Volume 3 - Electric Scotland

396' INSULAR CHURCHES.
of lotia, consisting of the thirteen islands enumerated by
Dean Monro, do not constitute altogether a large fund.
It is true that lona once derived considerable revenues
from Galway, and elsewhere, according to the early
writers; but, before the Catholic establishments, these
were transferred to Holyrood ; nor does it appear that
the Church of the Islands, in after times, possessed any
foreign revenues. Thus far, and little farther, is it pos-
sible to go ; and we must therefore conclude, as before,
that the parochial establishments were of a limited na-
ture, both with respect to wealth and numbers, and that
a large proportion of those buildings were votive chapels,
or cells, maintained by small means, and by the occa-
sional testamentary or living donations of pious or re-
pentant Chiefs. To illustrate this, I may here quote the
donations of John Lord of the Isles, as recorded in the
genealogical history of the Macdonalds, or Clan Colla;
being the only document of that kind existing. This
pious prince gave large donations to lona. He also co-
vered the chapels of Eorsa and of Finlagan in Isia, and
of an island the present name of which is unknown ; giv-
ing the furniture requisite for maintaining the service of
God, together with that of the Clergy and the Monks.
He also built or repaired the Church of the Holy Cross
but where that was, is unknown. I need not attempt to
dive deeper into this obscure subject.
Whatever else we may decide on those antiquarian
questions, it must be remembered that there was a period
in which, from well-known causes, the clergy were in a
fair way of getting possession of all the property of the
country. If the progress of the early Saxon clergy in
England towards this point, was not equalled by those
of Ireland and Scotland, yet the seventh century pre-
sented a parallel career, even in these countries. This
was the age of monks and monastic establishments, parti-
;