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Graveyard 1.
Erected / in memory of / Jane Johnston / wife of Donald Ramsay / who died
23rd December 1865 / aged 43 years / also their son Archibald / who died 29th
February 1868 / aged 19 years 2
this stone was ... / Campbell who died ... 3
Donald McNeill / Private HM 44th Regiment / died at Colonsay 8th July
1888 / aged 61 years / This stone was erected by / Major General Sir John
McNeill / proprietor 4
1765 / ANDr PIRIE AND / HIS SPOUSE PEGGY / McNEAR 1808 [Surmounted
by an engraved image of an eight-tined hay-rake lying on its back crossed by a
vertical garden spade] 5
Here lies / the corpse of Mar- / Bell spouse to / Archd. McAllister /
Innkeeper Scal/asaig who died the --r- day of / Jan-y 18[28?] aged 64 / years 6
Donald McMillan / died 30th Nov 1880 / aged 28 years 7
In memory of / Mary M- / Clug spouse / of John McNeill / who died / 1869
/ 18 years 8
[Front] In memory of / Donald Stewart / who was born near Doune / and
died at Achnaba / Ardchattan 4th June 185- aged 95 years / having lived in /
Colonsay about -4 years his remains / were at his own request / brought here for
inter/ment Also of his spouse Sarah Daragh / who died 1867 aged 65 years
[Back] This stone was erected / as hallmark of filial / affection by
their son / James Stewart 9
--th / May 1791 / Here lies the corpse / of Ketr. Curie sp/ose to Hugh
Curie 10
HERE IS / DONd / MARTIN'S SE/PULCHRE
WHO DI/ED IN MAY 18(88?) / IN THE 77th YEAR / OF HIS AGE 11
Erected / by / Charles Darroch / in memory of his father / Hugh Darroch /
who died 8th Feb 1899 / aged 70 years / also his brother / Neil Darroch / who
died 4th Jun 1909 / aged 44 years / also his daughter / Catherine Darroch / who
died 18th Jan 1910 / aged 17 years 12
Erected / in memory of / Duncan McNeill shoemaker / who died 7th July
1871 aged 56 years / also his son Neil who died March 187- / aged 20 years 13
Erected / by / Duncan Darrach / in memory of his sister / Ann who died 12
July / 1861 aged 18 years 14
1907 [presumably an unknown sailor] 15
MN / A sailor of the / 1939 - 1945 / war / Merchant Navy / Found 10th
July 1946 / Known unto God 16
A.Fisher / Eng Room Artfcr RNR 1523/LA / HMS "VIKNOR" / 13th
January 1915 [below]
In loving memory of / Alfred Fisher/ E.R.A. / Lost with HMS Viknor /
'Till / The Day Dawns [This individual is said to have perished in the
approaches to the English Channel and to have been washed ashore at Oransay 5
months later; the farmer's wife sent a description of his wedding ring to be
published in the Glasgow Herald and thus he was identified. A.S. MacNeill provides further detail: "Flora's Aunt
Bogie of Drumclach sent a photograph of the grave to the widow, who came to
Oronsay, heavy with child, to place flowers.
They stayed in touch until Mrs. Fisher died, but years later her son,
unborn the first time, decided to make another visit; being by then a Police
Inspector he made enquiries to Islay Police - who with commendable efficiency
(thanks to a telephone call to Flora's Uncle Punch), were able to call back and
provide all details within 30 minutes] 17
Claire Gwenllian / Marshall / 9th July 1982 - / 12th January 1986 In MacPhie Chapel 18
In memory of / Niell Bell, Merchant / who died 1805 / aged 40 years In Chancel 19
John Martin 20
Into the / memory of Hecter / Martin late Innkeeper / Scalasaig who died
/ October 4th 1840 aged / 41 years 21
Erected / by Saly Bell / in memory of Don/ald Meartin who / was her
lawful / husband and dep/arted this life Mar/ch 21 1838 aged / 41 years In McNeill Mortuary 22
In memory of / Alexander McNeill / Laird of Colonsay and Oransay / Gigha
and Ardlussa / aged 59 / Anne Elizabeth Carstairs / his wife / fourth daughter
and co-heiress of / John Carstairs Esqre / of Woodhurst and Warboys, Hunts /
aged 47 / and two of their daughters / Cecil Anne / aged 17 / and / Hester Mary
/ aged 6 / who all perished / in the wreck of the "Orion" / at Port-Partrick
on her passage / from Liverpool to Glasgow / 18th June 1850 / and are buried in
the / Island of Gigha [This wreck caused great public concern; one of the
results was the development of purpose-built lifeboats] 23
In this / chapel are buried / Malcolm McNeill / who succeeded his father
/ Donald McNeill of Crear / in 1701 as / Laird of Colonsay and Oransay / his
wife / Barbara Campbell of Dunstaffnage / and two of their sons / Alexander of
Oransay / with his wife / Mary McDougall of McDougall / and / Angus, Captain in
the Army / also / John McNeill / son of Alexander / Laird of Colonsay, Oransay
and Ardlussa / died 24th Feby 1846 / his wife / Hester McNeill of Dunmore / died
16th June 1843 / and his brother / Malcom McNeill / Hon. E[ast]
I[ndia] Co's service / died 10th
August 1850 24
Margaret Ferooza McNeill / daughter of / the Right Honble. / Sir John
McNeill G.C.B. / wife of / Duncan Stewart R.N. / born in Persia 15th Jan 1834 /
died in Edinburgh 23rd March 1871 / Erected in loving memory / by her six
surviving children / 1891 [This may have been the person who had acquired
immunity "in Persia" and who went to live in isolation with the
community at the back of Cnoc na Faire when they developed "fever" as
a result of using "blankets" found in a chest washed up at Port Olmsa.
She is said to have stayed there, nursing them until they had all died,
and then burned the houses over the remains] 25
Major General / Sir John Carstairs McNeill / G.C.V.O. - K.C.B. - K.C.M.G.
- V.C. / Laird of Colonsay and Oransay / and late of / Gigha and Ardlussa /.J.P.
and D.L. for Argyllshire / 27 years Equerry / to/ HM Queen Victoria / Died 25th
May 1904 / aged 73 [Below]
Sleepe after toyle, port after stormie seas / Ease after warre, death
after life, does greatly please [The wall-mounted stone stands proud; it is a local
tradition that another stone lies hidden behind, one provided by a lady;
and that the family resolved a difficult situation by having another
stone made and affixed to cover it. The
VC was awarded after an incident in New Zealand, for saving a junior oficer] Prior's Chapel No inscribed
stones visible. A.S.McNeill
mentions that the grass covers one or two stones and that years ago it was
possible to raise one of them, below which a skeleton lay "face-down". Cloister Two
commemorative stones may be seen in the arcade: CELESTIN/US
CANON/ICUS GU/BERNAT/OR / HUIUS / OPERIS 'Canon Celestinus, director of
this work' +MA/ELSEAC/HLA(I)ND
/ SAER O/CUIND / FECIT I/STUD O/PUS 'Mael-Sechlainn O'Cuinn, mason,
made this work' Steer and Bannerman suggest that this mason
originally worked at Iona and transferred to Oransay in the early 16th century
to carry out the architectural reconstruction work and also to found the Oransay
school of sculpture. Prior's House The important
collection of Mediaeval gravestones is housed herein; it has been widely described in a number of publications and
the following list of the inscribed stones follows the order given in RCAHM
"ARGYLL Volume 5". G.H.Collins
states that the material used is Calc-chlorite-albite-schist, and his research
suggests that the most likely source is an ancient quarry midway between Castle
Sween and Kilmory Chapel in Knapdale (on the farm of Doide at NR 704769). (3)
A three-line inscription, now
illegible (6)
HIC IACET CE/LESTINUS C(ANONICUS) 'Here lies Canon Celestinus' 'Celestinus' is the Latin for 'Gill-easbuig' (13)
Inscribed border, now illegible (15)
Inscribed border, now illegible (17)
HIC IACET MURCHARDUS MACDUFIE DE CO[LLONSA QUI OB]IIT AN(N)O DO(MINI)
MDXXXIX ET MARI/OTA NICILLEAIN ME FI(ERI FECIT) 'Here lies Murchardus MacDuffie of Colonsay who
died in the year of Our Lord 1539; and Mariota MacLean caused me to be made This stone was originally in the McDuffie Chapel.
Pennant commented that 'This Murchardus is said to have been a great oppressor,
and that he was executed by order of the Lord of the Isles for his tyrrany.
Near his tomb [was] a long pole placed there in memory of the ensign
staff of the family, which had been miraculously preserved for two hundred
years; on it (report says) depended the fate of the Macdufien race, and probably
the original perished with this Murchardus.'
Steer and Bannerman mention that this Murchardus ('Morphe Makphe') was
among those chiefs summoned to Parliament in 1531 on a charge of treason in
support of Alexander MacDonald of Dunivaig and the Glens. (19)
HIC IACET N/ELANUS CAL/V(US) DONALDI 'Here lies Nelanus Calvus (bald Niallán), son of
Donald' (20)
One line inscription, now
obliterated (23)
[HIC] IACET D(OMI)N(U)S DONALLDUS / MACDUFFIE PRIO[R (CON)VEN/TUALIS DE
O[RR]ANSAY QUI / OBIIT AN(N)O MDL- 'Here lies Sir Donald MacDuffie, Conventual Prior
of Oransay, who died in the year 155-' [This tombstone was originally in the mural recess
of the MacPhie chapel, with the foot towards the east. He was appointed Prior by authority of the Pope in April 1538
and died in 1554; he had probably been in ill-health since an application had
been made to permit him to retire, and since his gravestone was able to be
prepared with confidence in advance.] (24)
HIC IACET BRICIUS / CANONIC(US) MAC/MURICH CUM / SUIS (CON)FRATRIBUS 'Here lies Canon Bricius (Gilbride) MacMhuirich
with his brethren' This stone was noted by Pennant; locally known as 'Leac
nam Ban Saor', it was lost sight of as the debris level rose in the abandoned
Priory and eventually almost forgotten until it was fortuitously re-discovered
in September 1891, buried a few inches below the surface at the south west
corner of the altar. The vestments were taken locally to be those of a female
figure and it was supposed that the fourth word was CANONICA (25)
Marginal label at bottom and sides, now
obliterated (26)
HIC IACET [the remainder is obliterated] (27)
HIC IACET CANO(NI)CUS BRICIUS MACDUFFIE / ET PATRICIUS PATER / SUUS
CANONIC(US) 'Here lies Canon Bricius (Gilbride) MacDuffie, and
Canon Patrick his father' (29)
Traces of an illegible inscription (30)
HIC IACET .../... [MAR]IOTA ALEX/ANDRI IOHA(NN)IS MACEAIN 'Here lies ... Mariota, daughter of Alexander, son
of John MacIan' [This lady is thought to have been the wife of
Malcolm MacDuffie ('dominus de Dunevin in Colvunsay') and to have been involved
in the betrayal of Sir Alexander MacDonald of Lochalsh, murdered by her brother
in this very room; Sir Alexander's
effigy is one of the two recumbant figures, but has no inscription.
Mariota's husband was the "promoter and patron of the Oronsay school
of stone-carving", and she is remembered for the very fine stone that she
commissioned for her brother Ian, to be seen at Iona] The Oransay Cross +HEC EST CR/UX
COLINI F/ILII CRISTI/NI M(EIC)DUFACI 'This is the cross of Colinus
(Malcolm), son of Christinus MacDuffie Commonly, although in error, known as "The
Prior's Cross"; this arose from a confusion in the translation.
Steer and Bannerman have shewn that the cross was carved for Malcolm
MacDuffie, lord of Colonsay, after 1472 and before 1509. They suggest that it
was probably erected shortly before 1500 +MAELSEACHL[AI]ND
SAER / [OCUIN]N FECIT IST[AM C]RUCE[M] 'Mael-Sechlainn O'Cuinn, mason, made this cross |