Monument record 304 - TOBAR AINDREAS, SHADER, LEWIS

NB35NE 1 3812 5522.

The waters of St Andrew's Well are used to foretell the outcome of a disease.
M Martin 1934.

Tobar Aindreas, indicated at NB 3812 5522 by Mr Morrison, is now a small hollow filled with rubble stones. There is no evidence of any associated chapel.
Site surveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (N K B) 18 June 1969.

SABS 57: TobarAindreas, Holy well, NB35NE 1/SMR no. 304 NB 38120 55220

Tobar Anndrais (St Andrew's well) is located in the old settlement to the east of Teampall Pheadair (MacLeod 2000, 17), and described as "…one of the most important wells in the Western Isles. It was Martin Martin who first described it as 'St Andrew's well, in the village of Shader, is by the vulgar natives made a test to know if a sick person will die of the distemper he labours under. They send one with a wooden dish to bring some of the water to the patient, and if the dish which is then laid softly upon the surface of the water, turn round sun-ways, they conclude that the patient will recover of that distemper; but if otherwise, that he will die'. This once famous well is nowadays filled up with stones and a fence post". MacLeod 2000, 28. Tobar Anndrais was pointed out by local residents to the author during the survey, but is not in use now, having been either filled in during drainage work, or covered in stones.

Barrowman 2007, 32

Martin Martin, 1695a, A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland c. 1695, 7 (2nd ed., 1716) (Bibliographic reference). SWE5082.

J R Walker, 1882-3, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 186 (Bibliographic reference). SWE7306.

J M Mackinlay, 1893, Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs, 67 (Bibliographic reference). SWE4762.

RCAHMS, 1928, The RCAHMCS 9th Report & Inventory: Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles, 10, No. 24 (Bibliographic reference). SWE5587.

A Macdonald, 1973, Scot Stud, 142 (Bibliographic reference). SWE4005.

Finlay MacLeod, 2000, The Healing Wells of the Western Isles (Bibliographic reference). SWE41171.

Rachel Barrowman, 2007, Siadar Active Breakwater Scheme: Desk-based assessment, walkover survey and recommendations (Unpublished document). SWE41165.