Luing, Kilchattan, Old Parish Church
Burial Ground (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Church (Medieval), Graffiti(S) (Medieval) - (18th Century)
Site Name Luing, Kilchattan, Old Parish Church
Classification Burial Ground (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Church (Medieval), Graffiti(S) (Medieval) - (18th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Kilchattan Kirk
Canmore ID 22552
Site Number NM70NW 2
NGR NM 74453 09092
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/22552
- Council Argyll And Bute
- Parish Kilbrandon And Kilchattan
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Argyll And Bute
- Former County Argyll
NM70NW 2 74453 09092
(NM 7445 0909) Chapel (NR) (remains of)
(Note: the siting symbol is erroneous).
OS 1:10,000 map, (1974)
The ruins of the old parish church of Kilchattan, Luing, stand within a burial ground. It was evidently a small building of oblong, unicameral plan measuring about 12.5 metres E-W by 5.3 metres transversely within walls varying in thickness from 0.9 to 1.2 metres, but due to the disappearance of the east wall the precise length of the church cannot now be established. The remaining three walls are practically complete. A gap in the masonry of the north wall evidently indicates the position of a doorway, while towards the east end of the building there are fragmentary remains of two small splayed windows more or less opposite to each other in the north and south walls.
The date of erection is not known but is probably 12th century. The church first comes on record in 1549 and probably remained in use until 1735 when the new church ( (M) 5) was erected at North Cuan. The dedication was evidently to St Cathan.
A number of outer facing stones bear crudely incised graffiti, probably of pre-Reformation date. The only identifiable funerary monument of a date earlier than 1707 is a recumbent slab within the church bearing the date 1680.
RCAHMS 1975, visited May 1970.
As described.
Surveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (DWR) 13 September 1971.
A gravestone survey which included the monumental inscriptions was undertaken at Kilchattan Kirkyard, by Luing History Group beginning in 2003. Essential checking of all the inscriptions was undertaken in 2005.
Zoe D. Fleming, 2007.
Field Visit (May 1970)
NM 744 090 Old Parish Church, Kilchattan, Luing.
The ruins of this church (Pl. 30B) stand within a burial-ground about 500 m NW of the village of Toberonochy. It was evidently a small building of oblong unicameral plan measuring about 12·5 m from E to W by 5·3 m transversely within walls varying in thickness from 0·9 m to 1·2 m (Fig. 131), but due to the disappearance of the E wall the precise length of the church cannot now be established. The remaining three walls are practically complete. The masonry is of roughly-coursed local rubble well bonded with pinnings, and the facework incorporates slate flagstones as well as numerous large split boulders. It is uncertain whether or not freestone dressings were employed, for none are now visible either in situ or amongst the surrounding debris, and the quoins that survive at the NW and SW angles are of slate. A gap in the masonry of the N wall evidently indicates the position of a doorway (Muir, 21), while towards the E end of the building there are fragmentary remains of two small splayed windows placed more or less opposite to each other in the N and S walls. A socket-hole, situated immediately to the W of the S window at a height of 1·2 m above the present floor-level, may represent the seating for a timber chancel-screen. The W gable is intaken by 0·2 m at the level of the main wall-head. Except that repairs have at some time been carried out to the lower part of the NW angle, the building appears to be of homogeneous construction.
The date of erection is not known, but the building corresponds in plan and overall dimensions to the 12th-century church at Killean, Kintyre (RCAHMS 1971 No. 287), and may tentatively be ascribed to the same period. This church served the parish of Kilchattan, a district which comprised the islands of Luing, Shuna and Torsa, together with a number of adjacent islets. The parish is now united to that of Kilbrandon, but the date of the union is not known (Orig. Par. ii, I, 100). The church first comes on record in 1549, and probably remained in use until 1735, when a new church was erected at North Cuan, Seil, to serve the united parish (Monro, 52). The dedication was evidently to St Cathan.
GRAFFITI
A number of the outer facing-stones of the church bear graffiti, lightly and crudely incised with a knife or other sharp-edged instrument. It seems likely that these graffiti are of pre-Reformation date, since the subjects represented include crosses and also galleys of the type found in the Western Isles in the late medieval period; many of them occur at heights in the wall which suggest that they are the work of children. The positions of the more interesting examples have been marked on the plan (Fig. 131, A-E); details are as follows:
(1) North Wall (A). Sketchy outlines of three ships (Fig. 132, Pl. 30c). All resemble medieval West Highland galleys in having centrally-stepped masts and high stems and sterns, while the figure-head of an animal (? a deer) on the stem- or stern-post of one vessel can be paralleled on late medieval tombstones at Iona (Drummond, Monuments, xvii, 2 and xvi, 2).
(2) West Wall (B). Slight indications of two vessels similar to those on stone A above.
(3) West Wall (C). A Greek cross with barred terminals.
(4) South Wall (D). An oblong figure with hatching at either end, subdivided by horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. Around this are other markings including zig-zag lines, a cross and a triangle (Fig. 133).
(5) South Wall (E). On a stone adjacent to the last are vague representations of the hulls and rigging of a number of ships similar to those on stone A, and three linear crosses (Fig. 134). One of the crosses has lozenge shaped figures at the junction and ends of the arms, and a cross-potent set salt ire-wise at the centre.
FUNERARY MONUMENTS
The only identifiable monument of a date earlier than 1707 (1) lies inside the church. Several interesting monuments of later date (2-5) are situated in the churchyard.
(1) A recumbent slab bearing the inscription HERE /LAYS / A M L / OF SVNA / I C 1680. This monument evidently commemorates Allan McLean of Shuna and his second wife, Isobel Campbell, who obtained a grant of the island of Shuna in liferent from Lord Neil Campbell in 1679. Both were described as still living in 1691 and the husband died about 1706 (S.R.O., Particular Register of Sasines (Argyll), RS 10/1, fol. 297V.; ibid., RS 10/2, fol. 305V.; Sinclair, A M, The
Clan Gillean (1899), 361.)
(2) A recumbent slab commemorating Archibald, son of Lachlan Campbell in Ardnamer, who died in 1788. This bears a crudely-incised carving of a boar's head erased, with the motto YOU MON FOLLOW ME.
(3) A large table-tomb (Pl. 30D) commemorating Hugh McDougall, who died at Danna in 1785, and his brother, John McDougall of Lunga, who died in 1809. The stone is carved with a shield bearing, for McDougall: quarterly, 1st and 4th, a lion rampant; 2nd and 3rd, a galley, sail furled, pennons flying. The crest is a dexter arm couped, holding a cross-crosslet.
(4) A headstone of slate (Pl. 30E), bearing pious verses in Gaelic and an English inscription commemorating Archibald McArthur, who died in 1826. In the pediment there is a crude relief-carving of two angels blowing trumpets, death with a spear, the sun, the crescent moon, and a marigold-emblem.
(5) A group of monuments near, or built into, the W wall of the churchyard commemorate Alexander Campbell, founder of a sect which claimed to revive the doctrines of the Covenanters, who died in 1829. A table tomb bears an inscription beginning: I PROTEST THAT NONE BE I BURIED AFTER ME IN THIS I GRAVE WHICH I HAVE DUG I FOR MYSELF AS JACOB DID I GEN[ESIS] L. 5. A rough boulder, with a lengthy inscription carved by Campbell himself, bears other texts of a similar nature, while two other stones built into the outer face of the churchyard wall bear inscriptions on the themes of judgment and the covenants (Several of these descriptions are given in Gillies, Netherlorn, 48-9)
RCAHMS 1975, visited May 1970.
