Field Visit
Date May 1984
Event ID 1082710
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1082710
This small island is situated about 50m from the E shore of a remote loch at a height of 250m OD. Although surrounded by hills, it enjoys convenient access to the former township of Grianaig at the head of Gleann Domhain. The island measures about 17m from NE to SW and varies in width from12m in the NE half to 16m at the SW end. Its perimeter is revetted with boulders of medium size, and the surface rises to 1.5m above the normal level of the loch. A ridge of rock rises above water-level some 50m to the S, and the island was probably raised artificially on a continuation of the same ridge; indeed, some bedrock is visible at the S angle.
A transverse passage extending NNW from a small boat-inlet separates two subrectangular buildings (A, B on fig.) whose drystone walls stand in places to a height of 1m. They measure respectively 10.8m and 8.4m from NNW to SSE by 5.6m and 4.9m transversely, and the smaller (B) has an annexe attached to its SSE end-wall, while the inner face of the NNW end of its ENE wall is cut back to form a possible bed-recess.
Although few features are visible because of the growth of thick grass, these remains appear to be of late-medieval or 16th-century type, and a residence on 'L(och) Kendaif' is shown on Pont's map of Lorn, based on a survey of late 16th century date (en.1). No other documentary references to the site have been identified, but it was probably attached to the township of Grianaig, which from the 14th to the early 17th century belonged to the Maclver Campbells of Lergychonie and Asknish (en.2). A 19th-century tradition affirmed that it was used as a refuge by the Campbells of Asknish during Alasdair MacDonald's campaigns in Argyll in the 1640 (en.3).
RCAHMS 1992, visited May 1984
