ANTIQUITIES OF BUTE. 



343 



thick built of slate, with clay used in place of mortar. In 

 this respect it is identical with churches of the same period 

 (eighth century) remaining in Ulster. Its walls at no place 

 are higher than four feet, no cut-stone is used about it, and 

 there is no division into nave and chancel. 



Ninian, whose name this chapel bears, was by birth a 

 Briton, and Roman by education. He founded a mon- 

 astery at Rosuat, in Wigtoushire, which was afterwards 

 known in Saxon history as Whithorn, and as Candida Casa 

 in the Latin writings. Here he educated many distinguished 

 Irish ecclesiastics, one being Finian of Movilla, in the 

 County of Down, who in his turn became the teacher of 

 the illustrious Columkille. Ninian died at the monastery 

 of Cluain-coner, in the County of Kildare. 



At St. Calmags, a corruption probably of St. Colman, 

 several saints having this name, the chapel has disappeared; 

 but a stone slab with an incised cross of Irish character, and 

 of tenth century date, still remains. 



The cemetery of St. Blane's chapel contains the greatest 

 number of these interesting memorials. They seem to have 

 been used down to the present day as headstones, being 

 placed at the top of comparatively recent graves. 



Fig. 42. 

 Incised Cross, St. Calmags. 



Fig. 43. 

 Stone Cross, St. Blane's. 



They are much weather-worn, but still exhibit the charac- 

 teristic circular foiled head of varying design, with the shaft 

 buried almost completely in the ground. Most of these 

 crosses are of small size, the largest being two feet high, and 

 many of them smaller. There is, however, the shaft of a 



