Glencoe, Glen Coe

NN 151 573 Rectangular structures, small drystone enclosures, terraces, dykes, rig cultivation.

Sponsors: Historic Scotland, National Trust for Scotland

J Harden and J Wordsworth, 1996

There are a series of cultivation plots immediately N of the old military road and presumably contemporary with the un-named settlement (56). The plots are a variety of sizes about the proportions c12m by c5m bounded by grass banks, if at all. There is certainly one small area of rig cultivation amongst them.

(GLE96 058)

Information from NTS (SCS) January 2016

NN 15078 57315 Over the last two years volunteers working as part of a National Trust for Scotland Thistle Camp have undertaken survey and excavation work at the township of Achtriachtan in Glencoe (Canmore ID: 111618). The site of this settlement is marked on Roy’s military map which shows eight buildings on the north side of the trackway through the glen.

In 2018 a full measured survey of the township was completed. This survey located the positions of five buildings, a grain-drying kiln, and four banked enclosures which all show some traces of cultivation rigs inside. Two trenches were excavated over Structure 1 which revealed a flagstone floor at the western end of the building that included a lower stone from a rotary quern. Artefacts from the eastern end included a sherd of trailed slip ware and a sherd of manganese mottled ware. A further small linear trench was excavated across the western bank of the small enclosure in front of Structure 2. A couple of 1 x 1m test pits were excavated within the interior of this enclosure.

In 2019 the entire inside of Structure 1 was opened for excavation in three larger areas (A-C) separated by two 0.6m wide baulks. This revealed that the foundations of the walls had been heavily robbed – probably for upgrading the road and the construction of the 19th century sheep farms and enclosures to the south. Only two short stretches of internal wall face were identified close to the SE corner. No exterior wall faces were identified. The western two thirds of the structure were paved with irregular flagstones and there were traces of an internal drain running across the floor at the western end. Artefacts recovered included further sherds of a trailed slipware, part of a salt-glazed plate, shards of both bottle and window glass. One notable find was the corroded remains of an iron lock that may have come from a piece of wooden furniture – possibly a dresser.

Archive: NTS, SMR & NRHE (intended)

Funder: The National Trust for Scotland

Derek Alexander – The National Trust for Scotland

(Source: DES Vol 20)

NN 15078 57315 The area of the three trenches excavated in 2019 (DES Volume 20, 123–4; Canmore ID: 111618), was reopened and the two baulks removed. A number of artefacts were recovered during this process and in cleaning the eastern end of the building. Two sherds of green-glazed pottery were recovered. Drone photography was also taken of the site. The work took place from 9 June–11 August 2021.

Archive: NTS SMR and NRHE (intended) Funder: The National Trust for Scotland

Derek Alexander – The National Trust for Scotland

(Source: DES Vol 22)