Exploring Historic Kilbride

In my opinion, Argyll is church country and there are some incredible little chapels dotted around the coast. Amongst all of these, you would struggle to find a church as interesting as Historic Kilbride. You won’t find a guardian nearly as enthusiastic as Liam Griffin either. I spotted the ruins out of the corner of my eye while driving past and immediately dropped my plans to investigate. Incapable of walking past a sign, I became engrossed in reading the stories of Kilbride on the information board. I barely even noticed Liam appear on the path having just finished showing another couple around.

Even though he was about to retire into his house next door, the tireless guide had no problem in delving straight back into the tales of the historic Kilbride Church and its buried inhabitants. I might think of myself as a storyteller, but Liam is one of the most passionate people I’ve ever heard, telling tales that clearly mattered to him. It was obvious that he couldn’t bare the thought of me leaving this place having missed a single interesting anecdote. Even with a leg injury, he insisted on showing me and Molly around accompanied by his own rather beautiful yellow Labrador.

The Background of Historic Kilbride Church

In Scotland, a place name starting “Kil” usually refers to a church and so Kilbride is the Church of St Bride. The first reference to this place is in a charter from the time of Alexander II. Eventually, Kilbride became one of the many burial sites of the MacDougall Chiefs. Once the most powerful family in Western Scotland, their power started to fade after coming to blows with Robert the Bruce in the early 14^th century. The MacDougall Burial Aisle holds the remains of some fascinating characters and if you have a clan connection or even just a passing interest then Historic Kilbride is unmissable.

Not all of the burials are MacDougalls but that doesn’t make them any less interesting. Liam has put in countless hours of research so credit to him for every single story here.

Johnie With The Two Hearts

Johnie was a local Campbell gentleman, believed to have lived sometime in the 17th century. When he was around 30 years old, this gentleman was shot in the chest with a pistol and left for dead. Only he didn’t die. Miraculously Johnie went on to live a full and happy life, fathering more than his fair share of children. Nobody knew how he had survived but he became something of a local celebrity! The story goes that when he eventually died, they cut Johnie open to see what was inside and discovered the man had two hearts. One had been shot while the other kept him living.

Putting thoughts of internal bleeding out of your minds, it’s a great story. Historic Kilbride even has an interesting grave to back it up. Hidden under the long grass, the grave of Johnie of the Two Hearts shows intricate carvings containing two hearts and a pistol with the outline of an angel above. Maybe this was the man’s guardian who protected him through his life changing incident.

Mary of Sleat & Iain Ciar MacDougall

Two of the largest, flat gravestones inside the MacDougall Memorial Aisle are for Clan Chief Iain Ciar and his wife Mary of Sleat. Iain was based at the MacDougall stronghold, Dunollie Castle just outside Oban and from there, sailed his birlinn ship all the way to Skye to court Mary of Sleat. The courting obviously went well since the two were soon married. Before long, MacDougall left Dunollie to fight in the 1715 Jacobite uprising with young Mary looking after her new home. Unfortunately, the rising didn’t go well and MacDougall went on the run.

He fled to Ireland where the outlaw made a name for himself as a legendary warrior. He even defeated a ferocious local giant before moving on to join more exiled Jacobites in France. When MacDougall eventually returned to Scotland, he discovered things had not gone so well for his poor wife. Mary had been driven from Dunollie and forced to work for her food alongside those that had recently served her. With her husband’s return and pardon, the couple were eventually allowed back to Dunollie Castle. They became the first permanent residents of the new MacDougall Memorial Aisle.

Other Residents of Historic Kilbride

There are many other interesting graves around Historic Kilbride that don’t have the same kind of obvious story. My favourite is the family of a blacksmith with a chain of horseshoes protecting their plot. Graves of the O’Connachers sit right next to the MacDougall Memorial Aisle. They were hereditary apothecaries and surgeons to the MacDougalls and it seems like they are placed to serve the family even in death.

Take your time wandering around Historic Kilbride and I guarantee you will find even more that interests you. There are graves from the 13th century right up to the modern day.

The Lerags Cross

The church isn’t the only interesting feature in the area. The Lerags Cross was raised in 1516 by Archibald Campbell of Lerags to give thanks after the Battle of Flodden. It might seem strange to erect a monument to a battle that the Scots lost but Archibald was right to be appreciative. He was one of the few noblemen who came back alive.

After the reformation, the Lerags Cross was seen as far too Catholic and cast down from its original hill. All of the pieces were fortunately discovered in the grounds of Kilbride Church and fitted back together. In 1926, the cross was placed on this small hill by the road, held together by a metal frame. It’s a beautiful work of art, created on Iona and we’re very fortunate that it has survived!

Visiting Historic Kilbride

I couldn’t recommend visiting Historic Kilbride enough. There is a very special kind of atmosphere here with a particularly ancient feeling. The graves aren’t lined up in neat rows but they sprawl around the hillside naturally. The Friends of Kilbride have started hosting events here as an outdoor event and I can’t wait to experience one for myself.

If you’re lucky enough to be shown around by Liam then you’re in for an unforgettable experience. I’m sure he could keep you enthralled for hours if you had the time. Add in a friendly Labrador and you’ve got the perfect day out. It’s organisations like Friends of Kilbride and people like Liam that restore a bit of faith in humanity. Time and money has gone in to dragging the church and its history out of obscurity and into something that people like us can fully appreciate.

Historic Kilbride is located here – https://g.page/historic-kilbride

The site has a good car park and excellent information boards. While there is no official charge for visiting, this is a place that deserves your donation. If you have been then let me know what you thought. If you’re planning on going after reading this then even better!

Find out more on their website: https://www.friendsofkilbride.scot/

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