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Ellary, Cladh A' Bhile

Burial Ground (Medieval), Well (Period Unknown), Ingot Mould, Rotary Quern(S)

Site Name Ellary, Cladh A' Bhile

Classification Burial Ground (Medieval), Well (Period Unknown), Ingot Mould, Rotary Quern(S)

Canmore ID 39051

Site Number NR77NW 4

NGR NR 7333 7560

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/39051

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Digital Images


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Administrative Areas

  • Council Argyll And Bute
  • Parish South Knapdale
  • Former Region Strathclyde
  • Former District Argyll And Bute
  • Former County Argyll

Activities

Field Visit (24 September 1942)

This site was included within the RCAHMS Emergency Survey (1942-3), an unpublished rescue project. Site descriptions, organised by county, vary from short notes to lengthy and full descriptions and are available to view online with contemporary sketches and photographs. The original typescripts, manuscripts, notebooks and photographs can also be consulted in the RCAHMS Search Room.

Information from RCAHMS (GFG) 10 December 2014.

Field Visit (18 June 1973)

This burial ground is enclosed by a modern dry-stone wall and no earlier enclosing bank is visible.

In the interior are about twenty erect crosses and cross slabs, the majority as illustrated. Other cross slabs, a saddle quern, rotary querns, rock basins and other miscellaneous sculptured stones have been placed on and around two possible coffin-rests.

Apart from some recent memorial stones, the burial ground is disused. It is known as Cladh a' Bhile (information from Mr Rogers, Ellery).

Visited by OS (DWR) 18 June 1973.

Desk Based Assessment (1973)

NR77NW 4 7333 7560.

(NR 7334 7562) Cladh Mhic a' Bhile (NR)

OS 6" map, Argyllshire, 2nd ed., (1924)

Cladh a' Bhile: Oval enclosure overlaid by later wall; cross on massive outcrop block at NW. At least 33 erect markers and early crosses can now be seen, the ground having been carefully cleared by the proprietor.

A large block of stone near the gate, possibly a coffin-rest, has a saddle-quern or stone basin lying on it, and the walls are lined with mill-and rotary quern stones.

Part of this site is still in use as a family burial ground.

Information from OS.

M Campbell and M Sandeman 1964; W Galloway 1878.

Field Visit (26 July 1977)

No change to the report of 18 June 1973.

Visited by OS (BS) 26 January 1977.

Measured Survey (15 May 1985)

RCAHMS surveyed Ellary, Cladh A Bhile, burial ground on 15 May 1985 with plane-table and alidade producing a site plan at a scale of 1:200. The plan was redrawn in ink and published at a scale of 1:500 (RCAHMS 1992, 54A).

Field Visit (May 1987)

This burial-ground is situated 550m sw of Ellary House, on the NW slope of a steep-sided valley which descends to the shore of Loch Caolisport 400m to the S. When visited by White about 1869, it was in an 'almost inaccessible bog' surrounded by birch-woods, and it is now enclosed by mature ornamental planting, and a conifer plantation to the SW. The site was cleared and enclosed by the proprietor of the Ellary estate in the 1870s, and an approach-track lined with quartz pebbles was formed, as well as banks to channel water into a small stream on the SE (en.1*). At least some of the carved stones identified at that time were set upright, and further investigations were made by Miss Campbell of Kilberry an dDr C J Young about 1960, when many stones were fixed upright in the positions where they had been located (en.2).

White thought that the site was 'without enclosure of any kind', but Galloway in 1875 described 'a thickly-strewn belt of stones' about 1.8m broad, defining a quadrangular area about 36m by 24m, and the existing drystone wall was probably constructed from this material soon after his visit (en.3). At the NE end, where its width narrows to about 16m, the enclosure has rounded angles, but at the W corner, which was used for a family burial-ground, the angle is square, although the adjacent wall to the SE stands on massive footings of early character. The main entrance is at the centre of the SE wall, at the head of the track, with a smaller opening in the SW wall, but it is not obvious whether these were original features.

The greater part of the enclosure contains nearly 30 cross-marked stones, almost all upright slabs or pillars, including one of outstanding size and quality. The group is remarkable for the almost total absence of ringed crosses, and probably belongs to the 7th and 8th centuries (see Introduction), but its context is very uncertain, and any buildings would at that period have been of timber. The W third of the site does not contain any early stones, although its upper part is occupied by five Fox-Tarrat family memorials ranging from 1883 to1917 in date.

The site was not indicated on an estate-map of 1831, and White in 1869 recorded a tradition of burial, but not within living memory (en.4). No dedication is associated with the site, but Cladh a' Bhile means 'burial-ground of the sacred tree' and the noun bile, 'a sacred tree', is found in several ecclesiastical place-names in Ireland (en.5).

WELL. A spring, lintelled and lined with drystone masonry, is situated on the hillside 35m SW of the SW angle of the burial-ground.

RCAHMS 1992, visited May 1987

[see RCAHMS 1992, No. 20, for a full description of the 29 carved stones]

Reference (2001)

Burial-ground with irregular quadrangular enclosure-wall, rebuilt in late 19th century. There are at least twelve complete or fragmentary quernstones.

(1) Roughly-dressed pillar of local schist with pointed top. The visible height is 1.37m, but about 0.7m is buried; it tapers downwards in width from 0.52m to 0.46m. The E face (a) bears a 'chip-carved' hexafoil within a 0.50m bead-moulded circle. Its petals have sunken centres and their tips split into peltae bearing incised spirals. Below there is a cross-of-arcs within a slightly sunken 0.46m circle. The terminals are filled by curved hollow triangles with double bars at the outer ends. The intermediate 'petals' bear incised double-spirals resembling pendent omegas, while mirror-images of these spirals open into recesses at the ends of the petals. The W face (b) bears a sunken cross of arcs within an incised 0.45m circle. As on face (a) the raised 'petals' are joined by a circle with central depression, but they are unornamented.

The incised curvilinear ornament resembles that of the slab at Reask (Co. Kerry), of probable 7th-century date, but the treatment of the equal-armed cross is paralleled in a manuscript of about 700 from Luxeuil (France).

(2) Irregular slab, 0.65m by 0.6m, lacking one corner. An encircled hexafoil 0.37m in diameter is defined by unconnected oval grooves about 20mm in depth.

(3) Much-worn and incomplete slab, 0.6m by 0.46m, found in 1959 near the Garden Cottage (NR 7400 7610) and now at Ellary House. It bears a hexafoil formed by V-cut ovals which do not meet at the centre and are contained within a 20mm margin, 0.38m in diameter.

(4) Upright slab, 0.55m in visible height by 0.75m. On the E face is incised a 0.14m Greek cross.

(5) Upright slab, 0.66m in visible height by 0.71m. On the E face is incised a 0.13m Greek cross whose stem incorporates a natural vertical groove.

(6) Pillar of oval section, 0.92m by 0.19m by 0.11m. The upper part is tapered and bears on all four faces small incised Greek crosses with rounded terminals.

(7) Slab of trapezoidal section, 1.05m in visible height by 0.28m, bearing at the top a 100mm incised Greek cross.

(8) Slab, 0.78m by 0.29m, bearing a boldly-incised Greek cross 0.19m in width. The horizontal arm has a slight downward curve.

(9) Slab, 0.48m by 0.36m; the surfaces are much scaled. Face (a) appears to show an outline cross with a 60mm crosslet incised at the centre and pits in the lower and left arms. On face (b) two crosslets, respectively 90mm and 80mm across the arms, are incised at the top.

(10) Slab, 0.51m by 0.34m. One face bears a Greek cross, 90mm across the arms, whose terminals are framed by triangles linked by oblique strokes to form a square ring.

(11) Pillar, tapered at both ends, 1.24m by 0.26m by 0.14m. Face (a) bears at the top a deeply-incised cross, 0.33m high. It has triangular terminals, open at the sides and top, and roughly circular pellets in the armpits. Framing the end of the upper arm are oblique grooves which return to the terminal to form a lozenge. Below there is a saltire with slightly expanded terminals, having a crosslet in each angle. On the left edge (b) is an incised cross, 0.15m by 0.12m.

(12) Slab, 0.53m by 0.43m, much worn. Face (a) bears an incised cross, 0.23m by 0.17m; the vertical arm, which is more deeply sunk, is crossed by a short transom 25mm above the foot. In the armpits are shallow 15mm sinkings. On the back (b) there appears to be a lightly-pecked Latin cross, 0.15m high, possibly with barred terminals at top and bottom.

(13) Pillar, 0.41m by 0.16m by 0.15m. Face (a) bears a lightly-pecked outline cross with open terminals; face (b) an incised Latin cross, 0.19m high; face (c) a pecked Latin cross, 0.17m high, with a short transom 30mm above the foot; and face (d) appears to have shown a double cross formed by a transom crossed by two vertical bars about 85mm high and 40mm apart. The top of the pillar shows traces of a possible raised ring.

(14) Slab, 0.55m in visible height by 0.59m, broken at the top and left side. It bears an irregular outline Greek cross, defined by a broad pecked groove, whose left half is now missing.

(15) Massive block of local schist, 1.5m by 1m by 0.7m high. Towards the SW end of the SE face is an outline cross, with a double prong at the base. Both arms are 0.25m in length but the vertical one, which overlies the transom, tapers in width from 110mm at the base to 80mm. At the centre of the cross-head is a 70mm Greek cross. At the NE end of the same face is an incised 100mm cross, possibly with barred terminals at the side-arms.

(16) Slab, broken obliquely at the top, 0.52m by 0.26m. It bears an outline Latin cross with open foot, whose top arm and part of the right arm are missing. The shaft is 0.19m high and the span is 0.20m.

(17) Irregular boulder with one flat face, 0.55m by 0.22m by 0.22m. It bears an outline Latin cross with pointed foot, 0.26m by 0.19m, whose side-arms extend to the edges of the slab.

(18) Slab, 0.76m by 0.32m; much worn. On face (a) a Latin cross 0.21m high is outlined by a pecked groove, and an 80mm Greek crosslet is sunk into the cross-head. On face (b) is a broad-armed Greek cross, 0.22m across the arms, in low relief but much damaged by flaking.

(19) Slab, 0.58m by 0.24m. On face (a) is a pecked outline Latin cross, 0.23m by 0.13m. In the lower armpits are 40mm pellets, and the grooves defining the shaft curve out to form volutes flanking the open foot. An 80mm Greek crosslet is incised in the cross-head. Face (b) bears an outline Latin cross with open foot, 0.31m by 0.19m. There is a shallow 20mm pit at the centre of the cross-head, and 35mm pellets in the upper armpits.

(20) Slab, 0.68m by 0.28m, bearing on face (a) an outline Latin cross, 0.30m by 0.16m. It resembles that on face (a) of number (19), but has additional 20mm pits in the upper armpits and the 30mm pellets below the side-arms are distinct from the cross-outline. The superimposed crosslet is 110mm high by 130mm, with rounded terminals. The back (b) bears a saltire 0.1m high by 0.15m within a rectangular frame formed by two curving pecked grooves.

(21) Slab, 0.72m by 0.40m. On face (a) is a sunken Greek cross 0.25m across the arms; its stem has rounded terminals but the side-arms appear to have opened into broad triangular terminals. In the armpits there are pellets about 100mm in diameter, each having a central 25mm pit. Face (b) bears a much-worn outline Greek cross, open at the foot and possibly at the right arm.

(22) Slab with gabled top, 0.95m by 0.52m. On face (a) a 0.24m Greek cross with broad arms is defined by four 60mm pellets in the armpits. In the ends of the arms are crosslets with circular terminals. Above the cross are traces of curving lines which may have represented simplified birds. On face (b) a pecked groove outlines a broad-armed cross, 0.42m by 0.48m across the arms, which extend to the edges. In the angles are pellets from 60mm to 75mm in diameter.

(23) Slab with roughly pointed top, 0.80m by 0.50m by 80mm. Face (a) bears a broad-armed Greek cross within a 0.35m margin, executed in shallow false relief by pecking through the micaceous surface-layer. The cross is 0.29m across and has small sinkings within the square armpits and 50mm pellets in each quadrant. A 55mm Greek cross with round terminals is incised above the circle. On face (b) is a 0.19m Greek cross, outlined by a shallow pecked groove and having the centres of the arms voided with similar grooves to form a crosslet.

(24) Slab with pointed top and narrow butt, 0.90m by 0.17m. Face (a) bears in false relief a cross with broad short arms, having 30mm pellets in the upper armpits. The upper terminal is outlined by a semicircular groove which may reflect the niche on no.(27). Above and below the cross are incised 75mm Greek crosses. On face (b) is a boldly-incised 0.16m Greek cross.

(25) Slab, 0.78m by 0.24m, bearing a Latin cross 0.33m high, partly incised and partly in false relief. The cross-head is contained in a round-headed niche whose groove is not continued across the upper arm. In the upper left spandrel there is an incised crosslet, and the right spandrel contains a small pellet.

(26) Slab, 0.72m by 0.23m, much flaked. On face (a) there is an outline Latin cross with open foot, 0.42m by 0.19m, whose head bears a complex arrangement of pits: one at the centre, four just within the armpits, and four in the arms. Face (b) showed in low relief a 0.2m equal-armed cross, open at the foot, with a 15mm pit at the centre and small sunken hollows in the armpits.

(27) Slab, 1.18m by 0.25m, much worn. On face (a) two crosses are carved in false relief, the lower being a 0.17m Greek cross with open foot. Above this is a Latin cross, 0.33m high and with small sunken armpits, in a round-headed niche springing from the ends of the side-arms. The shaft rises from a sloping base and is slightly tapered. Face (b ) bears at the top an incised 0.13m Greek cross with slightly expanded terminals.

(28) Slab, 0.89m by 0.38m, heavily worn. On face (a), in false relief within an oval frame, is a broad-armed 0.24m Greek cross, with small circular hollows in the armpits forming 'thistle-shaped' sinkings. The ends of the arms are bifurcated. Below there is an incised 100mm Greek cross, with traces of expanded terminals. Face (b) bears an incised 0.19m Greek cross.

(29) Three fragments which form a socketed stone with tapered ends, 0.94m by 0.22m by 100mm; broken across, and one half has been split in thickness. The upper surface has a 20mm border, and the oval central socket, 0.2m by 60mm, is enclosed by a raised 30mm margin. In each half of the slab a small rough socket is carved near one edge, and there are traces of a third in the broken area. The slab was perhaps designed to support a timber pillar or cross with provision at some time for small votive crosses. At one end a shallow groove intersects the border to form a crosslet, and there are traces of another in the corresponding area of the underside. On each half of this surface there is an incised Latin cross which may have been carved when the broken halves were re-used as gravemarkers.

I Fisher 2001 (RCAHMS).

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