Harris, Scotland.  Day 9, 7th July.

St Clement’s Church at Rodel was built on the site of a much earlier church in the 1520s.

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I was running out of time when I came to this church and I did not climb the tower.  I had made the mistake of staying at an establishment that served dinner which was all very wonderful except that I had to be there from the other side of the island at 7pm.

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The near tomb is that of Alexander MacLeod, eighth MacLeod laird of Skye and Harris, who lived at Dunvegan Castle on Skye.  It dates from 1528.  He was also known as Alasdair Crotach or Humpback.  The far tomb is that of Alexander’s son William, who died in 1551, though a date on the tomb probably reads 1539.

The oldest part of the church possible dates to the 13th century and it was renovated and extended in the 15th and 16th centuries.  St Clements was a Catholic church and fell into disuse in 1560, due to the reformation.  The roof was restored in 1784 and again in 1787 after a fire.  It was used as a cow byre for a while in the nineteenth century and restored again in 1873.

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You can click any image to see it larger.  With this one I have included the full detail in case you want to see exactly what is carved in the tomb.

Five grave slabs.  The left four date from the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries and were originally on the church floor.  The far right one has a date of 1725 and the initials are probably for Roderick Campbell and his wife Anne MacSween..

Another tomb under the window, probably belonging to John MacLeod of Minginish, the 10th laird.

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I headed back by a minor road along the south coast.  I was running very short of time and for some of these I merely stopped the car and took them through the open window.

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This is a very rocky region with little opportunity for agriculture.  Historically, most income must have come from the sea.

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I remember taking this from the car window (though the car was stopped).

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