Dedication: Saint Cattan of Bute Location: Drumclach Farm Status: lost |
There appear to have been several saints named Cattan, all of whom seem to have been alive at roughly the same time, although their cults developed separately, at least initially. In particular, the patron saint of Tobar Chattan, St Cattan of Bute, was apparently active in this area during the 6th century, and a number of churches across the far west of Scotland bear his dedication, notably one on the Isle of Gigha (which boasts another of his holy wells), and one on the Isle of Bute, which looks to have been the centre of his medieval cult. Cattan's church and well on the Isle of Bute, however, appear to have been inferior to the neighbouring shrine of his nephew, St Blane, who is said to have been miraculously born of a virgin in the vicinity.
Cattan almost certainly travelled to Colonsay as a missionary, undoubtedly founding Kilchattan's now ruined church during his time on the island, and perhaps baptising the area's inhabitants in Tobar Chattan. Indeed, the holy well evidently possessed a strong link with this church, and was reportedly situated very close to it. However, very little is recorded about the site's history, as is often the case with wells in remote locations, and the only vaguely historical reference that I have found to its existence dates from the early 20th century. This reference takes the form of a brief mention of the well that was included in the second volume of A Book of Colonsay and Oronsay in 1923, which attested that "Tobar Chattan" was located "on the croft of Mr Angus M'Neill", specifically "in the face of the bank opposite Kilchattan Church to the east". The volume also notes that Mr M'Neill was the owner of "Druim Clach" farm, marked on historic Ordnance Survey maps as "Drumclach", and made it clear that the holy well was still in existence, at least when the book was published.
Unfortunately, there is no definitive record of the site's exact location, and although the description provided in A Book of Colonsay and Oronsay may initially appear sufficiently detailed, it is, in fact, somewhat problematic. Whilst the book claims that Tobar Chattan was situated somewhere on Drumclach Farm, specifically to the east of the church, historic Ordnance Survey maps from the time and much earlier do not mark any water sources that even vaguely fit this description. Indeed, OS maps mark several springs, clearly located within the farm's limits, at approximately NR3631794870; but these are firmly south of the church, and are definitely not located in a bank. Rather confusingly, the area both to the east and south of the church is completely devoid of banks of any kind. It is, of course, possible that the authors were referring to one of two wells located on a slope at roughly NR3669794822, around 500 metres south east of the church; however, it is quite a stretch to describe the terrain that they are located on as a "bank", it being more of a rugged hillside. Nonetheless, if Tobar Chattan was ever marked on Ordnance Survey maps, it is most likely that it was one of these two wells.
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