Saints in Scottish Place-Names
Funded by a Leverhulme Trust Project Grant
Cladh Chriosd, Pabbay, Barra
Grid reference
NL 607 874 (assumed location)
Six-figure easting & northing
60700 787400
Latitude
56.85380100219548
Longitude
-7.567651594641888
Altitude (metres)
5
County
Inverness-shire
Nearby places
St Columba's Chapel, Barra (Mingulay) (3.68 miles)
Cille Bhride, Barra (Sandray) (3.86 miles)
Cille Bhrianain, eccl. Barra (Vatersay) (6.24 miles)
Barra, island Barra (8.64 miles)
St Michael's Chapel, eccl. Barra (9.15 miles)
Object Classification
Ecclesiastical
Is linear feature?
No
Notes
This is the name of a burying ground on the island of Pabbay, Barra parish. The NGR given is that of the chapel site marked on OS maps, which we suppose to be the referent of the name. Carmichael records the following information about a stone font found at this site: "This font was for centuries an object of credulous belief to the inhabitants of Pabbay and the other southern Isles of Barra. These simple people implicitly believed that the touch of this font like that of another stone in S. Mary’s burying ground (Cladh Naomh Moire) [Cladh Mhoire, Beàrnaraigh/Berneray] in the neighbouring island of Bearnaray (Barra-Head) was efficacious in preventing and removing many mental and physical disorders incident to themselves and their flocks. The lixivium found in the font was considered doubly consecrated, firstly through contact with the already consecrated font, and secondly through the friendly agency of some invisible and mysterious power that presided over the scene. The virtues of this salinated water were deemed secondary only to those of the water consecrated by the priest. The people rubbed their bodies and their cattle with the font and sprinkled themselves and their flocks with the water contained therein, for the cure of certain bodily ailments and for the prevention of specific acts of witchcraft. And when this ceremony was duly performed with the necessary amount of formality and with the necessary admixture of pagan and christian rites, the people firmly believed that creative spirits of the air, nor the witches of the earth, nor the mermaids of the deep surrounding sea could infuse or molest them. ... For a number of years past the belief in the virtues of this charm has been falling into abeyance and now only two old men as far as I know can give an intelligible account of the faded glories of the primitive little font. (Carmichael Watson Project, GB 237 Coll-97/CW457)
Relationships with other parishes
Within Barra, parish aka Kilbarr
Names
1 head-name linked to this place ?Cladh Chriost
Head name
Cladh Chriost
Place
Cladh Chriosd, Pabbay, Barra
Certainty that this name applies to this place
Certain
The status of this name is
Obsolete
Is this a current OS form? ?
No
Is this the original referent of the place?
Yes
Is the association of this name to this object hypothetical?
No
Cladh Chriost 1869, CWP
Historic formCladh Chriost Head nameCladh Chriost PlaceCladh Chriosd, Pabbay, Barra Certainty that this name applies to this placeCertain SourceCWP, Coll-97/CW150/22 (item) Date of citation1869 x 1869 Notes on the context of this place-nameOn-line collection and annotated catalogue of Carmichael Watson Papers, held at the University of Edinburgh. http://www.carmichaelwatson.lib.ed.ac.uk/cwatson/en/ |
Source code
CWP
Source title
Carmichael Watson Project
Notes
On-line collection and annotated catalogue of Carmichael Watson Papers, held at the University of Edinburgh. http://www.carmichaelwatson.lib.ed.ac.uk/cwatson/en/
Saints in this place-name
Christ (ns) (certain)
Christ (certain)