The name is derived from Cill-chomhain, the church of St Comghan (variously spelt Congan, Comgan, Comhghan, Chomhghain), a Leinster prince who lived in the late seventh and early eighth centuries, became an abbot, and eventually settled near Lochalsh in Ross-shire, from where he founded churches up and down the west coast. That St Comghan founded a church beside this bay indicates that there was already a community living there.
St Comghan's Church:
The site of St Comghan's Church is marked with a red arrow in the top photograph. It stands on a low knoll some 250m back from the shoreline and, before the planting of trees around its east side, would have commanded a fine, all-round view.
The site is accessible by walking up the drive of the old Manse, Meall mo Chridhe, and passing through the gate at the top. It should be bourn in mind that the site is now a scheduled monument.
There's much more about St Comghan's on the Clan MacIain website, here.
History of Kilchoan:
There is no evidence of Kilchoan in the written record until 1618 when, in the Register of the Privy Council XII, the clachan's tenants are named as Ewne McFinla VcGillene [or VcGillevir] and John McFinla his son.
In a 1737 survey, again carried out on the orders of Sir Alexander Murray, Kilchoan is recorded as having eight families composed of 13 men, 12 women, and 10 children. 1080 acres were tenanted, and were valued at 5 penny land. The people kept 60 cows, 16 horses and 60 sheep. Some of the tenants were named at the time as Alexander McDonald in 1737, and Donald McKenzie, John McColl, Duncan McKenzie and Donald McIllyvrie in 1739. [1]
In the description of the Ardnamurchan Estate on the eve of sale in 1767, Kilchoan is described thus:
SW from Skinned at the distance of about 2 Miles on the side of a hill fronting the sea lies the Kirk of Killyhoan which was lately rebuilt & Slated & about it a Burial place but not inclosd. Betwixt it & the sea lies a small Farm of the same name with a very good Millhouse of stone and lime & slated about which are 5 or 6 acres of grass ground & 6 or 7 of Meadow or low ground betwixt it & the sea, included in which is the Minister’s Glebe which he has let at £5 per an. There is also a pretty good house on the Farm built for a publick house by Sir Alexr Murray – There is also some Limestone on this Farm-all these Farms is to be understood to have very large & extensive hill pastures there is a great deal of Ware all along this coast for Kelp. The Tennants use a good deal of it for that purpose as also for Manure for their ground, but there is no Fishery of any kind but some that the Tennants catch for their own use and by all accounts there seems to be very little Encouragement for erecting any thing of that kind. [1]
William Roy's map of the area, a military map drawn up in the years between 1747 and 1752 following the '45 rebellion, shows houses in 'Killchoan' in three areas outside the main village. A lone building beside the Millburm may be the mill, while the building above the word 'Killchoan' may be St Comghan's church. A third, to the southeast and roughly where Pier Road is today, may be the isolated farmstead seen in Cowley's map, whose remains are visible between Pier Road and Torr Solais.
By comparison with Roy's map, William Bald's 1806 map, commissioned by Sir Alexander Riddell some years before he began clearing some of the clachans on the Ardnamurchan Estate, provides a wealth of detail about Kilchoan. The glebe, land allocated to the church, is shown extending across Glebe Hill, while fields belonging to Kilchoan are shown well up the road to the north coast. It's interesting to note that Kilchoan, today the largest township on West Ardnamurchan, appears to have relatively few houses in 1806. [2]
Alexander Low, who conducted a survey of the Estate to accompany Bald's map, describes Kilchoan as 'a piece of pretty good low land' and suggests that it has too few tenants so that, if it were divided into crofts, it could accommodate more - a helpful suggestion when Riddell was planning to clear other clachans.
At some point towards the middle years of the 19th century, the clachan was duly reorganised into a crofting township. Today there are seven crofts which have access to extensive common grazings.
[1] From "Lost Placenames of Ardnamurchan", Jim Kirby, available from Amazon.
[2] Bald's map courtesy Donald Houston, Ardnamurchan Estate
At some point towards the middle years of the 19th century, the clachan was duly reorganised into a crofting township. Today there are seven crofts which have access to extensive common grazings.
[1] From "Lost Placenames of Ardnamurchan", Jim Kirby, available from Amazon.
[2] Bald's map courtesy Donald Houston, Ardnamurchan Estate
Kilchoan Mill:
The foundations of Kilchoan's mill building are still visible on a recent Google map image - they're ringed. The mill is on Tigh an Uilt croft, near the Sanna turn. It was a water mill, using the appropriately named Millburn which is seen on the image running in the woodland just to the west of it.
Looking back into the mill's history has been a fascinating exercise. The earliest map which might show it is Bruce's map (see above) where what might be a waterwheel is shown next to a house, while Roy's map also shows a house in the right place (arrowed).
The mill is clearly marked on William Bald's map, drawn for the Ardnamurchan Estate. It was dated 1806, but this picture is from a very faithful copy held at the Estate. The mill race, which brought the water from the Mill Burn into the mill house, is also visible. One wonders whether fields A and B were marked in blue because they were flooded to provide a reliable water supply for the mill race, and one further assumes that the fields marked A to D were all part of the mill's land.
While Bald's main purpose was to record the size of the fields held by each tenant, and their use, Alexander Low's survey, carried out shortly after, added a little more detail His entry is difficult to read, but it records the 'Kilhoan Mill and Change-House' as belonging to Donald Connel who held 7.6 acres of arable land with a rent in 1806 of £13.5.-, and in 1807 of £20.-.-, the total value of the property being £20.-.-. He also states that, "Besides this land, the Miller has grazings on the Farm of Kilhoan valued with that Farm".
A 'change house' usually means a place where travellers can rest and take refreshment and
(sometimes) hire fresh horses (ie 'change' their horses) - a sort of primitive inn.
(sometimes) hire fresh horses (ie 'change' their horses) - a sort of primitive inn.
The mill is marked on the first OS map, dated 1856. Bald's map shows several buildings to the immediate east of the mill, but these have been reduced to one in 1856, which is probably the existing croft house.
The 1872 OS map shows a dam across the Mill Burn and marks a sluice. These were, presumably, designed to raise the water level for the mill's use. The mill is labelled a 'Corn Mill'. The dwelling house is marked as much larger than it is today, and at least two buildings have 'reappeared' to the east: one of them may be the house presently called Ben Talla.
We know that the mill was leased for five years to John MacPhail in 1892 by the then owner of Ardnamurchan Estate, John Jamie Dalgleish. The lease included 'Kilchoan Meal and Carding Mill and the Machinery therein', the 'mill lead and troughs for bringing on the water to the Water Wheel', the arable land and hill grazing attached, the 'whole of the Upper Flat consisting of two rooms, and the easternmost lower room of the Old Inn at Kilchoan', these rooms to be used as a dwelling house, and the westernmost room which was a 'shop or store' - all for an annual rent of £18. The lease was renewed in 1897 for a further five years.
This enquiry was precipitated by the Diary being lent a copy of the 1899 6" OS map of Kilchoan by Alasdair Thornton, from which this extract is taken. It shows that, despite the recent renewal of the lease, the mill race appears to have fallen out of use: it labels an 'Old Sluice', and refers to the building as the 'Old Corn Mill'. Further, the miller's house, Tigh an Uilt, has had the western end demolished, so it's down to the size it is today.
On both this and the previous map the public track from Kilchoan to Ormsaigbeg passes immediately in front of the mill owner's house, and follows the line of the present drive to a foot bridge which crosses the Mill Burn. The footbridge is on the site of the present bridge, while the old track crossed the Mill Burn near its mouth.
A lease between CD Rudd, owner of Ardnamurchan Estate, and a Mrs MacPhail, dated 1902, includes reference to "House, Shop, Byre, Land, and Grazings at Kilchoan". This confirms that the mill was not functioning then. The mill was certainly out of use by 1915, when the land court fixed the annual rent for a Mrs Mary MacPhail at £9:10/-. By 1938 there was still a 'store' on the croft, and Tigh an Uilt croft house continues to be known as The Store up to the present day.
The mill building was used for other purposes, for example for housing cattle, sheep, and hay, and a serious attempt was made to completely refurbish it and turn it into a bistro, but the costs were high and grants unavailable. The mill building was in a state of decay by the time this aerial photo was taken in 1991.
Many thanks to John Burgess for these two photographs of the mill, which were taken towards the end of its life.
The building was finally demolished in 2001, leaving a large iron, cogged wheel standing on the site, and one of three stone grinding wheels leaning up against the gable end of the croft house.
Many thanks to Pat MacPhail, Alasdair Thornton and John Burgess for their help.
Tigh an Uilt croft house has a spacious first-floor apartment to let.
To book, contact Sykes Cottages.
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