Reference
Date 2001
Event ID 930540
Category Documentary Reference
Type Reference
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/930540
The medieval parish church occupied the centre of a natural amphitheatre some 350m NW of the harbour, bounded on the S by a rocky ridge and on the N by steep hill-slopes. Until about 1850 this was also the principal area of farming settlement on the island (i), and there are no visible early remains except for the free-standing cross (no.12), which may mark the position of an Early Christian monastery. The footings of the church were identified by excavation in 1994, about 10m W of the cross (ii). Some 100m to the SSW, on the W slope of the rocky ridge, there is a small rectangular burial-ground bounded by a stone wall of late 19th-century date (iii). A knoll situated 60m W of the cross is surmounted by a wedge-shaped standing stone of uncertain age.
The burial-ground contains five early stones (nos.1, 4, 6, 7, 10) and a crudely-carved graveslab of late 16th or early 17th-century type (iv). Other carved stones which were found in this burial-ground or in nearby field-walls have been removed for safe-keeping to Canna House (v).
(1) Burial-ground. NG20NE 1.01 Slab of Torridonian sandstone
(2) Canna House. NG20NE 1.02 Upper part of a small pillar of orange/buff silicious flagstonegrooves.
(3) Canna House, (NG20NE 1.03) found on the shore near Tarbert (NG c.240 053) (vi) Fragment of a small pillar of Torridonian sandstone.
(4) Burial-ground. (NG20NE 1.04) Upright gravemarker.
(5) Canna House. (NG20NE 1.05) Small pillar of buff Torridonian sandstone.
(6) Burial-ground. (NG20NE 1.06) Waterworn pillar of Torridonian sandstone.
(7) Burial-ground. (NG20NE 1.07) Pillar of Torridonian flagstone.
(8) Found during ploughing at A' Chill in 1947; now at Canna House. ( (NG20NE 1.08) Slab of buff Torridonian flagstone.
(9) Canna House. (NG20NE 1.09) Slab of grey Torridonian flagstone.
(10) Burial-ground. Slab of Torridonian sandstone (NG20NE 1.10).
(11) Canna House. Rough boulder of basalt (NG20NE 1.11).
(12) THE CANNA CROSS - see NG20NE 2.
(13) Two fragments of a cross-shaft were discovered in the wall of the burial-ground (NG20NE 1.12).
I Fisher 2001.
