Archaeology Notes
Date - 1974
Event ID 659642
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/659642
NG74NW 1 7135 4583
See also NG74NW 3.
(NG 7135 4583) The monastery established by St Maelrubha at Applecross in 673 survived in 1963 (A C Thomas 1971) as an oval enclosure, almost ploughed out; and a low mound known as Claodh Maree was alleged to contain St Maelrubha's grave. The topography suggests that the modern church, built in 1817 partly on the site of an older church extant until 1792, occupies the site of the actual monastery.
Reeves (W Reeves 1862) mentions a low nearly circular embankment, about 30' diameter internally, south of the cross (NG74NW 2) and on the opposite side of the road. It was said to be venerated and to contain human remains. Embankments near the river in the meadow below the church, were alleged to be connected with the Abbot's Mill; and a mound a short distance NE of the east boundary of the churchyard was said to have been used as an altar. He also mentions the alleged remains of St Maelrubha's tomb consisting of red granite fragments, some lying about the churchyard and others built into the manse. The sanctuary of the monastery is said to have extended for six miles.
Orig Paroch Scot 1855; W Reeves 1862; A C Thomas 1971; Information from A C Thomas to OS 26 October 1966.
There is now no trace of the oval vallum recorded by Thomas (A C Thomas 1971). MacRae (K MacRae, 42 Denny, Inverness) is an obervant and reliable informant whose great grandfather supplied Reeves with his information and he states there never was anything ancient visible outwith the modern graveyard, except a pool, now drained, S of the old manse which was known as the "Pool of the Coracles".
The N arc of the circular embankment noted by Reeves (D Reeves 1862) survives in the S corner of the modern graveyard and is shown on Thomas' plan (A C Thomas 1971). It is a curving turf-covered bank 3.0m wide, 0.5m high and c. 16.0m long, which isolates an area where there is only one recent gravestone. The area enclosed must have exceeded 30ft but there is now no trace of the remainder outside the graveyard. According to MacRae this area was not venerated as stated by Reeves (W Reeves 1862), indeed the opposite as a suicide was once buried in the enclosure.
According to MacRae (K MacRae) the whole area between the east gable of the chapel (NG74NW 3) and the graveyard wall is known as Claodh Maree and there have never been burials in this traditionally venerated area. He is uncertain of the origin of the two small pillars which occur here at distances of 11.5 and 13.5m from the gable. It was in this area (some 4 to 5 yds from the gable) where he found a long cist in 1934 which he believes was Maelrubha's grave. At that time there were visible traces of three walls of a building some 10 ft wide, whose W end he believes was overlaid by the chapel. He thought it represented an oratory. He estimated where the altar would be at the E end and dug at its right side. At a depth of about 12 inches he found a rough flagged floor and some 18 inches below this was a slab which when lifted proved to be the cap of a long cist. The slab lined cist was bottomed with loose gravel amongst which were pieces of charcoal and calcined human bones and also an artifact of 'yellow metal' probably bronze which Callander identified as a ring brooch with a bent pin though MacRae still maintains it was more like a link of an ornamental chain. It was made of 'thin yellow wire' and seemed precisely bent. Each end had an ornament of three grooves and was blunt, not pointed as a pin would be. The cist was carefully re-covered.
MacRae (K Macrae) says that in the area immediately SW of Cloadh Maree where the most northerly of the modern graves occur, several similar, but not so well constructed, stone cists have been found over the years. One which he uncovered about 2ft down, was constructed above another at a lower level. It was in this same locality that from time to time he found five sculptured cross fragments which were preserved in the modern church, although only two of them are there now. A third preserved there, the largest of three, was discovered built into the wall of the chapel. All the fragments seemed to be from different crosses.
There is no trace of the pre-1817 church, but MacRae (K MacRae) knows the tradition of its site under or beside the modern church. He knows nothing of the mound NE of the E boundary of the graveyard, nor of the embankments near the river. None of the alleged fragments of the Saints' tomb were noted at the old manse which is now a farm-house.
Visited by OS (A A) 31 May 1974.
D Reeves 1862; A C Thomas 1971.
