Monument record MHG42216 - St. Donan's Chapel, Courthill

Chapel (NR) (site of) OS 1:10,000 map, (1971)

"Seipeil Donnain" or St Donan's Chapel stood in burying-ground at Courthill. <1>

The turf-covered foundation of W half of this chapel survives with interior occupies by graves. The inner face of wall can be seen intermittently giving a width of 3.5m. N wall can be traces for a length of 7m and S wall for 4m. E half appears to have been destroyed to make room for modern graves. The dedication is not known locally.
Some 5m S of chapel stands a tapering pillar 1.2m high by 0.2m square with a small latin cross inscribed on its S face. Alongside lies an oval stone 0.35m by 0.25m by 0.1m thick, which bears a cup-like hollow 0.12m in diameter and 0.06m deep, possibly a socket stone. Graveyard has been extended and is still in use.
Surveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (A A) 22 May 1974.

A possible 'Christening Cup' has been recorded at this location. It lies beneath a pillar of thin stone as described above. Other possibilities - flower arrangement holder, base for wooden cross, if this is a christening cup why is it not in the church?. <2>
Info from Steve Callaghan.
See assoc. docs. File.
J Aitken : 21/02/01

'Wester Ross Monumental Inscriptions', pre 1855
Monumental inscription survey completed by Alastair G. Beattie & Margaret H. Beattie. The survey may not include inscription info after 1855 and each inscription transcribed does not give the full details that appear on the stones, abbreviations used. Some ommissions and inacuraciesmay be encountered. First published 1987, reprinted 1991, 1996 & 1997, with corrections. <3>

A photograph of this cemetery was submitted by a visitor to the HER website in August 2008. <4>

Visited during the Highland Kirkyards project, run by Highland Buildings Preservation Trust. Rural graveyard with turf covered foundations of an old chapel. The graveyard has been extended to the south and is still in use. There are various styles of gravestone. <5><6>