Note
Date March 2010
Event ID 1015210
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Note
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1015210
The source for McKinlay's notes (see previous entry) on this well is Martin, whose full description, published in 1703, is as follows:
'In the village on the south coast of this isle there is a well, called St Kathrine's Well, the natives have it in great esteem, and believe it to be a catholicon for diseases. They told me that it had been such ever since it was consecrated by one Father Hugh, a popish priest, in the following manner. He obliged all the inhabitants to come to this well, and then imploy'd them to bring together a great heap of stones at the head of the spring, by way of penance; this being done, he said mass at the well, and then consecrated it; he gave each of the inhabitants a piece of wax candle, which they lighted, and all of them made the dessil, of going round the well sunways, the priest leading them; and from that time it was accounted unlawful to boil any meat with the water of this well.
'The natives observe St Kathrine's anniversary, all of them come to the well, and having drunk a draught of it, they make the dessil round it sunways; this is always performed on the 15th day of April.'
MacPherson's note that St Catherine's Well was a mile to the W of Toper na Beanmha (NM48SE 19), which itself lay close to Cross Moraig (NM48SE 3), places it within the township of Grulin Iochdrach (NM48NW1), but its precise location is not known.
Information from RCAHMS (SDB) March 2010
Martin 1703 (1994 edn, 303)
MacPherson (1878)
McKinlay (1893)
