Lewis, Breasclete

NB 214 360 To the W of Cnoc Buaile Dhonnachaid and between it and Cnoc Leathann to the N are areas of rocky hillside traditionally known as a source for lintels used in houses etc. When the upper Breasclete crofts were built 1849–50, a space was left between crofts 31 and 32. A stream and partly stone-paved track lie along this gap which runs to the NNE to common grazing. At the N end the track widens to form a triangular area c90m N–S and up to 60m E–W, which encloses a low rocky hillock at NB 2127 3588. There is much evidence of stone quarrying on and around the hillock, including the prising of thick slabs from rock for use as door or window lintels, trimming of slabs, and drilling holes for explosives.

To the N of Upper Breasclete crofts and SW of Cnoc Leathann is a rocky hillock which rises from 60–70m. Near the top of this hillock in May 2005, Ron Curtis discovered at NB 214 360, a large slab 3.20m long x 1.25m wide x 0.25m thick lying partly on bedrock and partly supported on a stone block 0.30 x 0.40 x 0.40m and several smaller rounded stones. One end, (its base?) is diamond shaped 0.50 x 0.60m. There are no stone trimmings around this slab. Close by are seven stones from 0.20 x 0.30m up to 0.50 x 0.80m in size, which may have acted as/or been intended as packing stones for this putative megalith. There are at least four or five locations within 50m of this slab where spreads of sharp stone trimmings mark where a stone was dressed and removed for use in houses or in the wall which lies c100m to the S and which contains c0.3m sized slabs.

The stone slabs in this area are probably a natural feature deposited by glacial action. Are they also the remains of a prehistoric standing stone setting recycled by crofters, or all three? The area lies at about 178–181° of azimuth N of the Callanish stones and about 100–250m WNW of the kerb cairn at NB 2165 3595, (DES 1991, 76).

There are places low on the hill where slabs have been prised out of the rock (NB 2135 3593). A smaller slab about 2.0m long x 1.5m x 0.75m lies some 140m E of the large slab at NB 2154 3601, on a different rocky hill at c70m.

The stone wall which forms a boundary along the N of the crofts includes flat slabs laid horizontally or vertically, stone chippings filling the wall where it is double, and stones gathered from the vicinity. It is noticeable that the lower slopes of the hill have been cleared of loose stones.

Close to the wall and low on the rocky hill is an area with clumps of hornblende (NB 2145 3595). Some have been ripped out by glacial action leaving hollows in the bedrock. Glaciers moving uphill would have deposited stony debris at the top of the hill. Given evidence that stones have been taken away from higher on this hill, it may be that some of them included clumps of hornblende and now form part of the Callanish stones site l, where they function in a lunar extrapolation device, for example avenue stones 2 and 3 and tall stone 29 in the circle. (Callanish Stones, Moon and Sacred Landscape 2009 Extrapolation Ron and Margaret Curtis).

Archive: To be decided

Funder: National Science Foundation of America, Historic Scotland and Durham University

GR Curtis,

MR Curtis,

Donald Macleod,

2012