Gorton Hill

NJ02NW 102 centred 01444 29147

A township, comprising four unroofed buildings, two of which are attached to the head-dyke is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Elginshire 1874, sheet xxxii). One roofed, one unroofed building and part of the head-dyke are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1976).

Information fom RCAHMS (AKK) 13 March 1997.

The remains of three buildings, which once formed part of a township that extended across the S flank of Gorton Hill, are visible about 330m NW of Easter Gorton farmsteading. The westernmost building (NJ 01444 29147) measures 16.8m from ENE to WSW by 4.4m transversely over stone walls up to 0.5m in height and there is an entrance in the middle of the SSE side. Attached to ENE end of the building is an outshot that extends to the SSE, forming an L-plan range. This compartment measures 8.6m from NNW to SSE by 5.2m transversely over walls up to 0.5m in height.

The second building (NJ 01523 29218), which lies 100m NE of the first and has rounded corners, measures 5.8m from NE to SW by 3.4m transversely over walls up to 0.3m in height. The third building (NJ 01547 29256) is situated a further 30m NE, abutting the SE side of the old head-dyke. Rectangular on plan, it measures 17.8m from NNE to 5.2m transversely over walls up to 0.6m in height. Its interior, which is partly obscured by field-cleared stones, contains two compartments of unequal size, the larger on the NNE, each of which has a central entrance in its ESE side.

The two larger buildings are depicted unroofed on both the 1st and 2nd editions of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire 1874, sheet xxxii; 1905, sheet xxxii NE); the smaller structure is not shown on either map.

Visited by RCAHMS (TIP, JH) 10 October 2006.