Pricing Change
New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered.
Eilean Fhianain No. 5
Grave Slab(S) (Medieval)
Site Name Eilean Fhianain No. 5
Classification Grave Slab(S) (Medieval)
Alternative Name(s) Sword
Canmore ID 355509
Site Number NM76NE 1.06
NGR NM 75209 68277
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/355509
- Council Highland
- Parish Arisaig And Moidart
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Lochaber
- Former County Inverness-shire
Field Visit (23 March 2017)
This badly eroded tapered slab, which measures 1.75m in length by 0.47m in breadth at the wider head end, is set in the ground adjacent to the inner face of the S wall of the chapel. Within a border of three roll mouldings, the upper part comprises a panel of four foliaceous scrolls. Beneath this there is a sword with angled quillons flanked by at least one animal and further foliaceous scrolls.
This sword slab, and another not identified, were briefly mentioned by White in his description of Eilean Fhianain (1874, 638-9), and by Charles Macdonald in his late 19th century local history (2011 edn. 48). Macdonald suggested that it marked the burial place of John of Moidart (d.1584), 8th Chief of Clanranald, although another source suggests John was buried at Howmore in South Uist (Macdonald and Macdonald 1900, 288). Other candidates include Allan, 9th of Clanranald (d.1593), who is recorded as having been buried at Eilean Fhianain (Macdonald and Macdonald 1904, 231).
A smaller fragment of late medieval grave slab bearing a beaded ornament along its edge is now located under the altar.
Visited by HES, Survey and Recording (ATW, GG) 23 March 2017.
