Archaeology Notes
Event ID 648042
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/648042
NB03NW 5 centred 0387 3790
See also NB03NW 1, NB03NW 2 and NB03NW 3.
(Area NB 038 378) A number of very small hut circles formed of small blocks of stone laid loosely on the surface of the ground, which in places shows a depth of only a few inches of soil, are noticeable near 'Tigh a' Bheannaich' (NB03NW 1)
About 11' east of the church are the foundations of an oval structure measuring internally 10 1/2' E-W and 7' N-S, with faint indications of a partition across the middle; about 39' NW of the church on a rocky out-crop is a second, 5 1/2' in diameter; a third lies about 47 yds west of the church, 6' in diameter and another about 42yards from the building in line with the north wall shows the same internal diameter. In the last two examples the rocky outcrop is utilised to form one arc of the structure. Beside the third hut circle, on the rocks at a slightly higher elevation, is a small circular setting of stone 2'9" in diameter, with the enclosed area covered with small broken stones, said to be the site of a beacon. Another hut-circle lies 40' north of the last.
RCAHMS 1928, visited 1914.
These alleged hut-circles in the area centred NB 0387 3790 are as desribed by RCAHMS. They are all too small to be considered as dwellings and are probably rough shelters of indeterminate period.
Visited by OS (R L), 1 July 1969.
NB 0386 3791. Monastic settlement, Tigh a' Bheannaich. A fieldwalking and mapping exercise was executed around the chapel of Tigh a'Bheannaich (House of the Blessed) (NMRS NB03NW 1, NB03NW 2, NB03NW 3, NB03NW 5 ) located to the W of the township of Aird Uig. The stone-built chapel is enclosed on a broad promontory by a large wall that runs from the southern cliffs to an inland loch and from there to the northern sea cliffs. This wall survives as well-built drystone coursing up to 2m in height at its S end, but continues N of the loch as a mainly earth bank with small stones and turf.
Surrounding the chapel are 10-12 cellular structures with diameters ranging from 2-3m. Many of these structures are located amongst bare rock on W-facing sea cliffs and have suffered extensive erosion. To the N of the chapel are six cairns of varying sizes (2-4m in diameter). Two of these cairns are kerbed and may be prehistoric.
Sponsors: Historic Scotland, University of Edinburgh, Dept of Archaeology.
C Burgess, M Church and S Gilmour 1998.
