North Uist, Marrogh, Tigh Cloiche

Chambered Cairn, Tigh Cloiche, Marrogh.

This barp, known as Tigh Cloiche, is built on a slight knoll on the south-eastern slope of Marrogh, just under the part where the steep declivity begins to fall away in a more gradual descent. It lies about 4 miles east-north-east of Westford, at an elevation of some 150 feet above sea-level, and overlooks a great stretch of flat bog broken up by innumerable lochs studded with small islands, and backed by the range of hills on the east side of the island and of Skye beyond.

The main bulk of the cairn has not been interfered with, but the chamber has been opened, part of the entrance passage destroyed, and the edges plundered to build the shielings, now ruined, which encroach on its base at different parts. Owing to the disturbance round the margin and on the summit it is impossible to get its exact dimensions, but it seems to have been practically circular with a diameter of some 70 feet. Its present height is 14 feet, but it has been rather higher, as one of the roofing slabs of the chamber is nearly level with the present summit. A ring of slabs set on end has encircled the cairn at the margin, and eleven of these, the highest standing 4 feet in height, remain in position. The chamber, which lies south-east of the centre of the cairn, is in a dilapidated condition. It is roughly circular, the diameter being about 10 feet, and has been formed of large slabs set on end with drystone building filling up the vacancies between and above them. Two very large cover stones remain, the most southerly, which is in position, measuring 9 feet 9 inches in length, and 5 feet 1 inch in breadth, and the other, which lies tilted against the inside of the northern wall, measuring 8 feet 9 inches in length, and 7 feet 7 inches in breadth; both vary from 12 inches to 15 inches in thickness. The chamber has been entered from the south-east through a passage about 2 feet 8 inches broad, which rises a few feet, following the slope of the knoll as it approaches the chamber. As it now exists it begins about 4 or 5 feet from the edge of the cairn, and with the exception of a breach in the roof, 2 feet wide, some 3 feet from its present opening, it is well preserved for a distance of some 13 feet. The floor is covered with fallen stones, and it only shows a height of about 1 foot 2 inches above them. It is roofed in by strong lintels. The portal between the passage and the chamber is blocked up with debris, but its lintel stands about 7 inches lower than the adjoining lintel in the passage.

RCAHMS 1928, visited 29 July 1915.

OS map: North Uist xxxiv.

This chambered cairn is largely as described and planned by Henshall. It measures 23m in diameter and is entered from the ESE where one façade stone on the SSW of the forecourt remains in situ. The passage is barely visible but measures about 6m in length. Two displaced capstones lie on the rubble choking the top of the chamber, where the upper courses of the corbelled walls are exposed to a height of 1m; the chamber measures 2.8m across its top. Stones have been quarried from the cairn to build numerous shieling huts around its base, some of which are circular on plan, while others are subrectangular and comprise two compartments.

Visited by RCAHMS (ARG,SPH) 22 September 2010