Kirkton

NH79NE 19 7958 9878.

(NH 7958 9878) Earth-House (NR)

OS 1:10,000 map, (1971)

An earth-house, cruciform in plan and having two entrances. It is 37ft long and runs NNW-SSE following the slope of the hill. Access at the N end is by an unroofed flight of six or seven steps, 1ft 7ins across.

The main gallery is 6ft in maximum height, neatly built of thin flat stones and roofed with slabs. It expands to an extreme width of 4ft before two side-chambers are reached at a distance of 14ft to 15ft from the entrance. Beyond them, after restriction to 3ft 4ins it again expands to a maximum of 4ft 4ins. The eastern side-chamber is 3ft wide, 7ft 1in long and 4ft 11ins high, roofed by slabs. The end is rounded and there is a slight upward convergence of the walls. The N side of its entrance projects 1ft further into the main gallery than does the S side. The western side-chamber is 7ft long, 3ft 5ins in maximum width and 4ft 11ins high with a roof of overlapping slabs. The S side of its 2ft 2ins wide entrance projects 1ft 9ins further into the main gallery than the N side.

At the S end of the main gallery is a doorway giving onto a narrow passage which leads to the outside. Projecting jambs, 1ft 4ins apart, flank the doorway, that on the W projecting 7ins, and that on the E 3ins. Behind each jamb is a square bar-hole, and beyond them, the passage is 6ft long, 1ft 6ins high and 1ft 6ins to 1ft 8ins wide.

When the earth-house was cleared out, two shale rings, 1 inch in diameter, one complete and the other fragmentary, were found, as well as much food-refuse lying on the floor.

RCAHMS 1911, visited 1909.

The rings are in Dunrobin Museum (Accession no: 1871.2-9) (3).

Information from TS of Catalogue of Dunrobin Museum, by A S Hennshall.

A souterrain, as described.

Resurveyed at 1:2500.

Visited by OS (N K B) 31 January 1966.

No change.

Visited by OS (N K B) 15 May 1981.