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Field Visit
Date 6 July 1988
Event ID 1121730
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1121730
The surviving remains of this hut-circle group (the type-site for double-walled hut-circles) comprise eight hut-circles which lie within a long, narrow clearing in the middle of a Forestry Commission plantation between NO 1281 5752 and NO 1224 5722.
The first edition of the OS 6-inch map 1867, sheet 42, noted the positions of seven hut-circles and a number of small cairns close to the path which today leads from Craighton steading to Loch Mhoraich. In 1866 Stuart (1868) noted the same hut-circles, but by 1932 Thorneycroft (1933) had identified a total of nineteen.
Unfortunately Thorneycroft does not appear to have planned the site as a whole and his small-scale plan of the site in relation to other hut-circle groups (1933) is of limited use. It shows that all the hut-circles lay on the N side of the path, but with the exception of the easternmost hut-circle (1) none of the positions marked on the plan can be reconciled with the known location of hut-circles on the 1:10,000 map. As a result neither the double-walled hut-circle which was excavated in 1932 (Thorneycroft's hut F), nor the tangential pair (Thorneycroft's huts Q and Q) which were subsequently excavated (1948) can now be located.
Both the OS (1st edition map) and Stuart noted the presence of small cairns within the vicinity of the hut-circles. Thorneycroft excavated at least three of the cairns and concluded that they were clearance heaps. Most appear to have been destroyed by the forestry.
1. NO 1281 5752 (OS 'A') This heather-covered hut-circle measures 8.2m in diameter within a rubble bank 1.8m thick and 0.4m high and there is an entrance on the SE. An area about 5m in diameter at the centre of the interior appears to be slightly sunken.
2. NO 1240 5732 (OS 'B') This hut-circle is crossed by the modern path and measures about 9m in diameter within a rubble bank 2.3m in thickness and 0.3m in height; an entrance is situated on the ESE.
3. NO 1231 5730 (OS 'C') This heather-covered hut-circle measures 7.5m in diameter within an inner wall marked by an intermittent row of large stones, and 14m in diameter over an outer wall 1.4m thick and 0.2m high. The entrance is on the SSE.
4. NO 1232 5728 (OS 'D') This hut-circle lies immediately SSE of (3) and has been levelled into the slope. It measures 11m in internal diameter and is defined by a rear scarp and a bank (2.3m in thickness and up to 0.4m in internal height); the entrance is on the ESE. The SW side of the hut-circle is obscured by a thick growth of heather.
5. NO 1228 5726 (OS 'E') This double-walled hut-circle measures 8m in diameter within an inner wall, which is faced with upright slabs on the N and slab-and-boulder-built on the S. It measures about 16m in diameter overall and the outer wall (1m thick and 0.2m high) has been reduced to little more than a scarp on all sides but the NNW; the entrance is on the SSE. The OS noted traces of an old excavation within the hut-circle; this is unlikely to have been the work of Thorneycroft and may have been the result of excavations carried out by Stuart.
6. NO 1230 5725 (OS 'F') This hut-circle is situated immediately SE of (5) and measures 8.5m in diameter within a heather-covered bank 2m thick and 0.3m high. The interior has probably been levelled into the slope and there is an entrance on the SE.
7. NO 1224 5722 (OS 'G') This heather-covered hut-circle is double-walled and measures 9m in diameter within an inner wall which is partially defined by an inner face of upright slabs. The gap between the two walls extends on the SE and overall the hut-circle measures 17.7m NW-SE by 15.5m transversely. The outer wall is up to 1m thick and 0.4m high and there is an outwardly splayed entrance on the SE. It can be identified as Thorneycroft's hut-circle D (1933, 190, fig. 2).
8. NO 1226 5721 (OS 'H') This hut-circle (which may be Thorneycroft's hut-circle C) lies immediately SE of (7) and measures 11m in diameter within a heather-covered bank 1.5m thick and 0.3m high. The interior has been levelled into the slope and the entrance, which is on the SSE, is flanked on its E side by a large boulder. A further three hut-circles were noted by the OS in 1974 but are now inaccessible due to the thick cover of the conifer plantation; the following descriptions are therefore based on the OS records.
9. NO 1207 5716 (OS 'J') This hut-circle is planted with trees but appears to have measured approximately 17.5m in diameter between wall centres; despite its large diameter, there was no trace of an inner wall, and no entrance was visible. It may be identified with Thorneycroft's hut-circle T (1933, 190, fig. 2) which matches the OS description.
10. NO 1205 5735 (OS 'K') The only details of this hut-circle which were recorded by the OS was its diameter of 10m between wall centres and its apparent lack of an entrance. It was not located at the date of visit, although a forestry ride (not shown on the 1:10,000 map) may pass close to its position.
11. NO 1207 5735 (OS 'L') This hut-circle which lay almost immediately ENE of (10) measured 12m in diameter between its wall centres and had a probable entrance on the SE.
Visited by RCAHMS (JRS) 6 July 1988.
J Stuart 1868; RCAHMS 1990.
