Site Name: Colonsay House
Alternative Name(s): Riasg Buidhe
Monument Type: House; Chapel; Well; Stone Cross; Cist
Council: Argyll and Bute
Parish: Colonsay and Oronsay
Map Sheet: NR39NE
Grid Reference: 139480, 696780 HOUSE
139580, 696810 CILL ORAN
139420, 696770 WELL
Canmore Number: 37846
Non-Statutory Register Code: I
WoSASPIN 2443
NR39NE 3 3948 9678.
(NR 3948 9678) Colonsay House on Site of (NAT) Cill Oran (NR)
(NR 3958 9681) Tobar Oran (NR)
(NR 3942 9677) Stone Cist found AD 1846 (NAT)
OS 6" map (1900)
Colonsay House was built in 1722 on the site of Cill Oran, which was an Early Christian chapel, dedicated to St Oran, of which Tobar Oran would be the holy well. Martin, c.1695, refers to the church, presumably a rebuilding, as being the principal church of Colonsay and implies that it was still in servicable condition at that time but most of the remains were removed in 1722, though part of the ruins was still visible in 1854.
Tobar Oran, a covered well, is now roofed by an old millstone. Beside it stands the "face-cross" from Riskbuie (NR49NW 8). The graveyard of Cill Oran is thought to have been extensive and was in use until 1722. Many burials have been exposed by building operations, cultivation etc, including a "stone coffin" (Name Book 1878) found in 1846. A carved stone, 11" high by 1'1" broad lay against the wall of the house in a flower garden in 1923.
Since the 18th century various authors have augmented the allegation that an Augustinian abbey existed here, but Easson (1957) considers this to be completely unfounded. The occurrence of the names 'Crosan Mor' and 'Crosan Beag', evidently applied to fields at NR 399 973, but incorporating 'Crosan' - Little Cross - may have some siginificance in relation to Cill Oran.
S Grieve 1923; J de V Loder 1935
There is now no trace of the chapel or burial ground. Several graves covered by large slabs of stone were discovered about 1935 when landscaping the lawn of Colonsay House, but nothing further is known about them or about the cist found in 1846. The carved stones, from several sites on Colonsay, which lay against the house wall, were lost during building alterations.
Tobar Oran is a circular stone-lined well with steps leading down to the water. The cross is still beside it.
Surveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (DWR) 16 April 1974
NR 39420 96770
Tobar Odhrain.
This well, which is evidently dedicated to St Oran, is situated within the garden of Colonsay House about 90m E of the main block of the house. The well-chamber which is approached from the NNE by a short flight of stone steps, is about 0.6m in diameter and approximately 1m in height over all. It is constructed of coursed and mortared rubble masonry and is capped by a runner millstone measuring 0.75m in diameter and 0.1m in maximum thickness; a stone fragment shaped by natural weathering has been placed above the eye of the millstone. A cruciform stone of Early Christian date from Riasg Buidhe (see WoSASPIN 2805) has been re-erected immediately E of the well.
Information from RCAHMS survey report, 1984 (site visit May 1977).
Entered WoSAS (HMcB) 23/08/2019
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RCAHMS , The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the monuments Vol 5: Islay, Jura, Colonsay and Oronsay. Edinburgh.(1984)
RCAHMS , The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the monuments Vol 3: Mull, Tiree, Coll and Northern Argyll (excluding the early medieval and later monuments of Iona). Edinburgh.(1980)
Martin, M , A description of the Western Islands of Scotland circa 1695, in Macleod, D J (ed.), Stirling.(1934)
Ordnance Survey , Name Book (County), Original Name Books of the Ordnance Survey.(n/a)
Easson, D E , Medieval religious houses in Scotland: with an appendix on the houses in the Isle of Man. London.(1957)
Fordoun, J de , Scotichronicon cum supplementis et continuatione Walteri Boweri, insulae Santi Columbae abbatis .... Edinburgh.(1759)
Grieve, S , The book of Colonsay and Oronsay: forty-four years of research and discovery in early Scoto-Irish, Norse and Danish history [...]. Edinburgh.(1923)
Loder, J de V , Colonsay and Oronsay in the isles of Argyll: their history, flora, fauna and topography. Edinburgh.(1935)
Johnstone, L. , "Colonsay House (Colonsay & Oronsay parish) Burials." Discovery and Excavation in Scotland, 1998, p 17.(1998)
Colonsay and Oransay, , The islands of Colonsay and Oransay: [sale particulars], Brechin; LondonS([1977])
Johnstone, L , 'Colonsay House (Colonsay & Oronsay parish), burials',Discovery and Excavation, Scotland,1998, pp.17,1999(1998)
Fisher, I , Early Medieval sculpture in the West Highlands and Islands, Edinburgh(2001)
Johnstone and Roberts, L H and J A , 'The Retrieval of Human Remains in the Gardens of Colonsay House',Scottish Archaeological Journal,23,March 20 1, pp.67-74,2001(2001)