Description

The monument comprises the remains of a multi-period complex including ecclesiastical, settlement and industrial elements, visible as a mixture of low-lying stone and earth banks and standing ruins. It represents the remains of an ecclesiastical complex, a Viking house or burial and a later industrial kelp burning facility, and the site has a prolonged period of use of at least 1000 years. The site lies on the southeastern side of Nave Island between around 10-20m above sea level.

The Nave Island complex is located adjacent to Port na h-Eaglaise (Port of the Church), a small sandy bay around halfway along the southeastern shore of Nave Island, opposite Ardnave Point in northwest Islay. The earliest remains on the site appear to be an early monastic complex, dating to potentially the 6th-7th century. The next use of the site appears to be during the Viking period and is represented by a bow-sided stone and earth structure, around 70m northwest of the church ruins. The next phase is represented by the ruined church remains, recorded in the mid-16th century but with architectural elements suggesting the current building originates in the early 13th century. The site is then recorded as in use in the post-medieval period for agriculture, and this is visible in in the form of extensive rig and furrow cultivation. What appears to be the final use of the site is for a kelp-burning kiln in the 18th century, constructed within and around the ruins of the chapel. In addition to the features noted above, a number of unidentified buildings can also be identified that likely date to one or more of the major phases of occupation.

The scheduled area is irregular. It includes the remains described above and an area around within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The national importance of the monument is demonstrated in the following way(s) (see Designations Policy and Selection Guidance, Annex 1, para 17): 

a.  The monument is of national importance because it makes a significant contribution to our understanding or appreciation of the past, or has the potential to do so, as a well-preserved example of a multi-period and multi-functional site with a total occupation period of more than 1000 years. 

b.   The monument retains structural, architectural, decorative or other physical attributes which make a significant contribution to our understanding or appreciation of the past. In particular, recognisable elements of all the major phases of occupation can be identified in the visible remains on the ground, and there is significant potential for additional buried remains to survive in and around the visible remains.  

c.   The monument is a rare example of an early Christian site combined with a Viking period settlement or burial and has particular significance in its potential to understand more about the interactions between the ecclesiastical and Viking period uses of the site. 

e.   The monument has research potential which could significantly contribute to our understanding or appreciation of the past, including the early establishment of Christianity within Scotland and the process of Viking settlement on the Atlantic seaboard of Scotland. 

f.   The monument makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the historic landscape as it has remained relatively undisturbed since its final period of use in the late 18th / early 19th century.

Assessment of Cultural Significance

This statement of national importance has been informed by the following assessment of cultural significance:

Intrinsic characteristics (how the remains of a site or place contribute to our knowledge of the past)

The Nave island complex is a well-preserved example of a multi-period and multi-function site, with a time depth of at least 1000 years of occupation. It retains visible well-preserved remains of multiple major phases of use, including an early monastic site, a Viking settlement or burial, a medieval church, an agricultural settlement and an 18th century kelp-burning facility. 

The earliest visible use of the site as a monastic complex is indicated by the curving enclosure of the burial ground, and comparison with other examples suggests a construction date before the 8th century for this site, and possibly as early as the 6th.  Although it is difficult to identify any other remains on site that are definitively from this period, due to the subsequent phases of construction and use, the Early Christian date is supported by the discovery of a cross fragment (now in the Museum of Islay Life) in the paving of the later church, which was previously dated to the 5th century but recent research suggests may be 8th century, based on its similarity to the Kilnave cross (SM2338). It has also been suggested that Nave Island may have been the original location for the Kilnave example, as there is no current evidence of an Early Christian enclosure at Kilnave.

The second phase of use of the site appears to be in the Viking period and is represented by the oval feature the northwest of the complex. Geophysical survey has shown this feature is around 18.5m long and 8m wide and formed of stone and earth banks with round-ends and with bowed sides, and with some visible evidence for possible internal features or remains. The distinctive shape has been identified as Viking in origin, and either a Viking house or potentially a boat burial, as the form of both these monument types would be in keeping with the Nave Island structure.

The ruined chapel represents the next major phase of use of the site. It measures around 8.5m by 5.5m and is constructed of basalt rubble. Two windows survive in the south wall along with one in the north wall, where the remains of a doorway were also described in the late 19th century. The chapel is recorded in documentary sources in the mid-16th century; however, the architectural style suggests the building itself dates to the late 12th or early 13th century.

Agricultural use of the island is also recorded in the 16th century, and appears to continue through until the 18th  century, and it is likely that at this stage the extensive rig and furrow cultivation was created on the island, although earlier agriculture may also have been undertaken in connection with the church or monastic site.

The final phase of use appears to be as a kelp-burning facility, which reused the chapel building in the late 18th century. The primary element of this phase is the kelp burning kiln constructed in the northeast corner of the chapel, with a rubble base and a brick chimney 8.5m high.

Around the site are other visible remains, such as a rubble-built annex attached to the south side of the church and the remains of at least six other structures to the west and north of the chapel that will relate to one or more of the phases of use of the site, but that cannot be conclusively dated currently.

The Nave Island complex has significant potential to enhance our understanding of different periods of Scottish history, including the early spread of Christianity, the impact of the Vikings on Scotland's Atlantic seaboard, medieval ecclesiastical practice, medieval and post-medieval agriculture and the late 18th/ early 19th century kelp-burning industry in the west of Scotland. In addition to the potential value of the site in enhancing our understanding of these individual themes, the spatial and temporal relationships between the different phases of use of the site are also of significant interest. The complex has significant potential to improve our understanding of construction, use, reuse, and abandonment on Nave Island over a period of occupation spanning more than a millennium.

Contextual characteristics (how a site or place relates to its surroundings and/or to our existing knowledge of the past)

The site lies on the southeastern side of Nave Island, adjacent to a small natural harbour at Port na h-Eaglaise. Nave Island itself is a low-lying small island situated off the northwest coast of Islay, opposite Ardnave Point and Loch Gruinart. At its highest, Nave Island only rises to around 34m above sea level, at Carn a' Mhanaich towards the northern end of the island. Below the highest ground a deep rock fissure, Sloc na Maòile, runs from northwest to southeast and almost splits the island into two separate entities.

Although Nave Island is remote today, for much of its history it would have occupied a far more prominent position on the major western sea routes of the Atlantic coast of Scotland and the British Isles. This extensive network of trading and transport links played a significant role in much of Scotland's history, including the spread of Christianity and the later spread of Scandinavian overlordship, both of which are reflected in the remains found on Nave Island.

The ecclesiastical history of the island is strongly reflected in the Gaelic place names. The name of the island itself has had multiple possible Gaelic origins proposed, including Eilean Neimh, meaning (saint) Nem's or Neman's island, Eilean Naomh / Naoimh, meaning saint's island, or possibly even drawing from nemeton, a Gaulish term for a sanctuary which is assigned to some other early Christian sites in Scotland and Ireland. Both Port na h-Eaglaise (port of the church) and Carn a' Mhanaich (cairn / rocky hill of the monk) also reflect a strong ecclesiastical connection with the island among the people in the area.

Associative characteristics (how a site or place relates to people, events, and/or historic and social movements)

There are a number of recorded ecclesiastical figures named Nem or Neman that may connect to the possible origin of the name of Nave Island, including Nem Moccu Birn, a 7th century abbot of the Aran Islands, Neman, an abbot of Lismore recorded in the Annals of Tigernach, Nem Tulach, a bishop named Ném associated with Saint Patrick and another bishop named Nemán of Dairinis.

The island is also recorded as the home of Donald Balloch MacDonald, clan chief of the Dunnyveg branch of the Macdonald's and cousin to Alexander of Islay, Lord of the Isles. Donald commanded the victorious MacDonald forces against a royal army at the battle of Inverlochy in 1431 (BTL34), and afterwards was forced to spend time in exile in Ireland. However, he later returned to Scotland and is reported to have spent his last years living on Nave Island before his death in 1476.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

Historic Environment Scotland http://www.canmore.org.uk reference number CANMORE ID 37472 (accessed on 01/03/2023).

Historic Environment Scotland http://www.canmore.org.uk reference number CANMORE ID 37473 (accessed on 01/03/2023).

Historic Environment Scotland http://www.canmore.org.uk reference number CANMORE ID 318494 (accessed on 01/03/2023).

Local Authority HER Reference http://www.wosas.net/index.html - WoSAS Pin: 2076 (accessed on 01/03/2023).

Local Authority HER Reference http://www.wosas.net/index.html - WoSAS Pin: 2077 (accessed on 01/03/2023).

Hothersall, S. (2012) "The Scottish kelp industry and its archaeology," Historic Argyll, 17, pp. 32–36. Available at: http://www.lahsoc.org.uk/journals/journal_2012/6%20Kelp%20industry.pdf (accessed on 07/03/2023).

King, J. and Cotter, M. "Gaelic in the Landscape: Place-names in Islay and Jura." Sleat: Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba. Available at: https://www.ainmean-aite.scot/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Islay-and-Jura-Index.pdf (accessed on 07/03/2023).

Nave Island, Kilchoman (Islay). Saints in Scottish Place-Names. Available at: https://saintsplaces.gla.ac.uk/place.php?id=1321022109 (Accessed: March 7, 2023).

Nem, Nemán (ns). Saints in Scottish Place-Names. Available at: https://saintsplaces.gla.ac.uk/saint.php?id=528 (Accessed: March 7, 2023).

"Nemeton" Oxford Reference. Available at: https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100228573;jsessionid=45714E941F232E2AF20DE87541B86296 (accessed on 07/03/2023).

Jamieson, E., Adams, C. and Mithen, S., 2022. Archaeological survey of a proposed 'Viking house' on Nave Island, Islay. University of Reading

Waters, G. 2013. Drystone chapels of Islay: aspects of chronology, context and distribution. Edinburgh Research Archive (Available at https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/9733. [accessed on 07/03/2023])

Canmore

https://canmore.org.uk/site/37473/
https://canmore.org.uk/site/37472/

Source: Historic Environment Scotland