it probable that the boat was made of 1 rara s ei alder t wooi s n Skyea i d, , whic t swamp no saye hh s i s y tenoug r alder.fo h , thinko probabls H wa t si y constructe r pineo r fi , whicf o d h befor e erectioth e f o n lighthouses was found in huge logs on the shores, in consequence of shipwrecks. Lyell'e Se 2 s " Antiquity of Man," p. 48, &c."d Noticean ; Scottisf so h Crannogs," by Dr Jolm Stuart, reprinted from the Transactions of the Antiquarian Society for 1806, p. 35, &c. 560 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JUNE 12, 1876. sile t Glasgowth a t f o t ou ,thos whicg buils eda f hseverawa o t l pieces.1 The first boat was 14 feet long and 3 feet wide; the second is 2J feet lengts t wideknownf courseit o t lengthye e , t his bu ,Th no ,. ancienf so t canoes were very different, varyin n Britaigi n fro mfeet8 thosf , o like eeon found in Lochar Moss,2 to 36 feet, which was the length of one found in 1726 at the mouth of the Carron ;3 but one recently found in Loch Lotus; Kirkcudbrightshire fee5 4 ts long. wa ,widtfee 3 A vers 4i d t f 2hyo Jan commo n thesi n e canoes, d som e evean 6 ar e n narrower e founon , n i d - Lochar Moss being only 2 feet wide.6 The depth of the first boat is not known. The second boat would see havo mt e been very shallow, being only som e6 inche s deep t leasa , t as judgee remainsth y db ,wore b whic r imperfecty no hma . But these old canoes would seem to have had no great depth. One in the Museum of the Society, found at Springfield, on the Clyde, has a depth of only 9 inches ;7 another, found at Closeburn, was of the same width ;s one, found t Cahorea , Wexford 1s 1 wa inche, s wide.e ster Th f lasno 9 t year's boat n a t wano same s sth formewa f e boat o d trun th rese t f th an ,o td ou s ka inserted piece like thos thref eo e other canoes mentione Dy db r Stuart.10 The ster s flani t outside d slightlan , y rounde s i e corners t th i t t a d bu , curved e insiderounth e s sketchshewn di a strone ,th Th n ni g. iron rings and staples in the 1763 canoe seem to be quite peculiar to this I hav boat t seed mentioy no ean an n , f similano r iron ring s beina s g found in any other ancient canoe. In determining the age of the canoes, there is one source of doubt, in the fact that in St Columba's Loch we have the remains of different ages, from those of the early artificial stone islands, so common in the lochs of e Hebrideth especialld san Lone yth g Island tho ,t e later structuree th f o s Culdees and more modern Christian times. But the fact that these canoes so closely resemble "those found in connection with the early prehistoric timee Ston th subsequend f seo an t periods, would see afformo t stronda g presumption that they belon suco gt h early existenc e agesTh e th . f eo

. Lyelld 49 an Stuart. , e p , 136 Se . p , Stuart. e 38 Se 2 . p , Stuart e . Se 37 3 . p , 4 Proceedings Lyele ,Stuart d supra,. Se 5 an l21 . p . 6 See Stuart, p. 35. / See Stuart, p. 36. 8 See Stuart, p. 36. o See Stuart, p. 37. I0 See Stuart, pp. 36 and 37. ST COLUMBA'S LOCH, IN SKYE, AND ITS ANCIENT CANOKS. 561

iron rings in the 1763 cauoe would seem to show that it belongs to a later age than the Stone period, and to a time when iron, and good iron, was in use. Bu t Columba'S t s Loch f thoroughli , y explored, would most likely yield examples of the remains of a long series of ages, and of very different d stylean workmanshipf n so typeme f so , lik l lakeeal s which have long bee scene nth f habitatioeo successivy nb e races, suc s Dowaltoa h n Loch and many others I shoul. inclinee b d assigo dt e canonth e discovered laj«t, vp.ar to an early date.