Archaeology Notes

Event ID 732761

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/732761

NY28NW 4 2240 8806

(NY 2238 8807) Stone Circle (NR)

OS 6" map (1957)

This stone circle is situated about 850ft OD, in moorland nearly a mile N of Whitcastles. It is 160ft in diameter and consists of nine massive blocks, most if not all of which appear to have fallen. Two of them are over 7ft long. (Information from Prof. Thom plan, undated)

RCAHMS 1920, visited 1912; R W Feachem 1963; A Thom 1967.

NY 2240 8806. A stone circle situated on gently sloping west-facing ground in a forest clearing. The site has been deep ploughed but not planted. The nine recumbent stones are generally as described and planned, the largest being 2.1m by 1.7m by 0.6m.

The ploughing has revealed a number of boulders within the circle and a 1.5m long slab 8.0m to the SW of it; however none appears to be significant. Thom's plan shows an outlier to the SW but this could not be located in dense forestry. It is possible that these stones were never set upright, ie that the circle was not finished (c/f Cultoon Circle, Islay, NR15NE 1).

Surveyed at 1:10 000.

Visited by OS (TRG) 22 September 1978.

Scheduled as 'Little Hartfell, stone circle 1010m NNW of Whitcastle Cottage...'

Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 28 January 2010.