Monument record MHG39654 - Possible Site of Church, Clachan an Inbhir

'Inverness District West Monumental Inscriptions', pre 1855
Monumental inscription survey completed by Alastair G Beattie & Margaret H Beattie . The survey may not include inscription information after 1855 and each inscription transcribed does not give the full details that appear on the stones, abbreviations used. Some ommissions and inaccuracies may be encountered. First published 1993, reprinted 1994.
J Aitken : 20/12/02
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See Report Library, Nos. 994, 1013 & 1014, Graveyard Memorial Survey by S Farrell, 1997.
J Aitken : 25/10/02.
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NH41NW 3 421 167.

(NH 4221 1662) Clachan an Inbhir {NAT.} (NH 4203 1673) St. Columba's Well {NR}
OS 6"map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1904)

Clachan an inbhir is a burial place, said to be associaed with St. Columba's Well. At St. Columba's Well is an uninscribed stone slab set up when the well was cleaned out some years previous to 1871.
Name Book 1871

Legend says St. Columba caused this stone to be erected after blessing the well on his way to visit King Brude.
J Ross 1882

Columba probably founded the old church at Invermoriston, which was known as Clachan Cholumchille, or Columba' s Church. In the immediate vicinity of its site is Columba's Well - Fuara Cholumchille - a holy fountain noted for many centuries for its remarkable curative properties.
W Mackay 1914

The traditional site of St. Columba's Church was pointed out by Mr. Macdonald (Mr W Macdonald, The Smithy, Invermoriston) at NH 4203 1665, but there is nothing to be seen in the ground. St Columba's Well is marked by an inscribed stone.
No trace of the uninscribed stone slab mentioned by the O.N.B. could be found.
Clachan an Inbhir is still in use.
Visited by OS (R D) 11 May 1964

Photographs were contributed by Martin Briscoe via the Highland HER Flickr group.<1>