Field Visit

Date 27 May 1921

Event ID 1105108

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1105108

RCAHMS Inventory: Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles.

Dun Gerashader, near Portree.

Between a bend in the River Chracaig and Lon a Ghearraidh, a small feeder on its left bank, about 1 mile north-north-east of Portree, is a flat-topped ridge with sides and ends rocky and in places precipitous. It runs almost due north and south, and rises about 40 feet above the immediate surrounding rough country, and its elevation is about 300 feet above sea level. The northern and least accessible half of the ridge is occupied by the ruins of Dun Gerashader, once a fort of great strength (Fig. 257). The enceinte, oval in shape, measures internally 168 feet from north-north-west to south-south-east, and 100 feet at its widest from east-north-east to west-south-west, and has been surrounded by a well-built stonewall. This wall has been erected on the edge of the ridge along the east and west flanks and round the northern end, but at the southern end of the enclosure it is carried transversely across the ridge, about its highest point and near the middle of its length, as a more massive structure (Fig. 259), measuring 14 feet in thickness and rising about 15 feet above the level of the enceinte. The mass of tumbled stones at the base of the inner side of this wall is 10 feet wide and 9 feet high, and above this the face exhibits fine drystone building. Much of the walling is almost obliterated, but at several places the foundations can be traced, showing a width varying from 7 feet on the eastern flank to 11 feet on the western. Outside the southern wall are the remains of lines of obstructions (Fig. 258), in rows of large boulders, up to 5 feet in length, set on edge across the ridge, the distance between the outer faces of the defences in this direction measured from the interior being about 32 feet, 33 feet, and 23 feet respectively. While the two outer lines are carried completely across the summit of the ridge, a third is carried only as far as a rocky bluff on the eastern side of the ridge. Immediately behind this line at its south-western angle is an enclosure 28 feet in length and 13 feet in breadth. There has also been a small oval structure 10 feet long by 7 feet broad on the inside of the second wall near its east end. The ridge extends about 50 yards southwards beyond the outer line of defence.

The entrance to the dun is near the middle of the eastern flank, where the foundations of a gateway 6 feet 8 inches wide are to be seen. The approach is difficult as this part of the ridge is rocky, but a narrow ledge extending towards the south may have formed the roadway. Between the entrance and the southern end of the enceinte there has been an opening, the northern jamb remaining in position. Within the fort are the foundations of a number of small stone-walled structures, the majority of them now difficult to trace. As to their origin and purpose nothing definite can be said. Against the north-eastern curve of this defence are the foundations of a semicircular enclosure of about 34 feet diameter internally, with a wall 3 feet 6 inches in thickness, and along the western wall are indications of a somewhat similar building.

RCAHMS 1928, visited 27 May 1921.

OS map: Skye xxiv (Dun Gernshader).