Lewis, Little Bernera, Teampull Bhearnaraidh Bheag

NB14SE 5 1505 4073

(NB 1505 4073) Graveyard (NAT)

OS 6" map, Caithness, 2nd ed., (1905)

'Teampull Bhearnaraidh Bheag' is an enclosed graveyard on a small sandy hill, in which there is neither vaults, tombs or head stones except one small enclosure on the east side of it about 3 feet high ... Tradition says that there has been a Catholic chapel in this place but there is no trace of it now (Name Book 1850). Here and there stone-built cells which formed the places of sepulchure are laid bare owing to the sandy nature of the soil (see Official Guide to Stornoway 1932). Martin mentions two churches on Little Bernera - "St. Dondan's"(Donnans [A B Scott 1932; W D Simpson 1935] 7) and St Michael's, of one of which this is presumably the site; possibly of both since this appears to be the only burial ground on the island. The dedication to St. Donnan, and the occurence of the name "Pabanish", possibly 'Pabba' - priest, 'nish'-ness, nearby suggest that this may be an early site.

Name Book 1850; A B Scott 1906; A B Scott 1918; W J Watson 1926; Official Guide to Stornoway 1932; M Martin 1934; W D Simpson 1935.

At NB 1505 4070 at the higher, S, end of the now disused graveyard, are the turf-covered footings of a chapel orientated E-W and measuring approximately 6.3m by 3.2m internally. Only the inner face is occasionally visible, and no structural details survive.

Some 30.0m to the NE on a low headland outside the grave-yard are the amorphous footings of an indeterminate structure, possibly the other of the two chapels mentioned by Martin. The graveyard, now being eroded, is full of graves, most of which are marked by head and foot stones.

Chapel surveyed at 1/10,560.

Visited by OS (N K B), 22 June 1969.

This chapel site was included in a research project to identify the chapel sites of Lewis and surrounding islands. The Lewis Coastal Chapel-sites survey recorded 37 such sites. On this site two chapel remains were recorded, namely Teampall Dhonain and Teampall Mhicheil.

R Barrowman 2005.