|
"Thy saints take
pleasure in her stgnes,
Her very dust to them is dear."
Loudoun.—We
shall go again to Keills; I never can weary contemplating that old
burying ground, and the small remnant of the chapel hidden in the
long grass. The men who built it are forgotten, but the place has
remained sacred. The chapel must have been very small, showing that
the attendants were few; but the church-yard was comparatively
large, strikingly reminding us that "the many" are laid there. The
sanctity of the place is shown by the growth of the burial ground,
which, even after the church was forgotten, was used until it
reached the shingles on the beach and the rocks which the higher
waves wash. When the present road was made, not very long ago,
remains were found in great numbers. There never could in Christian
times have been a great population here, although it may have been,
and probably was, much greater than it is now; and as this is the
only way to pass from the south of Benderloch to the north without
going far round; a road, or at least a path, must be supposed to
have always existed. But a road for carriages would not be required,
and we know that men and horses can do with a very narrow one, such
as would scarcely desecrate a burial ground. If even in old times it
was necessary to bring a body of men somewhat closer than in single
file, there would he abundance of room before the church-yard was
made, and there would be no hindrance to mountaineers even after it
was held sacred. In later times the road went behind, and nearer the
rocks.
I have sometimes
asked myself if this were not a sacred place before the introduction
of Christianity; but as we know nothing certainly, we can only
imagine what may have been. It is true that the place itself under
the shadow of the great rock inspires awe and is, as it were, sacred
by nature, and it is also true that a greater reverence is due to it
from the long period during which it has received the remains of
many inhabitants; the little chapel also suggests the struggle of a
very small band in a place only in the process of Christianizing,
and we may add that the people would be only in the process of
civilizing. But was there another period when the instincts of men
ruled and nature awed them more than now; when its worship in times
of danger caused them to seek the rocks for shelter, and when they
chose this spot for meeting together to communicate their fears, as
sheep would do, or to hide from the spirits of the hill that had
inspired awe, and finally to pray to them or to the manes of the
dead? Modern reasoning would lead us to say this simply because the
church was there and probably built on an old sacred spot; but then
the nature of the place, and its 'convenience for meeting the
inhabitants of both sides of the hill would themselves give
consequence. Then the urn found in the cave is another proof of a
very ancient attachment, whilst the great collection of urns found
at the entrance to the garden of the hexagon school-house shows that
a burial place existed before Christian times. I view the place,
therefore, with the belief that it was probably sacred at a very
early period; certainly a part of the ground under the rock was
devoted to the dead in pre-Christian as in Christian days. Then
there was another importance belonging to it. It is evident that the
kings lived near. This rock is called the Dun of the King's town as
we found, and what is meant by a town? It really means a house; it
is a Baile, a Bally, a Vaille in the aspirated case, or a villa; the
origin being the same. At any rate we know that the name is given
even to single residences (perhaps with outhouses); but people
forget to be careful in these cases. However, if a chief of an
outpost or small king lived here, it is probable that there would be
several houses around his. It is a remarkably safe place; it is more
easily defended than the chief Dun. With his men on either side the
chief could be well looked after, and he could readily guard the
narrow pass and also have an outlet by the shore, whilst from the
height above he could see farther than from the vitrified fort,
which, however, would hold a much larger garrison and would be much
more convenient; it would be resorted to by men not driven to
extremities. In those days the lower ground would be safer than now,
because there was the small lake which has been said to have existed
at the south end of the hexagonal schoolhouse and on to
Tir-na-birlinn, acting as frontier.
This presence of a
chief generally indicates the nearness of sacerdotal dignities and
rights, whether of the higher or of the more savage kind. There is
an alliance of the power of the growing soul and the rude body, and
their representatives, priest and king; and religious rites, I
cannot doubt, were performed under this hill. It is here, we may
believe, where a king, however small, ruled; and where priests,
however ignorant, performed solemn acts in memory of the dead. It is
a place where for ages the love of power inspired a ruler, and the
dark thoughts and bright hopes of the future inspired a people,
headed, as they must have been, by some who thought more of these
things than the commonalty. And who were these quasi-priests, we may
ask? Modern inquiries incline to throw greater darkness than ever
upon them; but I can readily believe in a long train of worshippers
from the lowest to the highest—from the most distant to the latest
times. The highest class I have seen in two positions: one in the
wood leading up the little gully behind the school-house; the
congregation sat on the slopes, and were sheltered by the trees, and
the minister's voice resounded over the waters; another instance was
in the little rock chamber below and looking on the shingles, when
the voice of children's hymns came up as through a subterranean
opening into the pleasant little ,garden.
You may imagine the
lowest. Indeed I have seen a remnant of these up the Ledaig hill, on
the slopes of which and over Achnacree there is the well we saw with
some superstitious memories, and on the side of which people leave
little presents—a remnant of fairy worship or Fetishism of some
kind. There was, however, a worse, with scenes of blood, as we may
fairly be sure of.
As we began amongst
Christians to-day we shall keep to their society, and take a rapid
drive up the loch as far as Ardchattan.
Willie.—Look
at that little island, only a collection of pebbles, and it seems to
have a great black swan on it. Let us shout and throw a stone. It is
off. What is it?
Cameron.—That
is too far for you to throw; the bird is a cormorant or scart; we
see them here occasionally. They are good fishers, indeed I believe
they are used for fishing in China, and as soon as they catch a fish
the fishermen squeeze the neck to prevent swallowing, or they keep a
ring round the neck for the same purpose. It is rarer than the heron
in this place, and so more interesting but not so graceful.
Loudoun.—This
is a day for churches; we shall pass Achnaha, which we have already
seen, and go through the grounds of the Priory, and behind through
the picturesque field on the side of the hill, and up to the old
ruin that was a church, long probably before Ardchattan, and
dedicated to St. Modan. Very little stands. Perhaps it was a ruin
when King Robert Bruce met his friends at Ardchattan, and even when
the founder of the Priory admired the site; but the reason for
admiring would be different in old times. There could have been no
good road by the side of the loch then, and probably there was much
wood ; whilst here on the pleasant slopes there were perhaps both
pasture and dwellings with protection.
It is not at all
needful to believe that the church was built in the time of St.
Modan. It is more probable that it was called after him when he was
dead; but as he came here he would have a place for worship—a
predecessor to this, most likely. Some people call this St. Bede's
Church, because the aspirate of B and of M are both sounded as V;
but Bede had nothing to do here, and the vowels and consonants
differ. Modan was a great saint, known from Dumbarton and Roseneath
in a Iarge semicircle. (Maodan, in the genitive case, is pronounced
very nearly like Mddan, using the German speIling, or it is like the
word "maiden" spoken with the mouth rounded when sounding ai;
aspirated it is Mhaodan, pronounced Vaidan.)
We do not know much
of St. Modan's life, but it is just possible that he may have lived
a good deal here. The place is called Baile Mhaodan, the town of
Modan. We have seen that Baile may be applied to a very few houses
or even to one house. The place is not called after the church of
Modan; the church is ignored, not a common thing, and we have here
no word for Saint, but that omission may be too common to teach us
anything. We may have some idea from the name, that the Saint did
his work from this point at times. When ruling the church at
Dumbarton, he is said to have gone often for long periods among the
mountains, spending his life in solitude and in prayer. Most
probably he did not give all this time to his own improvement, but
devoted it to the education of others, and we can at any rate
imagine the hills around Loch Lomond reflecting his labours, and we
may look even farther, and, with sufficient reason, think of him
wandering towards Loch Awe and Loch Etive. We must remember,
however, that saints do not dedicate churches to themselves, and not
only is it probable that the church was not built by him, but it is
nearly certain. The church affords of itself no proof that St. Modan
came quite so far, but it is believed that he did come, and his
reputed labours are in this direction.
Cameron.—We
visited Ardchattan before, and now we may return to Oban. I was
sorry when we passed Ledaig hill that I could tell you nothing of a
burial place up above those precipices that stand behind Achnacree,
but nearer to Bhalanree. The place seems to be Christian, but I know
nothing of any chapel there, and have heard of no traditions. Was
the moss too wet ? and if so, why did the people leave Keills of
which we have spoken? Very likely there was a chapel on the hill,
and if so this district would be visited more by men who met to
worship, than it has been in known historic times, until very Iately,
when the two Free Churches have been built, one at Barcaldine and
one at Ardchattan, and the little cave room below the post-office
has been occupied.
In any case it is
interesting to see the various traces of deep devotion and love to
man and to God, that churchyards and churches show, whether by the
rude burials or other memorials of the darker times, or tiny chapels
of early Christians, or the simple but practical and comfortable
churches of to-day. We love to look at them all, and grieve with
poor man in his troubles, struggling to make a more decided
connection between this world of sorrows and the future of calm, and
to us this whole region seems peopled with many generations of
dreams and hopes, so that even the winds and storms of winter cannot
remove them. Every ruin seems to show how rich the place was in
sorrow and in love.
Since the above was
written, St. Modan's life has been looked up by Dr. Story, and
published in a most interesting little volume. He gives the latest
opinion—viz., that the saint was an Irish missionary who came to the
shores of Loch Etive, and went to Appin and Morven, then passed by
Loch Awe to Strachur on Loch Fyne, and on to Loch Riddan (called
also Loch Ruel), Kyles of Bute, where is a Kilmodan. He then passed
to Roseneath, and from that centre went to the Loch Lomond district,
and by the Campsie hills, as far as Falkirk, going back to Roseneath,
where he died. He was buried on the spot where the parish church now
stands. It was then called Rosneve, the promontory of the sanctuary.
Skene finds the name
Modan also at Kingarth in Bute, and looks on the saint as a
companion of St. Ronan. Both in Lennox and in Lorn the name
Kilmaronaig is near the church of St. Modan.
St. Modan must have
passed over wild ground, but we do not know that the people were
wild ; a man cannot leave a fine memory among men who have no
sympathy with him; his name is everywhere in the district remembered
in some form, less at Roseneath because of its destructive nearness
to modern activity. One instance of his power may be given in an
interesting letter of the Rev. Dr. Clerk's (of Kilmally) quoted by
Dr. Story in a note. The Saint's Well was resorted to by the sick
within the last sixty years, and many offerings were left beside it
(very trifling ones, not above a halfpenny). There was a bell
called—to quote from Dr. Story's book—"Clag Buidhe Bhaile Mhoadain,
the yellow bell of Baile Mhoadan, which was held in higher
veneration for its curative powers than even the well. As a matter
of very special favour it was sometimes allowed to be carried to the
sick in other parishes; and, if, after accomplishing its benevolent
errand, it was not immediately carried back, it would take the
matter into its own hands and fly through the air to its home, all
the while ringing out the most melodious music ever heard by mortal
ear. I remember conversing with old people who believed as firmly as
possible that the boatmen on Loch Etive often heard the Clag Buidhe
singing its saintly hymns in the sky above them as it returned to
its home. I never heard what became of the tuneful yellow bell."
I have never seen
Suidhe Mhaodain, or Modan's Seat, which was up in Glen Salach,
through which you pass when going from Barcaldine to Bunawe. We
learn from Dr. Story that it was hewn into pieces a few years ago
for building purposes, and this in a land of good granite stones. I
fear the saints of the time had no comfortable houses—they chose
high and windy places to sit in, but it may have been from pure love
of nature.
I know you want to
cross to the Abbot's island, but I have not landed there, and cannot
tell you what to see; I understand the remains do not seem to
indicate important buildings. They are said to have belonged to the
monks of Inchaffray, near Crieff, and if so they are a memorial of
connecting links between the Eastern and the Western churches of
Scotland. The establishment may have been used to give a change of
air to the monks of Inchaffray, or a place of shelter in times of
fear, or a corner from which to issue to civilize the district. I
may remind you of the stone circle on the mainland opposite, now
destroyed, but indicating that a native population was interested in
pre-historic times in Ach-na-Cloich. There is no church exactly
here, no public institution, no church land I believe; the next
church foundation is not far down the loch—namely, over there at
Kilmaronaig, or Kilmaronag.
Ronan is supposed to
have gone with Modan in evangelizing, since their churches are
sometimes together. Poor St. Ronan is a good deal neglected; he is
left out of the Roman calendar. Skene says, "He has left his trace
in Iona, where one of the harbours is Port Ronan. That church,
afterwards the parish church, was dedicated to him, and is called'
Teampull Ronaig,' and its burying ground Cladh Ronan, Then we find
him at Rona in the Sound of Skye, and at another Rona off the coast
of Lewis; and finally his death is recorded in 737 as Ronan, Abbot
of Cinngaradh or Kingarth, in Bute." We may be glad to find him in a
peaceful bay in Bute; he went there soon after St. Cathan, who used
to enjoy the place, sitting upon the little hill of Kilchattan bay
called after him, and making it so much a habit that the hill is
called his seat—Mount Sui (or Suidhc) Chattan. Ronan had difficult
work in the Western Isles, and when he was very much troubled with
rough people in Eorrapidh, a whale came and took him on its back to
the island now called Ronag. This island was then inhabited by hardy
creatures who went into the sea, leaving deep scratches on the
rocks. There is now upon it the remains of an interesting little
chapel called Teampull Ronaig, and the account is very pleasantly
given, in a handsome volume full of interesting matter, by Mr. Muir,
of Edinburgh. This work was published anonymously, and I do not know
the full name. We like to know the name of one who does such good
and loving work. The labour to obtain the information was not
trifling; he visited all the little islands of Scotland, and even
nearly bare rocks, and I know that it is not always easy to get
through the seas that surround Ronag, which is some sixty miles from
Lewis.
When these two
saints, Modan and Ronan, became old they gave up their Highland
adventures and settled down in Roseneath and Kingarth, very much as
their successors do now; and we may believe that they met with that
respect which the devotion of all their best days to the good of
their fellowmen well deserved. This is seen in the name Moronog, a
word of affection, as Mr. Skene shows, meaning my little or dear
Ronan, a similar phrase not being unusual among the names of saints.
Did I say "poor Ronan"? Ronan was called "the kingly bishop."
This name is found at
the spot where was the nearest mainland church to Abbot's Isle, and
where little else remains —Kilmaronaig. We can imagine the two
friends, Ronan and Modan, working on each side of the loch, and
occasionally meeting to speak of their labours and their plans. They
would have friends among the people, or they would not so frequently
have returned as it is supposed; these men would act as assistants
probably, and by degrees centres of faith would grow. The monks of
Inchaffray came to a place already prepared, and they came perhaps
with a certain fear and sought an island for shelter at a time when
lake dwellings were by no means uncommon.
In looking over our
Scottish history we certainly find terrible accounts of battle and
murder, and we are glad to think of any quiet spots in which some
men had the privilege of finding shelter. In the lower Iands there
was more wealth and more temptation to display, and among the early
Celts there was always much attention to the rights of the Church
and to the ideal. With the Scandinavian element came heathen
opposition, and the great preponderance of that race has hitherto
prevented the Church from ever attaining that influence which it has
kept in Ireland among a more purely Celtic people.
We must again return
to our hotel, after a peaceful, pleasant day.
Londoun.—Thanks
for telling us so much ; but I must tell you as we are going what
became of the Clag Buidhe (pronounced bui), quoting Dr. Story. The
bell was taken to Scone, and one night the people of Baile Mhaodan
(pronounced Bailyivaidan) heard a noise and jingle in the air, when
lo! the tuneful bell was flying home, but instead of its own grave
sweet melody it was clanging out harsh sounds like "An rud nach buin
dhuit na buin dha"—"Don't meddle with what meddles not with you."
Sheena.—I hope
that was not his bell that was lost "in a forgotten mere on the
tumbled fragments of the hills," and that it was not the same that
was called "Maidie's bell," which was sold this century as a bit of
old iron.
Loudon.—It was
taken again to Scone, and never returned to Loch Etive. Some say it
was lost in a mere; but why should it go there? We may find it again
some day, as we have found St. Fillan's bell and crozier, which are
now safely deposited in the Museum of Antiquaries of Edinburgh. It
is better to leave it with hope, and after all we do not know the
end. |
