Mary Island Archaeological Sites

MARY ISLAND - EILEAN MHUIRE

Map of Mary Island Sites

Mary Island has a similar outline to House Island, being a long island orientated north to south, but is bent in the middle to form an L shape with a narrow prong of a headland thrust out to the east. Topographically there is little similarity between the two islands for Mary Island is uniformly high all around its coastal edge. There is a cobble beach on the southern side on which a landing can be made and from where it is possible to gain access, however, the ground rises, less than shear, climbable, but very steeply. Once on the ‘top’ the impression is that it is indeed a table top plateau, although the surface is far from level, it is even, gently undulating, with the broad ripples of lazy beds to be seen everywhere. Countering this impression is a steeply sloped hill dominating the southern central area barring the way to the east headland. The cliffs the north-east side of the hill have eroded back the hillside so that although the resulting cliff is spectacularly high it has negated the hillslope and a safe passage is possible along the cliff top. On the south side the erosion is less significant and the hill slope becomes dangerously steep as it gets lower, ending in cliffs that may not be as high as those on the other side, but which are still deadly. This steep, near vertical, grassy slope does however have one saving asset, it provides a suitable environment for Puffins to scratch out their burrow nests and one of the Shiant’s large colonies lives here. Once past the hill and the descending hillside becomes narrower until it is no more than a razor edge that gives exciting access to the east headland. Like the southern headland of House Island it appears to have been used little except for grazing and shows no sign of human intervention, remaining useful only to the seagull who uses its bare windswept surfaces as a nesting ground. Apart from the natural beauty and dramatic formations that must thrill anyone there is little to interest the archaeologist here and the focus must shift to the more northern area of the island.

Where the island is bent across its widest central area there is a shallow valley which has gently sloping sides to the north and a stepped shelving side into the flank of the great hill. A small stream runs its length, appearing and disappearing into the earth at each end. On either side of the stream are a number of earthen mounds, and roughly rectangular and square turf banked structures. Further remnant turf structures are to be found where the stream turns to the south at its western end and also to the north, up the slope out of the valley, where a row of co-joining structures, orientated north to south, are sited. Several of the mounded structures are up to two metres high. This group of relic turf buildings appears to represent a settlement of village proportions. The obvious fertility of the island, with its swath of verdant grass covering the regular undulations of cliff to cliff lazy beds, is self evident and settlement should be expected. Alternatively it is conceivable that the island was retained as a garden island with the regular settlements being restricted to the other two island and with the turf buildings representing the seasonal shielings of the agriculturists. This is an attractive idea, but as usual, without documentary evidence it is difficult to verify without excavation. There are several strands of argument that can be taken into account. One of the aspects that tends to suggest temporary accommodation is the fact that the relic buildings are constructed with turf which in itself tends to suggest impermanency to the modern mind more used to thinking in terms of stone. A swift tour of the island soon reveals that the smooth contours allow little possibility for blocks of stone to be readily available at the present day. This is not to say that in the past such stone was not commonly found when the lazy beds or their earlier predecessors were being cultivated.

Another argument for some permanent occupation is the presence of the chapel of St Mary, assuming that its identification is correct, and at present there is little to suggest that it is not, which is located to the north-west of the turf village.