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ST. KILDA'S CHURCH LOCHBUIE
Standing on the shores of
Lochbuie, to the south of the end of the road,
is a small Episcopal church consecrated to St
Kilda in 1876.
The story goes that this
church was apparently built by Maclaine of
Lochbuie after having had a serious disagreement
with the minister of Kinlochspelve over the
minister's habit of herding his ducks on to Loch
Uisg and thus spoiling the fishing. Another
reason could be that the Laird married a lady
who attended the Scottish Episcopal Church.
The church was originally going to be
consecrated to St Oran, but he was not
considered a worthy enough saint. There are
various monuments in the church to members of
the Maclaine family and others associated with
this part of the island. Also several
interesting stained glass windows can be seen.
The late Reverend Canon T.
Hannan of Musselburgh compiled the following
notes:
"St Kilda is regarded by some
as a mythical personage, because the name is
only found in connection with the Island of
which the proper name is Hirta. But the
ancient wall on the Island with the name Tobar
Childer - Wall of Kilda - indicates a Norse
saint of male sex, probably a hermit, the
spelling of whose name should be S. Kildar.
This is the accepted view.
An interesting object is the
Celtic Cross built into the wall of the porch on
the right - the south wall. This was unearthed
at a considerable depth when digging the
foundations of the present church. There is no
tradition of a chapel or burying found on the
site, which is an indication of the remoteness
of the burial. The Cross is of the simplest
and earliest form, and may be more than 800
years old."
The cross is of yellow
sandstone probably from Carsaig. The top is
missing and the outline of the cross is incised,
the bottom of the shaft being left open. A
shallow groove has been cut round the centre of
the ring, but the angles at the intersection of
the arms are more deeply hollowed.
The Crucifix about the Chancel
was carved by Joseph Maye, who played the part
of Christ 114 times in the Oberammergau Passion
Play. He died on December 1 1903. The late
Maclaine of Lochbuie bought this Crucifix and
had it placed in its present position.
In the wall to the right of
the altar is a piece of the altar of the church
of Merry-le-Hart, the slab which covered the
relics of a Bishop of Metz who died in 1851.
The church was fired by the retreating French
troops in 1870 and a French priest rushed into
the burning church, broke the covering slab and
rescued the relic. The late Maclaine of
Lochbuie acquired the piece, he being at the
time the war-correspondent with the German Army
for the London newspaper The Times.
The population of Lochbuie is
very small and it is not possible to have a
resident priest for this church, because there
are no funds to support him, but services are
held regularly during the summer months by
visiting clergy. Even the upkeep of the Church
and Parsonage are a considerable burden on so
small a congregation. Visitors, then are
requested to help by placing a contribution -
no matter how small - in the box and by
remembering S Kilda's Lochbuie in their
prayers." G.M. Sessford - July 1956
The church is always open.
We thank Jim Corbett the laird
of Lochbuie for his kind help and assistance in
showing us around and allowing the church to be
included on this website.
For further information see:
RCAHMS Argyll Volume 3 (Her Majesty's
Stationery Office Edinburgh 1980) ISBN 0 11
491591 1
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