Tiree, Dun Hiader
Broch (Iron Age)(Possible), Dun (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Tiree, Dun Hiader
Classification Broch (Iron Age)(Possible), Dun (Period Unassigned)
Alternative Name(s) Dun Shiadair
Canmore ID 21408
Site Number NL93NE 1
NGR NL 9642 3887
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/21408
- Council Argyll And Bute
- Parish Tiree
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Argyll And Bute
- Former County Argyll
NL93NE 1 9642 3887.
(NL 9642 3887) Dun Hiader (NR)
OS 1:10,000 map, (1976)
Dun, Dun Hiader: This dun and its outworks are situated on the summit and flanks of a conspicuous rocky crag some 400m SE of West Hynish farmhouse. The summit, occupied by the dun, rises 6.5m above the narrow col that links the crag to the lower slopes of Ben Hynish to the NE, but on all other sides the site is protected by rocky cliffs, which range in height from about 6m on the NW flank to as much as 14.5m on the SE.
The dun is oval on plan and measures 10m by 8m within a dry-stone wall, which varies in thickness from about 2.4m on the NE to 4.2m on the W, where it has had to be based upon a steeply sloping, relatively smooth rock-face. Considerable stretches of the outer face have survived in situ, the best-preserved sectors being on the W and immediately S of the entrance, where in each case it stands a little over 1m high in four courses; of the inner face only the NE half of the perimeter can still be traced. The short stretch of outward-facing revetment within the body of the wall on the WNW is all that now survives of an intramural gallery about 0.75m wide, which, as Beveridge (E Beveridge 1903) records, was formerly visible throughout most of the SW half of the circuit. It is possible that the unusually large amount of sand and earth that can be seen in the wall core represents material that was deposited in the gallery during a secondary phase of the dun's occupation, as at the broch of Dun Mor, Vaul (NM04NW 3). The entrance, which is situated on the NE and measures 1m in width at its mouth, appears to have been deliberately blocked, the outer end being closed by rudimentary walling and the passage itself being choked with rubble and occupation debris. An earthfast stone lying just inside the line of the inner face to the S of the entrance may have belonged to a wall sealing the other end of the passage. Within the interior, which is largely obscured by tumbled wall debris, there are the ruined foundations of a subrectangular building of no great age.
Wherever the natural strength of the position was deemed inadequate the dun has been additionally protected by an outer wall, surviving for the most part, and particularly on the NW and SE, as an intermittent scatter of grass-covered stony debris in which occasional outer facing-stones can still be seen. On the NE, however, where the summit is more easily accessible, the wall appears to have been much more strongly built, attaining a maximum thickness of 4.3m on each side of the entrance. A little lower down the slope on that side there are traces of a third wall, which has been almost totally obscured by the collapsed debris of the upper defences and is cross at one point by a recent boundary-dyke of massive proportions; doubtless it served as a hornwork to protect the outer entrance. The name 'Hiader' is said (E Beveridge 1903) to be a Gaelic corruption of the Norse 'setr' - 'a shieling'.
RCAHMS 1980; E Beveridge 1903; E W MacKie 1963.
Dun Shiader would be a more acceptable spelling.
Information from I Fraser, (School of Scottish Studies) 24 October 1974.
Revised at 1:10,000.
Visited by OS (R D) 30 June 1972.
Name changed to Dun Shiadair by local authority.
Information from OS, April 1985.
Publication Account (2007)
NL93 1 DUN HIADER (‘Dun Shiader’)
NL/964389
This probable ground-galleried broch or oval dun on Tiree stands overlooking the beach at the foot of Ben Hynish, on top of a rocky knoll the precipitous sides of which are up to 14.5m high (visited 8/62). The structure is oval with internal diameters of 10m and 8m, the wall being 2.4m thick on the north-east and 4.2m on the west; parts of the outer face stand up to 1.0m in height. At the beginning of the twentieth century a mural gallery was visible around most of the south-west half of the wall [2] but now there is only a short stretch of its inner face on the north-west [1]. The entrance is on the north-east and is 1m wide at the outer end. There are no means of knowing from the visible remains whether this structure originally had the broch hollow wall.
An outer wall can be traced on the north-west and south-east, as a scatter of grass-covered stony debris, but on the north-east – where the approach is easier – the wall is up to 4.3m thick on either side of an outer gateway. There are traces of a second outer defence a little further down the slope.
Sources: 1. NMRS site no. NL 93 NE 1: 2. Beveridge 1903, 80-2: 3. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland, 1963, 21: 4. RCAHMS 1980, 109-10, no. 209 and fig. 127.
E W MacKie 2007
Note (5 November 2014 - 4 August 2016)
This fortification, which is situated on a conspicuous rocky crag, comprises two elements: a roughly oval dun commanding the summit, and an outer enclosure following the margin of the rocky promontory above the shore. The dun is a relatively well-preserved structure measuring 10m by 8m within a galleried wall up to 4.2m in thickness, with outer faces standing up to 1m high and an entrance on the NE and appears to have been deliberately blocked; a small subrectangular building is visible within its interior. The supposed outwork dominates the narrow col linking the promontory on the landward side on the NE and here is up to 4.3m in thickness to either side of the entrance; elsewhere it little more than a band of rubble that can be traced along parts of the NW and SE margins of the promontory to create an irregular enclosure of about 0.2ha. Further protection at the entrance is provided by an outer wall below it.
Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 04 August 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC2490
Field Visit (May 2021 - June 2021)
NL 96427 38878 – NL 97757 38913 The field survey on Tiree by
ACFA began in 2016 (DES Volume 17: 42–43; DES Volume 18: 63) and is ongoing. The work of the past three years has concentrated on Beinn Haoidhnis (Ben Hynish) where 675 archaeological features have been recorded to date. These include houses and funerary monuments dating from prehistory to remains of 20th- century agricultural activities. In 2021, a survey of Dùn Shiader was undertaken along with the recording of numerous bait holes, kelp kilns, and kelp drying walls on the coast.
NL 96427 38878 Dun Shiader (Dùn Hiader; Canmore ID: 21408) is situated on a conspicuous rocky crag on the SW coast of Tiree. An inner wall encloses a roughly circular depression in which three quasi-circular features were recorded, labelled B, C, and D on the plan. Feature C is filled with tumble some of which displays possible evidence for a corbelled structure. The other two remain as depressions. A small feature, A on the plan, may have been a store of some kind. Some 7m to the NE there is a small stone setting. This is known as Leabaidh (Leapaidh) an Fuamhaire (Fhiomheir) the Giant’s bed or Lebaidh (Leapaidh) Fear Fàre, the Bed of the Lookout.
NL 96707 40187 On the NW side of Beinn Haoidhnis on
Balephuil Farm, there are the remains of a much-reduced kerb cairn. Roughly central to the feature there is a shallow depression.
It is not clear if this dip is an indication of a tomb or a later alteration.
NL 97002 39004 On the lower ground to the S of Beinn Haoidhnis, on Hynish Farm, there are the well-preserved remains of a small, 8m diameter kerb cairn. Within the feature, a smaller kerb is visible. It is one of twelve similar cairns found on the survey. NL 97089 40297 A herd’s house is situated on the NW side of Beinn Haodhnis (Ben Hynish), Balephuil Farm. The feature is perhaps multi-period, the eastern compartment being less conspicuous on the ground. The feature is known as Both a’
Bhuachaille Beag, the small shelter of the herd boy.
NL 97131 38713 In a narrow SW coastal gully, two 10m long parallel alignments of grass-covered stones, some 2.5–3m apart, form a three-sided feature open to the sea. It is suggested that this was a boat rest, perhaps for smuggling activities. A small stream runs nearby.
NL 97284 39016 On the lower ground to the S of Beinn Haoidhnis, on Hynish Farm, there is an enigmatic group of small earth and stone mounds situated within an area of improved ground. One mound, labelled A, has an alignment of stones set within it. Exactly what the site represents is unknown. A similar group exists further to the E.
NL 97601 38634 An inner and outer wall composed of earth and stone is situated at the E end of a rocky crag known as Dùn na Cleite Beag. Described in Canmore as an enclosure, it is now thought that the feature represents a defensive measure related to the nearby Iron Age site of Dùn na Cleite. It is further suggested that the walls and ditch were created to protect seagoing vessels; the gully behind the feature being a suitable landing place for boats (Alison Blackwood, ACFA pers. comm.).
NL 97757 38913 On the lower ground to the S of Beinn Haoidhnis (Ben Hynish), on Hynish Farm, there are the remains of a dry stone 19th-century sheep fank. Within its walls two broken saddle querns and a broken millstone were noted, the latter confirming the presence of a mill, now gone.
Archive: NRHE, Argyll and Bute Council Archaeology Unit and An Iodhlan, Tiree
Dugald MacInnes
(Source: DES Vol 22)
