ANTIQUITIES OF THE ISLANDS OF COLONSAY AND OBANSAY. 113 I. ANTIQUITIEE NOTETH E ISLANDN O STH F F COLONSAO SO S D YAN ORANSAY Y WILLIAB . M STEVENSON. COMMUNICATE Y DB uD ARTHUR M1TCHELL, Secretary S.A. SCOT. Gliurches and Ecclesiastical Structures.—On the islands of Colonsay e d remainOransath an e f nino ar d sychurche ol e r ecclesiasticao s l structures, and the sites of other three are remembered by the older islane th Oransay.n i f Colonsa n dthesf i o o natives o e tw n e ar d Te 1yan . Of these building mose sth t important must have bee e Monasternth y of Kiloran. No remains of it now exist, but upon its site and partly with materias it s beeha ln buile presenth t t Colonsay House n 170I e .th 0 "principal church" village stooth f n Kiloran.di o e e earliesTh 2 t notice of Colonsay as a parish appears to be in 1549, by Archdeacon Munro, who says " It hath aiie parish kirke."3 The next in importance is the Monastery of Oransay,4 the site of which covers a considerable area. But except one small portion called the Friars incorporatew Houseno d an , d wit e farth hm offices erected alongsidee th , whole of the buildings are unroofed and in ruins. The appearance of the mason work shows that different parts of the structure had been erected at different dates. The oldest portion seems to be that called the cloisters, being part of a wall in the inside 27 feet long and 27 inches thick, and having five semi-circular arched openings throug . it hThi e s th par f o t building s figurei s Pennanty b dportioe th t nbu , containin e straighth g t 1 In Blaeu's Map published in 1651, fourteen such structures are delineated, eleven Colonsan i thred yan Oransayn i e 166n I patronage gran.7a th f churchee o t th f eo s and Cllaplainries is made by Charles II. to the Earl of Argyll—Origines Parochiales, remaine . 280p Th . .volii f severa.s o l Romish e seeChapelb Colonsayn o i t e sar , Statd ''Ol . Acct.," vol rid.s xii hi e. 330 p .n fro I . m Oransa Kilorano yt , Pennant men- tions having seen four ruined chapels, vol. ii. p. 274. See also Martin, p. 246, and " Sculptured Stones of Scotland," vol. ii. p. 25. 2 Martin . 249p , . 3 Origines Parochiales, . 280volp . .ii . 4 ; Pennant Martin6 24 . p , . ,270 p vol . .ii . VOL. XV. H 114 ' PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, FEBRUARY U, 1881. pointed arche e gonesportiow houslika Th no e roo f .th f e o no fear the structure which appears most recently erected is what may be called the church or chapel. This apartment is the largest, and measures 60 feet long fee8 1 ,sid e t wideth e d wall an ,aboue sar fee 0 2 ease t t th hight n I . end there is a finely formed Gothic pointed arch window with mullions dividing it into three lancet-shaped openings. The height from the sole arce poine tth cheeke owidte s 1hth i 2f th th o t l feet d feeth5 s Al an , . of door d windowsan s d mullionan , f thio s s apartmen f dresseo e ar t d freeston kina islandse t founf th o ed no n do . hala Twd f oan fee tn fron i fro f thiwale o d mtth san l windoe th ws i altar table coverelarge on e y sladb b 6 Jfeet3 fee y .b t againsp u t wale Se th t l smala roun n altari e ld th sid an , e apartment, and covering graves outside, or lying on the ground, are twenty-four sculptured stones, seemingl e top th r ycovero s f tablo s e tombse Th . supports or pedestals, and the plinths of these have been freely appro- priate r heafood fo d an dt e stoneburyinth n i s g ground outsiden O . two of the stones set against the wall there are sculptured in high relief full lengt thirha figuresn o dfigura d feean e3 , t long, with sworde s th gir o t waists with belts. On the heads are helmets and on the shoulders and necks is chain mail. One of the two large figures has small figures on the pillow on each side of the head. The other figure has also a small figure on each side of the feet. Nine stones have cross-handled swords dow e centrea nearle stonnth s On ha ey. full length figur n clericai e l habit, with a canopy over head and in the left hand a pastoral staff or crosier. Several other stones have also figures; some have hunting scenes with deer, dogs, horses . e stoneSom&c th , completele f eo ar s y covered with ornamentthef o l me al th hav t f o bu ,e s i mor t i lessr d eo an , same characte e Oronsath n typr o o r s yea crossseveran O .the f o l m (one in particular which lies broken outside the building) it is of a superior clas f desigo s d workmanshi an ne cros th so e other t itselfth d o t psan . Several of the stones have inscriptions which might be read if some trouble were first take n cleanini n g awa e growtth y d diran ht which covers them. ANTIQUITIES OF THE ISLANDS OF COLONSAY AND ORANSAY. 115 The five arches hefore referred to, and several others in the building, seem to be of the same character of construction as those of Kirkapoll Tiree.1 The pointed arches figured by Pennant,2 but now gone, and some still remaining in other parts of the buildings, have been constructed by first pieceo settintw f pavemen o sp gu d thean tn building over them.3 Arche differenn si tGothie buildinge partth th f f o so c e pointesar d type, and several openings are covered with long stones. la the south-east corner of the chapel, and near the altar, is a recess e openinth , f whic8 incheo g1 s i h s squar goed an es bac k6 fee t through the wall into a buttress or construction on the outside. This hole open t widesou r afte t goei r s throug walle cavithe th th , y inside th e buttress measures 3 feet each way. It has been partly filled with bones from time out of memory, and is called the hole for the bones (Toll nam Cnamh).4 Bones which have bee e surfacn th turneo t e p havdu e always been collected into unabls thiwa s ascertaiI o holee t t bu , reasone nth r o , they ywh wer t buriedeno . Some bone srecessen i alsM'Neil e e oth li n si l enclosure and in a side chapel. The rats from the adjoining farm buildings have got a lodgment in the old buildings, and frequently bring bones to e surfacth e from their burrows e M'JSTeilTh . l burying-place consistf o s two enclosures on the east side of the buildings, partly outside and partly inside of them. vera attempn t A yno aesthetif o t c kin bees dha n mad preservo et e part of the old walls from coming down, but if some thing more was done in the way of pointing with good Portland cement it would preserve from a ver ruir yfo n e moslonth gf t o interestin time eon d ecclesiasticagol l structures. closd soute an th e f n hbesido O buildinge th e raised an , d about 4 feet 1 " Scotland in Early Christian Times," p. 66. 2 Pennant, vol. ii. p. 270. 3 The pieces of pavement which formed the pointed arches are found set up as head- stone graveso st . Macculloch record quantitsa unburieyof d bone graveyara sin Barradin , vol. iii. p. 44. See also "Burt's Letters," vol. ii. p. 109. 116 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F SO , FEBKUAR , 1881Y14 . abov e groun eth mas a f y masodso b n work, stand e Oransath s y cross.1 e masoTh n wor whicn ko e croshth s stands is covered by a slab 3 feet by 3 feet and 3 inches thick, and through au thi i hol t s ecu sla r solbo e plate, the end of the cross is let down into an de masofixeth n di n worke Th . shaft of the cross from the sole plate e extremth o t e point measure2 1 s feet 1 inch; the arms of the cross from point to point 3 feet 5| inches; the thicknes crose th 4s f i sf o inchese ;th diamete f tho re inches7 circl2 s i e . e breadtbase shafe Th th th et a tf ho 1 arm1 d e an sar inches p 0 i2 sto e th , inches broade crosTh s. facee du s e westh easd westtn sidan O tf .o e e n inscripcrose a shafth th s i f so t - tion in .Latin,2 and on the same side e bas oth r fsol o e e plat anothers ei , o linetw s n i whic fron ru hm sido et side. One north-westh . t cornef o r the sole or base plate is carved a sun dial pointee th , trianglr o r f whiceo h ia now removed, but had been set with lead.
Details
-
File Typepdf
-
Upload Time-
-
Content LanguagesEnglish
-
Upload UserAnonymous/Not logged-in
-
File Pages35 Page
-
File Size-