Scheduled Monument
St Peter's Church, Pabay Mor, LewisSM11087
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
- 02/02/2004
- Supplementary Information Updated
- 17/12/2018
- Type
- Ecclesiastical: burial ground, cemetery, graveyard; church
- Local Authority
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Parish
- Uig
- NGR
- NB 10448 37700
- Coordinates
- 110448, 937700
Description
The monuments comprises the remains of a small church dedicated to St Peter on Pabay Mor. The surviving fabric is presumed to be medieval in date but the Pabay place-name would suggest that there has been an early medieval church somewhere on the island and this is probably the most likely place for this.
The rectangular church (orientated NE-SW) measures about 6.5m by 4m internally within walls about 0.9m wide. Recent internal excavations (by parties unknown) have revealed a little more of the structural detail, including the window at the E end of the S wall. There are a few plain marker stones visible in the turf of the surrounding mounded slope that support local traditions of their having been a burial ground associated with this site. The church may be sited on a settlement mound, although it is difficult to be precise about the full extent of this.
The area to be scheduled is a circle 40m in diameter, centred on the church, to include the church, graveyard and at least part of the settlement mound and an area around in which evidence for their construction and use may survive, as marked in red on the attached map extract.
Statement of National Importance
The monument is of national importance because of its potential to provide information about the medieval, if not early medieval church in the Western Isles. Given the Pabay place-name there is also the potential to shed light on the interaction between natives and incoming Norse inhabitants, and their religious beliefs.
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.
We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.
Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)
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).
The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.
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