Mingulay, Crois An T-suidheachain

Stone Setting, Crois an t-Suidheachain, Mingulay.

On a rocky plateau standing about 20 feet above sea-level above the south-western corner of Mingulay Bay are three different stone foundations known as Crois an t-Suidheachain, where open-air mass is said to have been celebrated. The central structure, which is rectangular, measures 9 feet 9 inches from east to west internally and 8 feet 3 inches across. Some 5 feet 6 inches to the north is a similar stone setting, measuring 6 feet in length by 3 feet 8 inches in breadth internally. A slab set on end crosswise-divides the structure, so that the western compartment is only 4 feet in length. This setting resembles a short cist. About 9 feet to the south-east of the central building is a sub-oval foundation measuring some 4 feet across. At its north-eastern end is a block of stone 1 foot 10 inches broad, 1 foot 6 inches thick, and 1 foot 10 inches high. All the other stones rise only a few inches above ground. See Muir's Ecclesiological Notes, pp. 54, 257.

RCAHMS 1928, visited 10 June 1915.

OS map: Barra lxx.

Crois T-Suidheachain was visited by the Schools Hebridean Society in 1971. They carried out a small amount of archaeological work. The OS asked them to check the location of the site and compare it with their records. The site was not found to be in the exact location given and a potential site nearby had discrepancies. A resistivity test conducted was inconclusive.

A MacLean Philips 1972

At the S end of the bay an ancient site called Crois an t-Suidheachan (the cross of the sitting place) survives as scattered stones: tradition holds it variously to have been a cross-site or a small religious establishment. Martin Martin (1695) records a site of worship in the form of a stone dedicated to St Christopher, which may be significant given the proximity of this site to the best landing place. Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 24 April 1997.

On a grassy terrace to the S of the trackway at Aneir there are three platforms, which may be the sites of small buildings. Four structures are depicted here on the first edition OS 6-inch map and are annotated Crois An T-Suidheachain (Outer Hebrides 1880, sheet lxx), but it is difficult to correlate any of them with the three platforms, which are roughly arranged around three sides of an open space or yard. The platforms measure roughly 5m in length by 2.7m in breadth and are set into the slope on the W by as much as 0.4m, but display almost no lip at the front, or downslope side. Occasional stones on the edges of the platforms may be footers for a wall. This site has been described by Buxton (1981) and latterly by Branigan and Foster (2000).

MING03 274-275

Visited by RCAHMS (PJD) 26 June 2003