Hylda and Bev stumbled across the overgrown remains of the historic building in forest near Tobermory while exploring the remains of a rural settlement site as part of the Scotland’s Rural Past (SRP) project, run by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS).

 

The two ladies were thrilled when RCAHMS’s field investigation team confirmed that they had indeed found the ruins of what might be a chapel, possibly dating from between the 7^th and 11^th centuries. Several early Christian chapels are known on Mull, but this site had been completely forgotten – even its name was lost.

 

Tertia Barnett, SRP manager, said: “This site has really captured the imagination of local people. Hylda and Bev wrote to Time Team about their discovery and their continued enthusiasm for the project has resulted in this unique chance to find out more.

 

“Everyone involved would be delighted if the Time Team excavation could confirm whether or not it is a chapel and provide evidence for the date of the structure.”

 

The building remains lie on a Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) site in an area known as Baliscate. They sit close to a deserted settlement, probably called Balisgate, believed to have been abandoned in the 18^th century at the time when the town of Tobermory was developing. During Time Team’s visit, SRP and RCAHMS staff and local volunteers will also be researching and recording the settlement site to find out more about who lived there and when it was occupied.

 

“Time Team operates within a strict time limit of three days so it will be a concentrated period of intense – and tiring – activity for the volunteers who will be working alongside our team to finish the survey of the deserted settlement while Time Team completes the excavation of the suspected chapel site. Like Bev and Hylda, we are really hoping we can discover more of Mull’s story as a result,” Tertia said.

 

Nick Purdy, Forest District Manager for Forestry Commission Scotland in West Argyll said :

 
"We care for many archaeological and historic sites on the national forest estate, but this part of the world is especially rich in archaeology. Once they thought they'd discovered something, Bev and Hylda came to us for permission to investigate further and we were happy to oblige." 

 

Matt Ritchie, FCS Archaeologist added: "The Time Team excavation is a welcome opportunity to investigate the date and function of this unusual site. The excavation will hopefully shed more light on the history and archaeology of Mull and Argyll - and the results will be used to inform the conservation of similar sites across the national forest estate."

 

Scotland’s Rural Past is a five-year nationwide project that has been set up by RCAHMS to support local communities to investigate and document abandoned rural settlements.

 

SRP training teaches participants new skills, including using old maps and documents, recognising and interpreting historic rural settlement remains and archaeological features in the landscape, and recording sites using archaeological survey techniques and photography.

 

The information on historic rural settlements gathered by the volunteers becomes part of the national database of RCAHMS, housed in Edinburgh, and is made publicly accessible via the RCAHMS website search facility Canmore.

 

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