Archaeology Notes

Event ID 736452

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/736452

ND24NW 16 2068 4564.

Badleathan: The ruins of a small farmstead.

Name Book 1877

This is centred around two long rectangular structures set at right angles to each other, one of which has a kiln.

That aligned WSW-ENE measures 26m long by 5.8m at the E end and 5.5m at the W end, including the width of the walls which are 0.9m thick, (where both wall faces are evident). The E half of the N wall still stands to a height of 1.1m, but the remainder of the walls vary in height between 0.55m and 0.35m. The only obvious entrance is centred in the E gable and is almost 2m wide. An internal division exists 16.5m from the E gable, with a doorway into the W room 0.8m wide at its S end.

Attached to the N side of this structure is an enclosure defined by a grass-covered wall spread to 1.1m and c0.3m high. It defines an area 13.9m by 14.5m maximum and has an entrance 1.5m wide in its SW corner.

A further enclosure is attached to the E side of this, extending c25m N of the structure, but is poorly defined. It may be associated with the slight remains of a grass-covered rectangular structure measuring a maximum of 4.4m by 3.7m.

A small sub-square structure is situated 1.25m S of the W part of the long rectangular structure. It measures 4.5m WSW-ENE in length and 3.5m wide. Including the width of the walls which are 0.6m wide. At the E end the walls stand to 0.7m, but at the W end are only 0.2m high. The entrance is in the N wall, by the NW corner, and is 0.7m wide.

The second long rectangular structure is aligned NNW-SSE. Its NE corner is situated 2.5m W of the SW corner of the other long building. The overall dimensions are 20.5m by 5.5m, with its mainly grass-covered walls spread between 0.7m and 1.25m and standing between 0.1m and 0.75m. Internal divisions form three rooms, which measure from N to S, 2.5m wide, 3.5m and 8.9m wide between wall centres. At the S end there is a kiln which appears to have been subsequently attached to the structure as it is slightly offset from the centre of the gable. It is also grass-covered, is 5m in diameter, stands at least 1m high, has a hollow in its top, and has its flue due S.

An enclosure extends to the W, defined by a grass-covered low wall, at most 0.4m high and spread to c1m. It defines an area 90m W-E and 22m N-S. Across the SW corner of this enclosure is an area of abandoned peat cuttings.

NMRS MS/645.

A farmstead comprising three unroofed buildings, two of which are long buildings, and an enclosure is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Caithness 1877, sheet xxviii). Two unroofed buildings are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10,000 map (1975).

Information from RCAHMS (AKK) 24 November 1995