Today we were again moving south so made our last visit on North Uist to the Trinity Temple (Teampull Na Trionaid in Gaelic). Trinity Temple is situated on the south of the island and on the way to the Isles of Grimsay and Benbecula, and ultimately, our next accommodation on the Isle of South Uist.
It should be noted that ‘The Uists’ are made up of six islands being Berneray, North Uist, Grimsay, Benbecula, South Uists and Eriksay, in that order north to south. Gaelic is still widely spoken on the islands of The Uists by its population of 4,846 (2024 figures from the Scottish Government).
The photo above is Trinity Temple as it is today. It is an historic ruin of a medieval monastery and college, believed to be founded by Beathag, a Black Nun and daughter of Somerled, a Norse-Gaelic Lord. It was also thought to be an important centre of learning in the Middle Ages, and possibly until well beyond the Reformation.
It is believed that Trinity Temple was subsequently enlarged in the second half of the 1300s by Amy MacRuan, the first wife of John, Lord of the Isles, before being reconstructed in the 1500s. After the Reformation, the church fell out of use, and despite stories of a continuing role as a school in the 1700s and presence of sculpture within the church in the early 1800s, the church was in a ruinous state by the time it was visited by MacGibbon and Ross while compiling their Ecclesiastical Architecture of Scotland, published in 1896.
Close to the Trinity Temple is a sign marking the Battle of Carinish.
The Battle of Carinish is said to have been the last battle fought in Scotland using only traditional weapons. The resident clan at the time was the MacDonalds. A dispute arose when one of them decided to divorce his wife, a MacLeod from Harris. The result was the arrival of a strong raiding party of the MacLeods, and the battle seems to have taken place here because the MacDonalds were seeking sanctuary for themselves and their belongings within the precincts of the Trinity Temple. The battle was a victory for the resident MacDonalds and the subsequent naming of part of the battlefield as the ‘ditch of blood’ is an indication that few, if any, of the raiding party survived to see Harris again.
We then went south to the Isle of Benbecula crossing the North Ford Causeway (built in 1960) which also connects to the Isle of Grimsay.
Our next visit of the day was to the medieval graveyard and chapel of Baile Nan Cailleach on the Isle of Benbecula.
In the late 12th century with the end of Norse colonisation and settlement, the first outlines of church history on Benbecula emerge. From Somerled (died 1164) descended the leading dynasties that were to rule the Hebrides and the territory of the Lordship of the Isles until the late 15th century. A key aspect of their power was patronage of the church and in particular their support of Iona.
A new Benedictine community of monks was established on Iona in 1203 by Reginald, son of Somerled, which gained control over all the churches in the Hebrides. Over time it also acquired lands in the Uists, including Baile a’ Mhanaich, ‘the township belonging to the monks’. Reginald also founded a convent of Augustinian canonesses on Iona with his sister, Behoc, as the first prioress. His son, Donald, was one of its earliest benefactors. Having travelled to Rome to repent to the Pope for a wild and violent life, Donald returned to Scotland to make amends through church patronage. This included granting the island of Heisgeir to the nuns of Iona. The other portion of land in the Uists granted to the Iona convent was Baile nan Cailleach, hence its name, meaning the ‘township belonging to the nuns’. The dedication of the chapel – Teampull Mhuire – to the Virgin Mary, underlines this link.
Patronage enabled the church to fulfil its core function of spiritual and pastoral care, through a resident-ordained clergy and access to Mass and the sacraments. It is unclear how this operated within the islands at a local level but the burial ground of Cladh Mhuire, situated at Baile Nan Cailleach, would have been integral to it.
We then went south again, leaving the Isle of Benbecula to cross to the Isle of South Uist. Just off the main road on Isle of South Uist is a sculpture of the Madonna and Child called “Our Lady of the Isles”.
The sculpture was commissioned shortly after the Ministry of Defence proposed a missile testing range be constructed. This caused much concern that it would destroy much of the island’s way of life, culture and language. Resistance to the proposal was led by Canon John Morrison, the local parish priest. The sculpture was intended to be both an expression of the devotion of the people of South Uist to the Blessed Virgin Mary but was also intended to be a public and permanent reminder to “strangers” that they were entering a different world. People of all denominations supported the project through fundraising and the giving of their labour to construct the road and the foundations for the 40 tonne sculpture.
Guided missiles are test fired from South Uist and tracked by a station at St Kilda. It allows the Armed Forces to test the capabilities, accuracy and reliability of its air and sea weapons before they are used in combat.
The missile range was going to be closed and, surprisingly, the plans were greeted with howls of disapproval from the locals with claims that the island’s economy would be ruined as a result. This was very different to when it was proposed in 1957. It seems that the future of the range has been secured and it will remain in service until at least 2028.
After this visit, we moved on south to our next accommodation.
Words and photos: Copyright John Cruse 2025