Field Visit

Date May 1981

Event ID 1169366

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1169366

These remains occupy two small islands at the NE end of Loch Finlaggan, a secluded inland loch about 2km in length, situated some 4.5km from Port Askaig at a height of about 50m OD. The larger of the two islands, Eilean Mor, measures about 180m from NE to SW by about 75m transversely, while the smaller, Eilean na Comhairle [Canmore ID 37691], is roughly circular, measuring about 30m in diameter.

Extensive traces of buildings are visible on both islands, but with the exception of two relatively well-preserved structures on Eilean Mor, the remains are reduced in height to the lowest courses of their walls, and identification and analysis are difficult by the profuse growth of vegetation that now covers them.

EILEAN MOR ('great isle'). The N tip of the Eilean Mor is separated from the mainland by a narrow reed-grown channel of shallow water. There is no trace of an early causeway at this point, but about 33m to the SW a rough line of large boulders, some 2m in width, can be seen projecting northwards from the NW shore of the island immediately below the surface of the loch. This may be the remains of a causeway. Access to the island may usually have been obtained by boat, however, for a small jetty, roughly constructed of large boulders, runs into the loch from the NW shore of the island about 55m NE of its southern extremity. Pennant and other later writers noted the existence on the mainland shore of a pier, 'and on a stone is cut, A.II. or Aeneas (Angus) the second, one of the lords of the isles, in whose reign it was founded'. There are now no traces of this pier or of the houses of the MacDonald guards that are supposed to have stood thereabouts.

From the jetty a path rises in an easterly direction towards a large, rectangular building (A on Fig.) which appears to be the nucleus of the complex of structures that occupies the SW portion of the island. This building measures 18.6m from NE to SW by 8.8m transversely over walls about 1m in thickness; the masonry is bonded in lime mortar and there is some evidence of the use of yellow sandstone dressings. A stone partition wall, 0.6m in thickness, traverses the building towards its NE end, and incorporates two rebated doorways giving access from the greater room to the lesser; the principal entrance-doorway appears to have been situated in the SE wall a little to the SW of this partition. The plan of this building suggests that it was a hall, with a service area at its NE end.

From the SE wall of the hall, but apparently having no direct communication with it, there projects a small rectangular building (B) measuring about 7.6m by 5.5m over all, and having traces of two doorways placed opposite to each other in the side-walls. To the E of building B and running parallel to it there is a relatively well-preserved two-storeyed building (C) whose gable-walls still rise almost their full heights. This measures 7.3m by 6.4m over walls 0.8m in thickness; the masonry, which is of roughly-coursed rubble laid in lime mortar, embodies a number of square putlog-holes in the upper portions of the gable-walls. The steep gable-copings evidently incorporated a number of stones set at right angles to the rake. There is evidence of a doorway and of a window at ground-floor level in the SW wall, while at the same level the NW gable incorporates a service-hatch or low window directly facing the presumed site of the hall doorway. The splayed jambs of this opening are rebated for a frame behind which there is provision for a sliding bar, and the embrasure has a segmental-headed relieving arch. To the NE of this window there is a small aumbry, and there is another in the SE wall. On the upper floor there is a window in the SE gable having provision for a shutter secured by a sliding draw-bar. Its external surround incorporates fragments of red sandstone, these fragments were probably reused from an earlier building. About 0.7m above the lintel of this window there is an external intake-course. There is another small window high up in the NW gable, its lintel coinciding with an internal intake-course which does not correspond in height to the one in the opposite wall. There is evidence neither of a fireplace nor a stair, and access to the upper floor was probably obtained by means of a ladder. The functions of this building and of the neighbouring structures (B) are uncertain, but their proximity to the hall (A) suggests that they were utilised for service purposes.

To the NE of building C there are the remains of what appears to have been a passageway (D), beyond which there are two contiguous subrectangular buildings (E, F) of which the larger (F) seems to have had opposed entrance-doorways in the side-walls; to the E there is a small horseshoe-shaped enclosure (F1). Building E appears to be of later date than building F. Immediately to the N of these two buildings there is a terrace which incorporates a small stone-lined depression (G), perhaps a well. The terrace continues eastwards towards a pair of poorly preserved buildings (H, J), of which the former, at least, comprised two rooms.

On the N side of the hall, and immediately to the E of the jetty, there are traces of another two subrectangular buildings. The larger (K) measures 11.9m from NE to SW by 7m transversely over all and comprises a single room, while the smaller (L), which runs at right angles to it, evidently comrpised two rooms. To the SW of the hall there is another pair of buildings (M, N), linked together by a short stretch of wall; the larger one (M), which has markedly rounded internal corners, has a wing or annexe on its NW side.

Beyond building M, and occupying the SW extremity of the island, there is a rectangular building (P) measuring 11.5m from NE to SW by 6.8m transversely over walls about 0.7m in thickness; the masonry is of rubble lime mortar. The building appears to have comprised two rooms of similar size entered from central passage to which access was gained from an entrance-doorway in the SE wall. Close to the W corner of the building a wall projects NW towards the loch, to form the SW termination of a rough terrace or revetment which runs parallel and adjacent to the NW wall of the main structure. In view both of its position and of its superior construction it is possible that building P, together with its neighbours M and N, constituted the residential quarters of the MacDonald Lords of the Isles.

[For a description of building Q, the chapel, with R and S see Canmore ID 37707]

Three more buildings (T-V) lie to the NE of the chapel. Building T, which is oval on plan, had an entrance in its N wall, while building U, which is round-ended, evidently comprised two rooms. From the poorly preserved remains of building V a dyke runs eastwards to the loch shore, thence turning to the NW to traverse the N portion of the island, before returning southwards and eastwards to join building S. Within the large enclosure thus formed there may be seen two groups of rigs, the larger group running from NW to SE and the smaller, separated from the first group by a narrow drainage-channel, from SW to NE. During the occupation of the island this enclosure may have served as a garden, but latterly it appears to have been utilised for arable cultivation.

In the E corner of the enclosure there is another smaller enclosure (W) having an entrance in its NW side, beyond which there are traces of a small building (X). Close to the SW corner of the main enclosure there is a subrectangular building (Y), having a horseshoe-shaped platform or enclosure (Y1) open on its S side; the relationship of this building and its platform to the enclosure dyke suggests that the building antedates the dyke. About 13m to the NE of building (Y) there is a reed-grown depression (Z) measuring about 2.7m square which may have been a well.

The present condition of the existing remains precludes close dating, but it is probable that most of the buildings described above, including the hall belong to the late medieval period.

[p.281 col.2] The status of the domestic buildings on the site after the forfeiture of the Lordship is uncertain. In 1541 Finlaggan and two neighbouring properties were held from the Crown by Donald McIllaspy, probably a member of a well-established local family, but it is not clear from Munro's account of 1549 whether the buildings were occupied, and when Martin visited the site at the end of the following century they were ruinous. Later writers offer little additional descriptive information, and their accounts have recently been summarised by R W Munro, who provides the most complete modern history of the site.

See RCAHMS 1984, 275-281, No. 404, for a the full description including endnotes and historical note.

RCAHMS 1984, visited May 1981.