Summary
Eilean Chaluim Chille (Gaelic: island of Saint Columba, Calum Cille) is an unpopulated island in the Outer Hebrides.
| Scottish Gaelic name | Calum Cille |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | island of Saint Columba |
| Location | |
  Eilean Chaluim Chille Eilean Chaluim Chille shown within the Outer Hebrides | |
| OS grid reference | NB385215 |
| Coordinates | 58°07′N 6°26′W / 58.11°N 6.44°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Lewis and Harris |
| Area | 110 ha[1] |
| Area rank | 144 [2] |
| Highest elevation | Creag Mhor 43 m |
| Administration | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Scotland |
| Council area | Na h-Eileanan Siar |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
 | |
| References | [3][4] |
It lies off the east coast of Lewis at the mouth of Loch Erisort. The island reaches a height of 43m (141 feet) in the northeast.[5] At low tide Eilean Chaluim Chille is connected by a causeway to the mainland of Lewis at Crobeag. There are two lochs in the centre of the island.[6]
History edit
At the southern end of the island lie the ruins of Teampall Chaluim Chille (St Columba's Church).[7] Local tradition has it as the site where Columban monks first arrived in Lewis. Another tradition is that it was built by a man named Columb Kill.[8]
It is cited in a report of 1549 as the main place of worship for the parish of Lochs. There was probably a church there from the medieval period. The cemetery was in use until 1878. Eilean Chaluim Chille is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument.[9]
Footnotes edit
- ^ Rick Livingstone’s Tables of the Islands of Scotland (pdf) Argyll Yacht Charters. Retrieved 12 Dec 2011.
- ^ Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
- ^ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
- ^ Ordnance Survey
- ^ "Eilean Chaluim Chille from The Gazetteer for Scotland". www.scottish-places.info. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "Eilean Chalium Chille". Islandeering. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ "ST. COLUMB'S CHURCH, EILEAN CHALUIM CHILLE, LEWIS | Hebridean Connections". www.hebrideanconnections.com. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ Barrowman, Rachel C.; Francoz, Charlotte; Hooper, Janet; Rennie, Christine; Tompsett, Gary (17 February 2020). "Chapel-sites on the Isle of Lewis: Results of the Lewis Coastal Chapel-sites Survey". Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports. 88: 1–134. doi:10.9750/issn.2056-7421.2020.88. ISSN 2056-7421.
- ^ "Cromore Village". Lochs Community. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
58°06.3′N 6°26.3′W / 58.1050°N 6.4383°W