Scheduled MonumentsScotlandSkeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains
Medieval · St columba's church & other ecclesiastical remains

Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains

Scotland
HES SM947
Period
Medieval
Site type
St columba's church & other ecclesiastical remains
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Skeabost Island is a site of medieval ecclesiastical remains located in Inverness-shire, Scotland, centring on the ruins of St Columba's Church. The church dates to the medieval period and represents an important example of island-based religious settlement in the Scottish Highlands. The site comprises the church structure alongside other ecclesiastical remains that reflect the religious use and development of the island over time. St Columba's Church stands as evidence of the Christianisation of the region and the significance of island locations for monastic and parochial communities in medieval Scotland.

Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM947. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains?

Skeabost Island is a site of medieval ecclesiastical remains located in Inverness-shire, Scotland, centring on the ruins of St Columba's Church. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM947.

What period does Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains date from?

Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a st columba's church & other ecclesiastical remains. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains?

Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains 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 SM947.

What other scheduled monuments are near Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Clach Ard,symbol stone,Tote,Carbost (0.6 km), Kensaleyre Church, cairns and standing stones 1200m SSE of (2.2 km), Carn Liath,chambered cairn 380m SW of Kensaleyre Church (2.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains'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 Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains

Skeabost Island,St Columba's Church & other ecclesiastical remains stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.