Archaeology Notes

Event ID 647986

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/647986

NB35SE 3 3970 5456

(NB 398 546) Clachan Mora Steinacleit (NR)

OS 6" map, Ross-shire, 2nd ed., (1898)

'The hill on which this feature stands is named 'Airidh an Tuim' - 'The Shieling of the Hillock'. The Name Book (1852) describes it as a 'mossy hill, which is small, round and flat', but does not mention any stones at all, and none are shown on the published sheet. Hence any banks may relate simply to shielings."

Name Book 1852; OS 6" map, Ross-shire, 1st ed., (1852)

'... a pointed standing stone marked Clachan Mora Steinacleit on OS map, but known to the people in the neighbourhood as Clach Stei Lin. It measures 5ft high, 2ft 2 ins broad and 1ft 1 in. thick.

Lying S by W of this stone at a distance of some 141ft is a long prostrate stone partly buried in the ground, 12ft 3 ins in length and 2ft 9 ins in breadth. At 42ft to the SE of the erect pillar is a slab at least 5ft in length and 1ft 3 ins in breadth also embedded in peat. The two last stones have much the appearance of overthrown standing stones, in which case they probably are the remains of a circle.

To the W of the standing stone and the prostrate pillar to the S is a peaty bank forming an arc of a circle, the SW portion of which contains a considerable quantity of stones'.

RCAHMS 1928, visited 10 July 1914.

Clach Stei Lin, at NB 3970 5456, and the other stones mentioned by the RCAHMS form part of a sub-circular drystone enclosure of indeterminate date, measuring c. 44.0m. N-S by c. 38.0m. E-W. Traces of another contiguous enclosure can be seen to the NE. Name known locally.

Surveyed at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (N K B) 20 June 1969.

Scheduled as Clach Stei Lin, stone circle and enclosure.

Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 22 February 1994.

Clach Stei Lin is the sole surviving upright stone of a circle that largely stood to the SW of a modern fence some 330m to the SE of the A857 at Airigh an Tuim. Two other stones belonging to this circle still remain, both of which have fallen and are now embedded in the ground; all are as described in the earlier accounts. Of the three stones, that on the W arc is the tallest, while the shortest on the E now lies immediately to the NE of the modern fence. The projected circumference of the circle is marked by a low grass grown bank that is best preserved on the SW and is overlain on the E by a later enclosure bank which extends into the area to the NE of the fence. There are traces of old peat cuttings within the interior of the circle.

Visited by RCAHMS (ARG, SPH) 29 August 2009