Scheduled Monument
Kilmory Oib Township, cross slab and holy well, W of Loch Coille-BharrSM270
Status: Designated
Documents
Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).
The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.
Summary
- Date Added
- 31/12/1923
- Last Date Amended
- 09/10/1998
- Type
- Crosses and carved stones: cross slab, Ecclesiastical: well, Secular: settlement, including deserted and depopulated and townships
- Local Authority
- Argyll And Bute
- Parish
- North Knapdale
- NGR
- NR 78107 90265
- Coordinates
- 178107, 690265
Description
This monument consists of the remains of a small township. At the heart of the township stands a cross slab next to a holy well. The cross-slab and well are already scheduled, with a small area around. The present rescheduling extends the protected area to include the associated deserted settlement.
The cross slab is thought to date from the eighth or ninth centuries and may have been moved here from a burial ground further south. The township is situated on the drove road from Keills. It consists of several buildings at the foot of a steep slope, facing over an area of flat ground.
The area to be scheduled includes the buildings, the cross slab, the well, part of the drove road and the area to the east which is likely to have been drained and cultivated by the inhabitants. The area is defined to the SE by the edge of the forestry road, to the NW by the top of the scarp and to the NE and SW by a line extending 20m out from the visible structures of the township. The area is roughly rectangular measuring approximately 200m SW-NE by 90m and is marked in red on the accompanying map.
Statement of National Importance
This monument is of national importance because it is a small, well-preserved township with several unusual features. The cross and well are both unusual, with few Scottish parallels for the carving on the cross's W face. While it is possible that the cross slab has been moved from another site it is also possible that the township arose around a recognised holy site. Its position on the drove route from Islay and Jura would have affected the economy of the township. The site has the potential to provide further information about life in such post-medieval townships, in particular how sites were selected and the influence of droving traffic on the economy of townships on the routes.
References
Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation
About Scheduled Monuments
Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.
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Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the
scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).
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