Holy wells have a long tradition in the Highlands, with speculation that they may date back into pre-Christian times (Map 3.2; Morris and Morris 1982). As with the Iron Age, there appears to have been a focus on underground, watery areas, with High Pasture Cave in Skye as the main example (Case study High Pasture Cave). However, there has been little detailed dating of holy wells, and further investigation of their early origins would be useful.
In This Section:
Regional
- Clyde Valley Archaeological Research Framework (CVARF)
- South East Scotland Archaeological Research Framework
- Highland Archaeological Research Framework
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Sources
- 3. Land and Environment
- 4. Palaeolithic and Mesolithic
- 5. Neolithic
- 6. Chalcolithic and Bronze Age
- 7. Iron Age
- 8. Early Medieval
- 9. Medieval
- 10. Post-Medieval
- Highland Archaeological Research Framework: Case Studies
- Bibliography
- Perth and Kinross Archaeological Research Framework
- Regional Archaeological Research Framework for Argyll
- South West Scotland Archaeological Research Framework
- Scotland's Islands Research Framework for Archaeology
8.6.6 Holy Wells
Case Study: High Pasture Cave