Culthibert

NJ61SW 20 6346 1141

Vertical air photography (Jasair NJ 61 35-88-019, dated 8 October 1988) has recorded the remains of a small farmstead on a W-facing slope.

M Greig 1995; NMRS, MS/712/10.

(Classification changed to Cottage; Croft). The remains of the steading of this croft lie in an area of improved pasture 410m SE of the present farmstead of Culthibert (NJ61SW 30). Two buildings are visible, probably being two of the four buildings depicted on the 2nd edition of the OS 6-inch map (Aberdeenshire, 1901, sheet lxiii.SW). It is not clear whether these building replaced or incorporated the two buildings shown here on the 1st edition of the map (1869, sheet lxiii).

The NW building, which is probably a byre, measures 11.7m from NE to SW by 5.5m transversely over walls 0.6m in thickness, and the SW gable survives to its full height of about 3m. The walls are of lime-mortar construction, but have been re-pointed with cement, and the lintel of the entrance in the SE wall is formed of a single granite block. This entrance, which retains part of its timber frame, evidently led into an outshot.

The SE building is probably a cottage and measures 11.8m from NW to SE by 5.5m transversely over walls 0.6m in thickness and up to 1.5m in height. There is an entrance midway along the SW wall and a fireplace in the SE gable.

The extent of the improved croft land in 1869 was a little over 17 acres (c.7.1ha); by the end of the 19th century, following the enclosure of the ground with stone walls, this had decreased to about 14? acres (5.9ha), mainly due to the exclusion of a roughly oval area of ground on the SE side outside the walls (1901, sheet lxiii.SW). At the same time, however, the croft appears to have gained about 1 acre (0.4ha) of land from its neighbour (NJ61SW 19) to the NW.

Visited by RCAHMS (JRS, RJCM), 28 October 1998.