In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Cairn Na Burgh Beg like this:
Cairnburgbeg and Cairnburgmore, two of the five principal isles of the Treshinish group in the Argyllshire Hebrides, 3 miles W of the mouth of Loch-Tua in Mull, 5 NNW of Staffa, and 5½ SE of Coll. Their coasts, in general, are cliffs from 40 to 45 feet high; and their surfaces rise in hemispherical outline to an altitude of about 300 feet above sea-level, and look, at some distance, almost like models of two ancient shields. ...
A fortalice of the Macleans was on Cairnburgmore; is supposed to have been erected on the site of a Scandinavian work of the 13th century; became, at the time of the Reformation, the receptacle of books and records from Iona; sustained a siege by a detachment of Cromwell's army, with the result of destruction to the Iona documents; was the scene of repeated conflicts in the rebellion of 1715; and is now in a state of ruin. A barrack was built on Cairnburgbeg in the 17th century, and, as to its walls, is still tolerably entire.
Cairn Na Burgh Beg through time
Cairn Na Burgh Beg is now part of Argyll and Bute district. Click here for graphs and data of how Argyll and Bute has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Cairn Na Burgh Beg itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Cairn Na Burgh Beg in Argyll and Bute | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/21965
Date accessed: 21st May 2024
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