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The medieval Eaglais na h-Aoidhe (St Columba’s Church) stands on the coastline at Aiginis on the Isle of Lewis. In 2015, coastal erosion threatened to undermine parts of the Scheduled church and graveyard site and revealed deeply stratified midden layers. An archaeological excavation was subsequently undertaken during the construction of new coastal defences, followed by a programme of post-excavation analysis on behalf of Ui Church Trust, which has just finished.
Records indicate that Eaglais na h-Aoidhe was first established as a monastic cell in the 6th or 7th century AD by Catan, one of the followers of St Columba. The later 14th- to 15th- century church, which still stands today, was dedicated to the saint. Numerous Macleod chiefs have been buried at the site, and the church was used as a place of worship until 1829.
The first phase of works in 2015 recorded two erosion scars, and a narrow trench was excavated alongside the church for the new coastal defences. The remains of six human burials were encountered in the sheet piling trench, while the erosion scars revealed a sequence of middens and windblown sand deposits, surviving for 2-3m outside and below the ground level of the church site.
Analysis of samples taken from the erosion scars revealed activity dating to the early 15th century, and even earlier material may have survived below the area exposed by erosion. Features and deposits were only visible in section, but evidence of a possible stone wall, hearth feature, and associated midden or occupation deposit appears to be associated with this early 15th-century activity. Later midden layers suggest continued use within periods of abandonment throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Environmental remains retrieved during the project have shown that crops of oat and barley were utilised as food sources alongside cattle, sheep/goat, pig, and a variety of shellfish. Numerous fragmented vessels of locally made Craggan Ware pottery were recovered, too.
In 2023, further works were carried out at the church ahead of construction of a new gateway. Five evaluation trenches uncovered a series of archaeological deposits, features, and windblown sand layers containing charcoal, animal bone, marine shell, pottery, and possible stone tools – providing further evidence for archaeological remains at the site.
This recent work at Eaglais na h-Aoidhe, though minimal, has confirmed that an extensive and significant archaeological site is located around the medieval church, highlighting the high potential for surviving buried deposits and features in the area.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Image: AOC Archaeology Group
