Archaeology Notes

Event ID 656970

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/656970

NF99SE 6 97005 91341

(NF 9700 9134) Chapel (NR) (Ruins of).

OS 6" map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1903)

A single-chambered chapel measuring 21' by 10' with walls about 2 3/4' thick. The masonry is of random rubble brought to courses and the walls remain to a height of 6 1/2'. Both gables are intaken. A high-level window and some corbelling at the west end suggest that there has been a gallery, while at the east end, part of the altar seating, a corbel or image bracket and two small aumbries remain. Both ends of the building are raised one step.

A broch was discovered by Simpson, in September 1965, underlying the chapel. The turf was stripped from the outer and inner faces to reveal the plan which gave a diameter of 54' over walls9' thick. The entrance was on the east.

RCAHMS 1928; D D A Simpson 1965.

Muir suggests that this chapel may be either St Rufus's Church or St Luke's Church mentioned by OPS (which quotes from MacLeod's list of the dedicated churches in Harris, all of which, according to MacLeod, were dependant upon St Clement's Church (NG08SW 7). Since the Rufus dedication probably refers to St. Mulruhha's Chapel on Berneray (NF98SW 8) only the dedication to St. Luke remains.

OSA 1794; Orig Paroch Scot 1854; T S Muir 1885.

A chapel, as described and planned by RCAHM. The dedication is not known locally. The broch appears to have been reduced to its base course, and Simpson's exploratory excavation has revealed the entrance, and inner and outer wall faces, giving an overall diameter of 16.6m with a wall thickness of 3.7m. No other details are exposed. Vague traces of settlement on this headland may be partly associated with the broch (but see also NF99SE 4).

Revised at 1/10,000.

Visited by OS (A A) 3 July 1969.