Archaeology Notes

Event ID 676627

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/676627

NN31SE 3 centred on 358 148 and 351 148

NN 359 147; NN 352 147: Old Houses and Site of Graveyard, Lag a' Chuirn. At the foot of Lag a' Chuirn, the glen on the Stirlingshire side, and just above the junction of the burns, there may be seen the ruins of an old drystone house measuring 32ft by 14ft over all, but too much altered by conversion to the purposes of the sheep-farm, for any original features to be distinguished with certainty. Other remains of the group of structures that once stood here, on both banks of the burn, include the foundations of a house measuring 12ft by 8ft but now rebuilt as a sheep-shelter . Somewhere close to these houses is said to have been the site of a graveyard, now vanished, which was formerly known as Kilmacallach (information from D Sinclair, Stronachlachar) in this connection the name "Bealach nan Corp", given on the OS map to a pass (NN 365 157) leading into Glen Gyle from Balquhidder, is worth noting for its suggestion of the former existence of a coffin-road. This dedication is probably to Abbot Cellach of Iona (802-815) (MacKinlay 1910).

About 750yds further up Lag a' Chuirn, a small tributary comes down from the slopes of Beinn Ducteach. On this there are the ruins of some further small houses, one of which is said to bear the name of Tigh na Cuirte and to have been the "court-house" in which cattle-thieves were tried.

RCAHMS 1963, visited 1952; J M MacKinlay 1910

NN 358 148; Generally as described though the graveyard could not be located.

NN 351 148; The remains of one house, two sub-rectangular buildings and a small sheepfold.

Visited by OS (D W R) 10 April 1973

(NN 3587 1478) One unroofed building is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Stirlingshire 1865, sheet ii), but it is not shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1976).

Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 20 January 1998