Archaeology Notes

Event ID 649922

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/649922

NC63NE 5 centred on 667 371.

(NC 667 371) Achadh an Eas (NAT)

OS 6"map, (1963)

The extensive remains of Achadh an Eas, a depopulated settlement, which had a Presbyt'ian mission church or meeting-house with a graveyard (NC 6668 3755). A reference to Auchness appears in 1656 when its 'town' - probably meaning 'farm' - and lands are mentioned (OPS 1855) In 1726 it is referred to as a farm and no meeting-house is mentioned, that for Upper Strathnaver being at Ceann-na-coille (NC64SE 21) (OPS 1855). In 1747 it is shown as four buildings with arable (Roy 1747-55), but had obviously become much more extensive by the time it was cleared in 1814-19 (Prebble 1963). The graveyard was disused and the meeting-house in ruins by 1873 (ONB 1873).

W Roy 1747-55; Orig Paroch Scot 1855; Name Book 1873; W Macfarlane 1906-8; J Prebble 1873.

There are forty or more building foundations, some with structural divisions, ranging in size from 4.0 by 3.0m to 30.0 by 4.0m and numerous enclosures. Two kilns were identified at NC 6693 3740 and NC 6707 3723. Run-rig cultivation is present. The graveyard has been renovated and was in use until recently.

Visited by OS (J M) 13 April 1977.

A township comprising ten roofed and twenty-two unroofed buildings, one of which is marked as a ruined meeting house, five scattered enclosures, a field-system and a head-dyke, is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Sutherland 1878, sheet liv). Two roofed and fifty unroofed buildings, twenty-four scattered enclosures, a field-system and a head-dyke are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10,000 map (1987).

Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 9 October 1995