Field Visit

Date 27 July 2011

Event ID 932364

Category Recording

Type Field Visit

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/932364

RCAHMS Special Survey, Pabbay (Harris)

Seana Chaisteal (Old Castle) occupies a prominent position on a rocky knoll at the end of a broad ridge running down and SE from Beinn Narnain. It overlooks sandy beaches to the E and S and large areas of formerly cultivable land to the NE and SW, much of which was inundated by sand in the late 17th century (Lawson 1994, 16). The largely grass-grown remains include what are probably a later prehistoric dun or broch, two medieval buildings, two enclosures, and a later cairn.

The earliest structure visible is the dun which measures 16.5m in diameter over a well-built and substantial drystone wall up to 3.5m in thickness on the NE and up to 1.3m high where it has been revealed in a recent test-pit. The entrance was probably on the NNE. A comparatively modern cairn, measuring 1.9m in diameter and 1.2m in height, stands within the debris filled interior. Just to the SE of it are the remains of what appears to be the footings of a rectangular building measuring 9m from NE to SW by 6m transversely over walls 1m in thickness. Two further rectangular buildings abut the outside face of the dun on the N. The larger of the two measures 5.8m from N to S by 4m transversely within coursed stone walls up to 1.2m in thickness and 0.9m in height. There is an entrance in the E wall and it is possible that the interior of the dun was accessible from this building. The smaller building lies immediately to the NE of the larger, possibly partly underlying it.

There are at least two later stock enclosures, one to the E of the dun and one to the NW. That on the E is defined by a wall that springs from the SSE side of the dun wall and loops around to the E and N, where it peters out, enclosing an oval area measuring about 30m from NE to SW by 15m transversely. Of similar size, the NW enclosure is marked by a wall that springs from the SW side of the dun and loops round to join on to the N wall of the larger of the two rectangular building described above.

Lawson (1994) has suggested that this may be the site of the medieval stronghold of the Macleods on Pabbay which went out of use in the 1500s.

Visited by RCAHMS (GFG) 27 July 2011.