The Monks' Field - Boreray

Cladh Mhanaich, the Monks Burial Ground, is an enigmatic place. It is found on the island of Boreray, in the Sound of Harris, and is usually referred to as 'The Monks' Field'. It is a large tract of ground, dotted with a dozen or more large mounds. Aside from the mounds, any obvious signs it had been a cemetery were destroyed when the area was cultivated, long after its use as a burial ground.

Mounds on the Monks' Field 

Erskine Beveridge reported seeing a crossed marked stone here, along with two cup-marked stones. You can see a drawing of the cross-stone on the CANMORE page referenced below, but on my two visits to Boreray I was unable to find it. But I was able to find one of the cup-marked stones, which also had a deep font chiseled in it.

Cup-marked stone & font

It is odd that no excavations of the mysterious mounds has been done, as it would be interesting to know if there are any remains to be found. It was Martin Martin, writing in 1695, who reported that:

The burial place is called the Monks-Field, for all the monks that dyed in the islands north of Egg. Each grave has a stone at both ends, some of which are 3 and others 4 foot high. There are big stones without the burial place, several have little vacuities in them as if made by art; the tradition is, that these vacuities were dug for receiving the monks knees, when they prayed upon them.

Martin’s report has an interesting interpretation of the cup-marked stones - the vacuities being made to receive the knees of kneeling monks. The two 'vacuities' can be seen in the above photo (my knees fit perfectly - maybe I was a monk in a previous life).

The Monks' Field

The people of Boreray did not make use of the Monks' Field for burials. They chose a patch of holy ground on Aird a' Mhorain, a mile away on the shore of North Uist.

Cemetery at Aird a' Mhorain

Boreray is a beautiful, peaceful island; covered in short grass that makes for easy walking. It also has spectacular views over the Sound of Harris. Speaking of those views, on my first visit, several years ago, I saw an amazing sight. Far off on the western horizon was Boreray of St Kilda - I was seeing Boreray from Boreray. During my second visit, last May, the sky was hazy, and Kilda was not visible.

Boreray seen from Boreray (Hirta on left - Boreray on right)

See this CANMORE page for more on Cladh Mhanaich.

Looking to Boreray village from the Monk's Field

More Scenes from Boreray - 3 - Then and Now

Here's a Then and Now scene from Boreray. It is of the settlement next to the Monk's Field. I have not been able to find it's name, but on the RCAHMS website it's listed under An Corran, which is the place name of the sand-bar that juts out into the sound just to the east of it. The first photo was taken by Erskine Beveridge in 1904. The second one I took in 2010. Other than the outer walls there's not much left of the village. The 16 crofters who lived here asked to be evacuated, a request that was granted in 1923.

Boreray village at An Corran - 1904 (Photo: Erskine Beveridge)

Boreray village at An Corran - 2010

More Scenes from Boreray - 2

One of the many highlights of visiting the isles in the Sound of Harris are the views to be had of the many white-sand beaches in the area. Here's one such view from Boreray; it is looking east across Loch Mor to the narrow strip of land that separates it from the Sound of Harris. Two miles off in the distance you can see amazing white-sand beach of Berneray. As often happens in the Hebrides, even though gray, menacing clouds fill the sky, the sun is sneaking under them to shine on the beach.

Berneray beach (in the distance) seen from Loch Mor of Boreray

More Scenes from Boreray - 1

While we're on the subject of Boreray, here are a few more photos. The first is of the free church; constructed in the 1880s, and last used in the 1920s. Jerry Cox, the only resident of Boreray these days, told me rats often nest in the structure. I took a look inside, but did not stay long, as noisy critters of some kind were scampering around in the rotten rafters. 

   

Boreray Free Church, last used in the 1920s

The next photo is, to me anyway, a unique view: Boreray seen from Boreray. On the horizon to the left is Hirta, and to the right is Boreray of St Kilda.

Boreray of St Kilda (in the distance to the right) seen from Boreray (Sound of Harris)

Boreray and the Naked Monk

Boreray, in the Sound of Harris, is almost two islands; as it is nearly cut in two by Loch Mor. The loch is a bit brackish, as it is barely above sea level, and the only thing standing between the loch and the sea is a narrow storm-beach.

In 1885 a sluice was built through the beach and the loch was drained. With a flood gate in place, any seawater that got in could be drained at low tide. Although this effort reclaimed some 60 acres for cultivation, the sluice was eventually abandoned.  

There may have been some sort of connection between the loch and the sea before the sluice was built. Martin Martin, writing 300 years ago, had this to say of Loch Mor:

   

…a freshwater lake well stocked with eels… there is a passage under the stony ground, which is between the sea and the lake, through which it is supposed the eels come in with the spring tides; one of the inhabitants called Mack-Vanish (the Monk’s Son) had the curiosity to creep naked through this passage.

When I was on Boreray I looked for the mysterious tunnel, but there was no sign of it. That was probably a good thing, for if I'd found it I'd have been tempted to crawl through naked.  

Storm beach seen from the south

Storm beach seen from the north