Isle Maree

Sacred Well
NG931723
Disputed

Also known as:

Mourie and St. Maelrubha's Well

Nearest town:

Ullapool (29km NE)

OS reference:

NG931723

OS sheet:

Latitude:

57° 41' 34.47 N

Longitude:

5° 28' 18.8 W

Added to TMA by

Paulus

Images (2)
Folklore (2)
Topics (1)

Images

Image of Isle Maree (Sacred Well) by James Maclennan

Roughly tapered slab of Torridonian sandstone with pointed head, broken across and irregularly broken at the foot. It measures 1.26m by 0.57m in maximum width. It bears an outline cross-of-arcs, 0.28m in diameter and with open interspaces between the arms, which rises from a straight shaft. This is supported on a T-shaped pedestal which resembles the lower transom on stone (1) but is clearly divided from the shaft. The edges of the shaft and base show large pock-marks, but the V-section grooves have been finished with a sharp blade. (A Mitchell 1863, 252-3; J H Dixon 1886, 10; J R Baldwin 1994, 124).

Image credit: James Maclennan

James Maclennan Feb 19, 2020

Rectangular slab of Torridonian sandstone, lacking the lower left corner and measuring 1.44m by 0.59m. It bears an outline Latin cross with semicircular armpits, 0.88m high and 0.46m in span. A second transom, 0.17m above the foot of the shaft, has a span of 0.26m and arms 55mm high. This is an unusual feature, and the outline may have been altered by recutting, but the upper part of the cross is of early character. (A Mitchell 1863, 252-3; J H Dixon 1886, 10; J R Baldwin 1994, 124).

Image credit: James Maclennan

James Maclennan Feb 19, 2020

Articles

Isle Maree

Sacred Well

drewbhoy Dec 4, 2009

“There is a healing well on an island in Loch Maree, which was used for curing lunacy as late as the nineteenth century. Coins and nails, as well as pieces of cloth and rag, were hammered into the trunk of a nearby oak tree. Oak trees were believed to be sacred, and may have reflected a pre-Christian belief.

Loch Maree, one of the most beautiful lochs in Scotland, is also the site of a chapel and remains of a burial ground, which are believed to have been founded by St. Maelrubha, although there also appear to have been older pagan traditions associated with the site. Bulls were sacrificed here, as they were at Applecross, and later the custom was associated with St. Maelrubha’s day, 21 April.”

Joyce Miller.

Magic And Witchcraft in Scotland.

Isle Maree

Sacred Well

Rhiannon Jul 29, 2009

Another legend connected with the island is a Romeo and Juliet-esque yarn, of a local girl and a Viking Prince. They got married and lived in a tower on the island. They were very happy but the prince’s Viking friends needed him back on the longboat. The couple hatched a plan involving black and white flags that would be displayed on his return to indicate whether they were dead or alive. When the prince sailed back he flew his white flag. But his princess had devised some daft method of testing his feelings, involving pretending to be dead. You can guess the rest. They’re supposed to be buried on the island.

Told at length in ‘Gairloch in North west Ross-shire’ by John Dixon (1886).