Field Visit
Date 21 May 1915
Event ID 1104664
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1104664
Dun Gearymore, Vaternish.
Dun Gearymore is a broch in an extremely dilapidated condition, but though the mound formed by its remains looks insignificant, it still preserves some of the features of this class of defence much better than many which show a greater height of building. It is situated on the summit of a hillock on the western slope of Beinn Buidhe, at an elevation of 400 feet above sea-level, about 1 mile north by east of Dun Borrafiach (NG26SW 2.01), and some 500 yards from the edge of the cliffs on the western shore of Vaternish peninsula. The broch is circular and measures about 35 feet 3 inches in diameter internally, its wall being about II feet thick. The outer face of the wall is traceable for the greater part of the circumference, but is reduced to only one or two courses of building, except towards the north-west, where it stands 3 feet in height. The interior is filled to a depth of about 4 feet with stones almost entirely obscuring the inner face of the wall. The entrance cannot be detected. On the north-western arc a break in the lintels gives access to a gallery in the interiorof the wall on the ground level, which extends north and east in perfect condition for a distance of about 29 feet. It is very narrow, seldom exceeding 1 foot 6 inches in width, and it is about 5 feet in height. Some 20 feet 6 inches from the present opening on the level of the floor is a well built opening 1 foot 6 inches square leading through the wall into the interior of the broch, apparently an entrance to the gallery. Adjoining the inner and eastern end of this gallery, in the north-eastern arc of the wall, are two conjoined oval chambers or cells considerably dilapidated ; the western portion is the worse preserved, and though its length cannot be ascertained, it measures 3 feet4 inches in width, while the eastern cell seems to be about 8 feet in length and 4 feet 6 inches in breadth. Traces of a gallery are noticeable round the southern side of the dun, and possibly part of it is intact as at least one roofing lintel remains in position. This gallery is also narrow ; it measures about 1 foot 6 inches in width, and its outer and inner walls 5 feet 3 inches and 4 feet 6 inches in thickness respectively. There are numerous ruined houses and stone dykes in the vicinity.
RCAHMS 1928, visited 21 May 1915.
OS map: Skye v.
