30 COLONSAY 



Of the four ruined chapels observed by Pennant on his 

 ride from Oransay to Kiloran, Cill-a-Bhride, situated about a 

 quarter of a mile east of Machrins farm-house, was doubtless 

 one, presuming he came from Oransay by the Temple of the 

 Glen, and on to Machrins through Bealach-an-t-Sithein. 

 By this route the Temple of the Glen would be the first 

 to be reached, Cill-a-Bhride the second, Kilchattan the 

 third, and Kiloran the fourth. Had he chosen a more 

 westerly course he would have passed Cill-a-Choinnich 

 and Cill-a-Chiarain, thence going on to Kilchattan and 

 Kiloran. 



A Tigh Searmonachaidh ("preaching-house") stood at 

 a little distance from the south end of Machrins farm- 

 house, and served as the parish church until the present 

 one was built in 1802, the minister's residence being then 

 -at Ardskenish. It was also called Tigh-na-Suidheachan 

 from the fact that it was fitted with turf benches. The 

 ruins have been long since removed to allow of the land 

 in this part being cultivated. It was somewhere in this 

 vicinity, too, that the earliest-known schools in the island 

 iiad been situated ; and one of the old school door-lintels with 

 a schoolmaster's name carved on it was afterwards used as 

 .a corner-stone in the construction of a barn, now also falling 

 into ruins. 



Near the old church there was a "branks" (brangas) 

 for the punishment of church offenders, who were usually 

 pilloried during church service. It had been fixed to a 

 large standing-stone, a part of which yet remains. The last 

 person to be exposed to public odium in this way (according 

 to one version) was a woman ; and her brother, hearing of 

 the occurrence, went out of church in indignation and re- 

 leased his sister. He then broke off the " branks " and threw 

 it into Lochan Moine Nic Coiseam, "where it remains to 

 this day." 



"LathaCath na Sguab air taobh tuath Dhun Ghallain " 



