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Archaeology Notes
Event ID 818350
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/818350
NC22SW 5 centred 24933 21998
(NC 2491 2197) Church (NAT)
OS 6" map, Sutherland, 2nd ed., (1906).
For adjacent moated site ('enclosure'), see NC22SW 6.
The origin of Assynt church is locally ascribed to Angus Macleod, laird of Assynt between 1436 and 1443. The earliest record notice appears to be in 1455. The church stood at Kirktown, Balnaheglise or Achnahiglash, at the E end of Loch Assynt. Between 1780 and 1793 there remained of the original church a high arched vault, the burial place of the Macleods of Assynt, with an apartment above it, supposed to be a place for private devotion. The upper apartment was removed before 1793; the vault, bearing no features of architectural interest, and the cemetery remain. A new church was built in the mid 18th century, and the present church at the end of the 18th century, both outside the old graveyard.
Orig Paroch Scot 1855.
The vault stands in the graveyard SE of the church, and is as described above. It is now empty and can be entered through the doorway in the N side The present church is still in normal use.
Visited by OS (G H P) 23 May 1962.
The vault and present church are as described by the previous authorities except that the vault is no longer accessible.
Visited by OS (J B) 12 August 1980.
MacLeod Vault scheduled.
Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 8 November 1999.
NC 2493 2199. Two fragments of an Early Historic stone cross were found in Inchnadamph churchyard. Part of the head of a large free-standing cross, along with a small fragment of another arm, both of grey-green metabasic rock. The large fragment is 0.89m long by 0.54m across the end of the arm and 0.36m across the constriction. The smaller fragment is 0.31 x 0.28m and 40mm thick, and appears to be one corner of the end of a cross-arm, broken obliquely. Both pieces have a bevelled incised margin running around the edge.
Museum Accession No: INVMG 2001.048.001-002.
P Weeks 2001.
