SCULPTURED MONUMENTAL SLABS, ETC., IN SKYE. 373 V. NOTES OF SCULPTURED MONUMENTAL SLABS, AN UNDESCRIBED SYMBOL STONE, STANDING STONES, BROCHS, AND OTHER ANTI- QUITIES IN SKYE FREDY B . T. MACLEOD, F.S.A. SCOT. presene sprine th th f n go I t year, Isle whil visif Skyea th e o n o et o t , I too opportunite kth f inspectino y g four burial-grounds \vithi radiuna s of 16 miles of Dunvegan Castle—at Skeabost, Kilmuir (Dunvegan), Trumpan, and Glendale. In each case my search was rewarded by the discovery of several stones of considerable interest, and furthes, in the cases of Glendale, Trumpan, and Skeabost, by the discovery of an ancient copan-baistidh, or baptismal font. In general characteristics the Skye burial-grounds do not differ from thos n othei e r Highland parishes. Unkemp d neglectean t d places, situated in the midst of barren moorland, or upon some rocky headland, they form a striking contrast to our city cemeteries. SKEABOST BUKIAIJ-GBOUND. Skeabost burial-groun s situatedi d withi a nstone's-thro f Skeaboswo t Bridge post office, abou mile6 t s from Portree. Adjacen t i ther o t et are ruins which indicate the existence in early times of a church of considerable sizd importancean e e burial-grounth e sitf o Th e . d itself is upon land which, under normal conditions, is a small peninsula, but whic timen hi f heavso y flood d severan s e weathe s quicklri y converted into an island. The absence of access in times of flood involves great self-sacrifice, whe e coffinth n s have f necessityo , e e bornth b y o t b e, followers through water many feet deep. firse tTh ston f intereso e I fount d monumentaa hers ewa l slab with a full-length effigy in relief, resting in a recumbent position in a little square building , e timewhicon t , a hobviously , formee d th par f o t church. The stone was of such a size and the effigy stood out in such strong relie s impossiblf wa tha t i t o procurt e ea rubbin d f ito gan ; ,374 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH 9Y F , O S1910 MA , . e buildin confineo th s s d darwa gan d k tha a satisfactort y photograph e obtainedb coul t e sculptureno dTh . n i dn figurma a s thai ef o t armour, both hands grasping a sword of considerable size. Just outside this little building was another monumental slab, so much broken that it was impossible to recognise anything except that it contained a similar figure of a warrior grasping a sword. About twenty south-wese yardth o st thira s dwa t monumen f similao t r e besth tr design a specimefa n e i threey e ston th b s , Th f wa o e.n Fig. 1. Slab with Effigy at Skeabost. recumbent position, but I had it lifted on end and photographed (fig- I)- The figure of the man in armour is enclosed in a Gothic niche, and is excellently carved in the usual style of the West Highland effigies. This monument (as doubtless also the other two) was doing duty to mark a not very ancient burial, and on it there were comparatively modern initials, whichinformeds wa I , , refefamila o t rMacSweensf yo . Ther alss ei o another stone carve primitiva n di curioud ean s manner, to whic interestinn ha g traditio s attached i nrecumbena s i t I . t monu- men n memor i t s kille e carve a bull a womawa y Th f b do .o y d wh n figur e skeleto thas th i e f womana o tbein x f no se ge indicateth , e th y db SCULPTURED MONUMENTAL SLABS, ETC., IN SKYE. 375 presenc f whao e t appear"mutcha e b o st " roun e skulleithen dth O . r e skeletoth sid f hoof-marko eo tw n carvee ar s indicato dt mannee eth r of death. Having been informed that an ancient copan-baistidh or baptismal beefond ha tn see n thii n s burial-ground I mad, e inquiries located an , d the place where it lay. Until comparatively recently it was entire, but now e weathe , e th effecowin th f d neglect o o tan t rgs gradualli t i , y s simpli breakin t I a rough-hewy . up g n hollowed-out stone, wito n h ornamentation. Tig . Kilmui2 . r Burying-grovmd. KlLMUIB BUBIAL-GROUND. This burial-groun s situatei d risinn o d g land overlooking Dunvegan Loch, about three hundred yards from the hotel, on the left-hand side of the road leading to Portree. Here there are also the roofless ruins of an old church (fig. 2). Above one of the entrances is the date 1694, but, judging fro e obviou msomf th o e emonumentae sag 'o th f l stonen i s close proximity ,little therb n e edoubca t that burial-grouna ther s ewa d long anterio thao t r t date. Local tradition indicates thae presenth t t ruined church, is not the original church erected upon the site, and that e burial-grounth s muci d h d earlieol n e dateportioe i r th On f . o n 6 37 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH 9 Y , F 1910O SMA , . building has been enclosed with railings, and now forms the burial- ground of the MacLeods of Dunvegan. One portion of this enclosed building bears the date 1836, at which time evidently this portion of the old church was reserved as the burial-place of the MacLeod family. adjacene th n I t churchyard well-knowe therth s ei n monument (fig) 3 . erecte Simoy b d n Erase f Lovao r n memori ts father hi o die f o ywh d, Lovae Th . t 3 Monumen . Kg t Kilmuira t . in Dunvegan Castle in 1699, when on a visit to the chief of that day. The inscription;(whic interestinn a s hi g one carves )i marbla n do e slab, which unfortunately, some years ago, was broken across. The monu- ment generall s becominwa y g e ruinouspresenth t bu t, chies ha f renovate d replacean e t i inscriptiondth d e monumentTh . is t i , believed, was erected in or about 1699. There are three interesting recumbent slabs in this churchyard. One e memor th e Rev th o t f . o s yi Norma n Macleods ministewa o f o rwh , SCULPTUKED MONUMENTAL SLABS, 7 ETC. 37 SKYEN I , . Durinish about 150 years ago. Another (fig. 4) is to the memory of a member of the MacLeod family, on which the various emblems are well indicated e thira recumben Th s i d. t stone whicf o , hI too rubbinka g s finel. i 379)p (fig t , I 5 y.. sculpture n reliefdi , havin ga lon g sword with lobated pomme reversed an l d quillon e centreth n si , surroundey db foliage ornament, designed more naturalistically than steme usualth r , fo , from one side of which the branches proceed, goes up the left-hand side e slaboth f , quite margine closth o et , bends sharply across the topd an , Fig. 4. Recumbent Slab with Emblems at Kilmuir. proceeds reversely dow e right-hanth n d side s angle showa ,th t ey a nb which the branches on that side meet the stem. There are one or two other old stones of interest which I had not time to examine, one in particular being, I am informed, the oldest in the churchyard, and representing, among other things, an angel holding an open book. In examining the old stones, I was surprised to find tha a goot d e ornamenta manth f o y l portion e churcth f so h have been utilised to form the bases upon which rest many of the recumbent stones. Burials froe surroundinmth g districts, embracinr o n radiua g te f o s twelve miles e stilar ,l commo n thii n s churchyard A somewha. t 8 37 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE , 19109 TH Y F . O SMA , striking featur n connectioi e n with burial n thii s s place s alsa n , i o connection with burials in other churchyards in Skye, is the fact that there are no recognised gravediggers, nor is a grave prepared prior to arrivae funerae th th f o l l partymemberr e custofo Th s i .thim o y t ssda e deceased'oth f s famil d friendyan s themselvegrave th eg aftedi o t rs the arrival of the body at the churchyard, and to do all the necessary offices which'jare performed by recognised officials in districts on the mainland. It may be mentioned that Boswell records the fact that during the visit of Dr Johnson and himself to Dunvegan in 1773 he wa a witness e identicath o t s l practic o whict e I hhav e just referred. Upwards of 100 years prior thereto, the kirk-session of Rothesay recognised the inconvenience of such a proceeding, and passed a minute ordainin e "hockinggth f grave"o s e arriva e corpsprioth th r f o t ro el fo burial. It is a somewhat striking circumstance that a practice which was condemned as far back as 1660 in one district of the Western Islands should remai e recogniseth n d metho f proceduro de th n i e year 1910.