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Mull, Glen Aros, Cill An Ailein

Burial Ground (Period Unassigned), Chapel (Period Unassigned), Cross Slab (Early Medieval)

Site Name Mull, Glen Aros, Cill An Ailein

Classification Burial Ground (Period Unassigned), Chapel (Period Unassigned), Cross Slab (Early Medieval)

Alternative Name(s) Cill An Ailean

Canmore ID 22264

Site Number NM54NW 2

NGR NM 5456 4555

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/22264

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Argyll And Bute
  • Parish Kilninian And Kilmore
  • Former Region Strathclyde
  • Former District Argyll And Bute
  • Former County Argyll

Archaeology Notes

NM54NW 2 5456 4555

Cille an Ailein (NR) Chapel (NR) (In Ruins)

OS 6" map, Argyllshire, 2nd ed., (1900)

(NM 5456 4555) Chapel (NR) (remains of)

OS 1:10,000 map, (1976).

When seen in 1972, the remains of this chapel and burial ground were in a similar condition to that described by the RCAHMS.

Visited by OS (R D) 4 May 1972.

Chapel and Burial-ground, Cill an Ailein: This site occupies a large clearing in a Forestry Commission plantation on the N slope of Glen Aros, some 1.8km WNW of Aros Castle. It comprises an irregular enclosure measuring some 60m from N to S, bounded by a dry-stone wall of 19th- century date, within which the outline of a medieval chapel and at least four private burial-enclosures can be identified.

The chapel measures 11.1m from E to W by 5.2m transversely within walls 1.0m thick which survive to a maximum height of about 0.9m. A break towards the W end of the S wall indicates the probable position of the entrance-doorway. Two carved sandstone fragments were found in the burial ground; they evidently belonged to a door or window of the chapel, which may be ascribed to the 13th century.

Within the chapel there is a 14th - 15th century graveslab (described by the RCAHMS, who also describe a number of other funerary monuments, dating from the 14th to the 18th century, in the burial ground).

RCAHMS 1980.

Activities

Field Visit (26 July 1942)

This site was recorded as part of the RCAHMS Emergency Survey, undertaken by Angus Graham and Vere Gordon Childe during World War 2. The project archive has been catalogued during 2013-2014 and the material, which includes notebooks, manuscripts, typescripts, plans and photographs, is now available online.

Information from RCAHMS (GF Geddes) 4 December 2014.

Publication Account (2009)

The website text produced for Cill an Ailean webpages on the Forest Heritage Scotland website (www.forestheritagescotland.com).

Introduction: A beautiful resting place

Cill an Ailean means the Chapel of the Beautiful Place. The remains of this ancient chapel and burial ground are located on the slopes of Glen Aros, on the island of Mull.

A 19th century dry-stone wall encircles the burial ground, but the remains within date back to medieval times. The oldest surviving remains belong to the chapel. Its rectangular outline is still visible today. Carved sandstone fragments of part of the window or door are datable by their design to the 13th century.

The name Cill an Ailean, however, suggests an even older age for the chapel grounds. The Gaelic pre-fix "Cill" is old and could date it back to before 800 A.D. However, there is no written or archaeological evidence to prove this as yet.

Historians think that the chapel was originally dedicated to the Irish St Fillan, believed to have miraculous healing powers.

There are many tombstones surviving within the graveyard. One of the oldest is a two metre long stone slab laid flat within the old walls of the chapel. Designs carved into the stone include a cross and a sword. These date it to the 14th or 15th century.

There are many upstanding headstones with different designs and inscriptions. Most date to the 18th and 19th centuries. The last burial recorded on a tombstone is Catherine MacLean in 1925.

Evidence Story: The value of graveyards as a record of the past

Graveyards provide important evidence about people and their community. Many graveyards are under threat from natural erosion. It is important that we keep a record and protect these places for future generations.

The gravestone can provide information about individuals buried in the graveyard. Between 1990 and 2003 ["The Cemetarii", a group of locals on Mull, recorded the gravestone inscriptions at Cill an Ailean.

These inscriptions name individuals, for example Alex McPhail, who died on 29th November 1885. The surnames on the gravestones represent some of the oldest family names on the island, including MacLean, McPherson and Campbell.

During the 18th century, it was fashionable to have symbols carved into the stone, often uniquely designed for the person buried there. This included symbols representing death, like a skull, and symbols representing the afterlife, including angels.

Symbols could also represent a person's job or trade. On the back of Donald McAlam's gravestone is an elegant high-heeled shoe and hammer. He was a shoemaker who died in 1742.

The recording of a graveyard can provide an important historical record, particularly if it is under threat of destruction. Each graveyard will have its own story to tell. "Recording and Analysing Graveyards" by Harold Mytum (2000) and "Understanding Scottish Graveyards" by Betty Wilsher (2005) are excellent guidebooks to undertaking a churchyard project.

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