31341: ST MACRA’S CHURCH, KIRKIBOST, LEWIS – CHURCH (Undated)

Summary:

CHURCH (Undated)
Church

Location:

NB 19134 34626

Full description:

NB13SE 3 1912 3461.

(NB 1912 3461) The remains of a church of late date lie near the shore on the east side of Great Bernera, east of the township of Kirkibost and about 300 yards north of Portmore.
It is orientated a little north of east and south of west, measuring 56′ by 15′ 10" internally, with walls 2’3" thick standing to an average height of 6′. There are no windows in the north wall or gable, and the door and windows, of which there were probably four, have been in the south wall.
M Martin (1934) mentions the church of ‘St. Macrel in Kirkibost’, which may refer to this site. OPS (1854) makes this a dedication to ‘Saint Macra the Virgin’, though on what evidence is not stated.
RCAHMS 1928, visited 1914; M Martin 1934; Orig Paroch Scot 1854.

The remains of a church as described by the RCAHMS. There is no trace of a graveyard, and no local knowledge regarding its date or dedication, though it is believed to have fallen into disuse in the mid-19th century.
Visited by OS (N K B) 22 June 1969.

‘The monument…comprises the remains of a Late Mediaeval church dedicated to St Macra or Macrel. It is situated near the shore overlooking East Loch Roag. It is a simple rectangular building orientated a little N of E. The masonry is of roughly hewn stone with pinnings bonded with shell and lime mortar. Its internal measurements are 17.3m by 4.9m within walls 0.7m thick and 1.8m high. Much of the N wall has been repaired in a make-shift way. A stretch of walling in the mid part of the S wall has fallen. There are the remains of three windows and an entrance (now blocked) in the S wall. The W gable has one window. There are no internal architectural details. Parallel to the N wall of the church, and 1.4m away, is a feature consisting of a raised rectangular mound set with several large embedded boulders. There is no graveyard in evidence. The area to be scheduled is rectangular and measures a maximum of 30m E-W by 20m N-S, to include both the church and the raised platform.’
HS Scheduling Document 13 January 1992.

References:

Origines parochiales Scotiae: the antiquities ecclesiastical and territorial of the parishes of Scotland, Publisher: Bannatyne Club, Origines Parochiales Scotiae. Part No 2. 386
Martin Martin. 1695. A description of the Western Islands of Scotland circa 1695, Editor: Macleod, D J (ed,), Publisher: Eneas Mackay, A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland c. 1695. 106
RCAHMCS. 1928. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Ninth report with inventory of monuments and constructions in the Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles, Publisher: HMSO The RCAHMS 9th Report and Inventory: Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles. 18 No. 65

Acknowledgement:

Information provided by Western Isles Council Sites & Monuments Record, January 2006.

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