Kilbride (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

: ''Cille Bhrìghde'', or the Church of Saint Bride) is a small

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

in Strath Swordale,

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The township is situated in a pocket of fertile lime-rich soil, between the Red Hills to the north and Beinn an Dubhaich and the Suidhisnis peninsula to the south. It has been inhabited since ancient times; there is a standing stone (Clach na h-Annait), the site of an ancient chapel (or ''annat'') and an ancient well (Tobar na h-Annait) with a stone cover. Newlywed brides were, according to local tradition, brought to the well to ensure fertility. On-going archaeological excavations since 2003 at

High Pasture Cave High Pasture Cave (Gaelic: ''Uamh An Ard-Achaidh'') is an archaeological site on the island of Skye, Scotland. Human presence is documented since the Mesolithic, and remains, including Iron Age structures, point to ritual veneration of either th ...

, on the common grazing east of Kilbride, have revealed continuous use of the site from roughly 700BC to 120AD, for possibly ceremonial purposes centred in and around a large

burnt mound A burnt mound is an archaeological feature consisting of a mound of shattered stones and charcoal, normally with an adjacent hearth and trough. The trough could be rock-cut, wood-lined or clay-lined to ensure it was watertight. Radiocarbon da ...

which had the cave at its heart. Valuable artefacts, including pottery (some of it

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

in origin), a spearhead and components of an ancient

lyre The lyre () is a stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the lute-family of instruments. In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it is a lute in which the strings are attached to a yoke ...

, had been carefully placed on the floor of the cave. At the end of its period of constant use, the cave was carefully back-filled and the remains of two human beings, one woman and one child, were interred over the entrance. The surrounding landscape is exceptionally rich in

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

roundhouses, several of which were surveyed in 2010. Another ancient well, Tobar Tà, features in a prophecy by Kenneth MacKenzie, the

Brahan Seer The Brahan Seer, known in his native Scottish Gaelic as Coinneach Odhar ("Dark Kenneth"), and Kenneth Mackenzie, was, according to legend, a predictor of the future who lived in the 17th century. The Brahan Seer is regarded by some to be the cre ...

, who was alive in the 17th century:

:Tobar sin, is Tobar Tà :Tobar aig an cuirear blàr; :Marbhar Torcuil nan trì Torcuil :Air latha fliuch aig Tobar Tà.

"That well, it's Tobar Tà, a well where a battle will be fought, and Torquil of the three Torquils shall be killed, on a wet day at Tobar Tà". Tobar Tà, now just a small boggy area on the common grazing, is about a kilometer east of the township, next to the Broadford road. In 1745–1746, three men from the township took part in the

Jacobite rising , war = , image = Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet.jpg , image_size = 150px , caption = James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite claimant between 1701 and 1766 , active ...

, fighting for

Prince Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...

in the regiment formed by Iain Dubh

MacKinnon McKinnon, MacKinnon or Mackinnon is a Scottish surname. (Gaelic: ''Mac Fhionghain''), Notable people with this surname include: * Allan McKinnon, P.C., M.C., C.D. (1917–1990), Canadian politician, MP – Victoria 1972-1988 * Alexander "Alex" ...

, chief of the MacKinnons of Strath. Their names (anglicised from the Gaelic) were: John MacInnes, Alexander MacLean, and William Ross.Livingston, Aikman & Hart (Eds) "No Quarter Given: The Muster Roll of Prince Charles Edward Stuart's Army, 1745–1746" Glasgow, 2000

Gallery

File:Kilbride, Isle of Skye - Bàthaich a' Ghìobaire.jpg, Bathaich a' ghìobaire, Kilbride. Blaven range in background File:Kilbride, Isle of Skye - Camas Malaig.jpg, Camas Malaig, Kilbride File:Clach na h-Annait, Kilbride, Skye.jpg, Clach na h-Annait

Footnotes

External links

High Pasture Cave archaeological project
{{Skye Populated places in the Isle of Skye