Scheduled MonumentsScotlandLoch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground
Medieval · St maelrubha's church,chapel and burial ground

Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground

Scotland
HES SM5665
Period
Medieval
Site type
St maelrubha's church,chapel and burial ground
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

St Maelrubha's Church, chapel and burial ground at Loch Eynort is a medieval ecclesiastical site located in Inverness-shire, Scotland. The monument comprises a church, chapel and associated burial ground dedicated to St Maelrubha, the seventh-century Irish monk who founded an important monastery at Applecross on the west Scottish coast. This dedication indicates the site's significance within medieval Christian networks that connected the Hebridean regions to major monastic centres. The church and chapel structures reflect the religious importance of the locality during the medieval period, serving as a focal point for spiritual life and burial practices across several centuries.

The site is situated upon distinctive Palaeocene basalt bedrock that formed during the Paleocene epoch, part of the extensive volcanic geology that characterises much of the Inner Hebrides and adjacent mainland areas. This underlying geology would have influenced both the site's settlement and the character of its landscape, with basalt providing durable stone for church construction and defining the local topography.

St Maelrubha's Church, chapel and burial ground is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under the designation SM5665, recognising its archaeological and historical importance as evidence of medieval religious organisation and community practice in the Scottish Highlands.

Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5665. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground?

St Maelrubha's Church, chapel and burial ground at Loch Eynort is a medieval ecclesiastical site located in Inverness-shire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5665.

What period does Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground date from?

Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a st maelrubha's church,chapel and burial ground. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground?

Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM5665.

What other scheduled monuments are near Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kraiknish dun, 200m SW of Laimhrig na Moine, Isle of Skye (3.3 km), Dun Sleadale,broch (6.1 km), Rubh'an Dunain,chambered cairn,Soay Sound (9.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground

Loch Eynort,St Maelrubha's Church,chapel and burial ground stands on Palaeocene basalt, bedrock that formed in the Paleocene. The rock here is basalt group.