Puzzling things on Islay - who can help?

Sunday, August 05 2007

Today I finished the first two parts of the travelogue from our Islay trip in May, I have split them up in several sections otherwise they would become too large. Here are links to the first week's travelogue and the second week's travelogue. The third week will follow soon!

While was going through the many pictures of our last trip I found a few interesting photo's that puzzle me because I don't know exactly what they are. The first picture is one I took close to Kilchoman, between Kilchoman church and the memorial for the american soldiers who died in 1918. It looks like a headstone with a cross depicted on both sides, not a regular cross though but a Kildalton like Cross (with some imagination). I couldn't find any text on the stone.

What puzzles me are the following questions:
What exactly is it? Why is it there? Who put it there? If anyone has a clue please let me know! Many thanks for helping out.

The headstone however is not the only thing that puzzled me. When you drive from Bruichladdich to Bridgend and take the B8018 right and then passing Foreland House on your right after a few hundred meters you drive on a hill top with wonderful views over Islay and even Mull. A fine place to stop and admire the wonderful views. A few hundred meters further down this road I took the picture below and again I don't have a clue what it is. It's not some sort of stone circle, it could be 19 peat stacks but I can't remember seeing such peat stacks anywhere else on Islay. It could even be some sort of pillars left standing from a former building, if you take a close look you will see a ruined building on the right of the pillars. And again I wonder what is this? Who can help me solve this mystery? If you have a clue, again please let me know.

Link to a bigger picture

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5 comments

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Authored by: kmcl on Monday, August 06 2007 Puzzling things on Islay - who can help?
Hi Ron

I have noticed the above many times in the past and always assumed they were a stone circle due to their relative size in the landscape. I usualy made a mental note to investigate further when I had time and forgot about them until the next time I passed. On a good day you can see Mull clear as a bell with Colonsay just in front from the vantage point you mention.

Ken
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Authored by: ron on Monday, August 06 2007 Puzzling things on Islay - who can help?

Ken, funny that this structure attracted your attention as well. When I check the OS map there is no stone circle on that location, which makes me even more curious. What I was also thinking about is that it's some kind of structure which had a roof in earlier times, god knows what purpose it served though... I hope someone can come up with the right answer :-)

The views are stunning from that point, like you said..

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Authored by: ron on Monday, August 06 2007 Puzzling things on Islay - who can help?

I checked the ambaile.org site where I read the following:

Quote: The slab is one of two early examples which may have marked an early Christian site, or alternatively, marked out the limits of an area in which criminals sought immunity or 'sanctuary' from prosecution.

This means that the meaning of this sanctuary cross or stone is not very clear, neither the time when it was put there. In the 1885 book carved stones of Islay Parish of Kilchoman is a mention and some pictures of these sanctuary crosses. If they were supposed to be the limit of a sanctuary it is strange that only two of these crosses were found near Kilchoman, you normally would expect at least three or more.

I will try to dig a bit deeper and see if I can come up with some more information :-)

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I'd rather be on Islay :-)
Edited on Saturday, June 26 2010 by ron
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Authored by: Bruce on Tuesday, August 07 2007 Puzzling things on Islay - who can help?
You're right Ron, at least three stones (usually four) would be needed to mark the limit of sanctuary, but chances are they have been "lost". At Torphichen in West Lothian, one of the "missing" stones was later discovered... in a wall! However, it could be that somethng other than a stone marked the other limits - perhaps a building that was included within the area and possibly used to house those that had sought out sanctuary (similar to the area of sanctuary around Holyrood Park in Edinburgh)!
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Authored by: ron on Wednesday, August 08 2007 Puzzling things on Islay - who can help?

Jeremy Hastings from Islay Birding sent an email and he has an explanation for the structure near Foreland House. Here is Jeremy's answer:

The pillars - for that is what they are - are the remains of Forelands clay tile factory where they made the tiles for when Gruinart was being drained in the 1850s onward. Amazing eh - that even the materials to do the work had to be manufactured here on Islay!

Thanks Jeremy. Ps. Jeremy is also looking for an answer regarding the Sanctuary Stones at Kilchoman!

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www.islayinfo.com

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