General view looking towards church.

Description General view looking towards church.

Date 20/9/1897

Collection Papers of Erskine Beveridge, antiquarian, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Catalogue Number SC 747048

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of IN 930

Scope and Content Teampull na Trionaid and Teampull Clann a' Phiocair (Church of the Trinity & Church of Clan MacVicar), Carinish, North Uist, Western Isles The ruins of two adjoining chapels dating from the early 13th century, Teampull na Trionaid and Teampull Clann a' Phiocair (Church of the Trinity & Church of Clan MacVicar), stand on a grassy knoll on the Carinish peninsula in the south-west of the island. The twin chapels, which constitute one of the most interesting ecclesiastical sites in North Uist, were photographed c.1897 by the Victorian photographer and archaeologist, Erskine Beveridge. The two chapels lie 1.5m apart, connected by a passage. Teampull na Trionaid (left) has walls of flat, undressed stones, with a lofty north wall (right) containing a plain round-headed doorway which leads through a vaulted passage to the adjoining smaller Teampull Clann a' Phiocair (right). This second chapel is constructed of water-worn stones interspersed with numerous thin, small slabs, and retains its gables and south walls, although little of its north wall remains. Both buildings contain burials within their walls, and there is a small graveyard to the south (left) which was still in use when the photograph was taken. The Gaelic word 'Teampull' is uncommon in use, and possibly implies a stone-built church in contrast to one constructed of wood. Teampull na Trionaid was originally built in wood, probably around the time of St Columba, the 6th-century Irish abbot and missionary who brought Christianity to Scotland. The chapel was rebuilt in stone in the early 13th century, and was finally reconstructed during the 16th century into its present form. Teampull Clann a' Phiocair, although also dating from the early 13th century, has no recorded history. It shows no evidence of reconstruction, and probably remains very much as it was when first erected. Its name was most likely acquired in post-Reformation times. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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