St Kilda's Church, Torosay (Mull)

Grid reference

NM 609 248 (accurate position)

Six-figure easting & northing

160900 724800

Latitude

56.35507476202439

Longitude

-5.870770206275963

Altitude (metres)

5

County

Argyllshire

Nearby places

Port Màire, Torosay (Mull) (0.33 miles)

Tobar Màire, Torosay (Mull) (0.37 miles)

Tobar Choluim Chille, Torosay, Mull (1.14 miles)

St Mary's Well, KKV (Mull) (4.8 miles)

St Mary's Chapel, KKV (Mull) (4.8 miles)

Object Classification

Ecclesiastical

Is linear feature?

No

Notes

Episcopalian church, built 1875 (NMRS). The place-name 'St Kilda', an island-name, arises from a misintepretation of the Old Norse name Skilðar, a group of Atlantic islands laying some 50 km west from Uist and Harris. The name has nothing to do with any actual saint. However, an entertaining story about the origin of the name is told in J.P. MacLean 'A History of Clan MacLean' (Cincinatti, 1889), p 335: 'The present MacLean of Lochbuie was instrumental in building, near his mansion, St Kilda's Chapel. He informed me that he had decided to call the structure St Oran's chapel. The rector related to the bishop the legend of St Ordan .... After hearing the recital the bishop refused to dedicate the chapel to St Oran. Lochbuie, disgusted by the credulity of both his rector and bishop and somewhat nettled, declared firmly that its name should be St Kilda'. This story raises the possibility that MacLean of Lochbuie, disgusted by the clergy, deliberately chose a non-saint as the dedicatee of his new chapel as a trick or mocking joke against the respectable gentlemen.

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/

Relationships with other parishes

Within Torosay, parish alias Killean (Mull)

Within Torosay, parish alias Killean (Mull)