Loch Charles

NO05SE 3 centred 0867 5469

Centred at NO 0867 5469 is a settlement of twelve hut circles (A - M) within a contemporary field system poorly defined by a scatter of stone clearance heaps and occasional walls. All hut diameters are given between wall centres.

'A' measures 9.5m in diameter. The wall is spread to 2.0m with an entrance gap in the S. A gap in the E appears to be an access into hut 'B', which, despite its poor state of preservation and mantle of thick heather, can be seen to have Dalrulzian affinities. The internal diameter is c. 8.0m, and the outer wall appears to join 'A' in the NW and SW. The entrance is in the SSW.

'C' is 10.0m in diameter with the wall of uncertain thickness. The entrance in the SSW is flanked by two stones.

'D' is 15.5m in diameter with the ill-defined wall showing no entrance. A smaller circle 8.0m in diameter lies tangential to the S arc.

'E' is c. 9.5m in diameter with traces of an entrance in the S. About 40.0m ESE are traces of what may be another hut 11.0m in diameter, obscured by deep heather.

'F' and 'G' occur in an area of 19th c cultivation and measure c. 10.5m and 11.5m in diameter respectively with the walls much spread by ploughing. Entrances not evident.

'H', the best preserved, is oval, measuring 11.5m NW-SE by 10.5m NE-SW with the wall spread to 3.0m. The entrance gap is in the SE.

'J' abuts to the SW arc of 'H'. It is circular, measuring 10.0m in diameter. The wall is less well preserved with no entrance evident.

'K' is 10.0m in diameter. The peat-obscured wall shows traces of an entrance in the SE.

'L' and 'M' are poorly preserved and measure respectively 9.0m and 9.5m in diameter. No entrances visible.

Surveyed at 1:10,000.

Visited by OS (JB) 10 January 1975

This hut-circle group extends around the triangular plantation to the NNE of Loch Charles. The hut-circles are scattered singly and in clusters over a distance of about 500m. Around the hut-circles there is a thin scatter of small cairns, along with several stony banks to the N and W of the plantation.

1. NO 0859 5479 At the NW extremity of the group, on the crest of a rocky ridge NNW of the plantation there is a robbed hut-circle measuring 10m in internal diameter, with a possible entrance on the SSW. Its wall has been reduced to little more than an intermittent ring of large boulders, probably belonging to the outer face, and a scatter of stones, but on the N the wall core forms a bank up to 2.5m thick by 0.2m high. 2. NO 0860 5477 What may be a second hut-circle of a similar size is situated immediately to the SSE of (1). It has been reduced to little more than a slight stony ring, its W half studded with large boulders. Immediately within the entrance, which is marked by a well-defined hollow on the S, there is a roughly circular depression measuring about 6.5m in diameter and 0.2m in depth on the N.

3. NO 0867 5475 (OS 'D') About 100m to the SE, immediately N of the plantation, there is a line of at least three hut-circles. The northernmost measures about 12m in diameter within a stony bank up to 2.8m in thickness by 0.4m in height. At least six outer facing-stones are visible around the NE arc, and there is evidence that other facing-stones, both inner and outer, have been removed. The entrance was probably on the S but is obscured by a smaller hut-circle which appears to be of later date.

4. NO 0867 5474 (OS 'D') The next hut-circle, which is one of at least two enclosed by an outer bank, appears to overlie hut-circle (3). It measures 7.6m in diameter within a wall reduced to an intermittent ring of fifteen inner facing-stones backed by a bank of wall core about 1.2m in thickness by 0.2m in height. The entrance, which is about 1.5m wide, is on the S.

5. NO 0869 5473 (OS 'E') Immediately E of (4) is a hut-circle measuring 8.2m in diameter within a stony bank 1.5m in thickness by 0.2m in height. Three probable inner facing-stones can be identified on the E and the entrance is on the S. Both hut-circles (4) and (5) are enclosed by a stony bank about 1.2m thick by 0.2m high, which forms a concentric outer bank around the W half of hut-circle (4) and the NW side of hut-circle (5). Instead of swinging around the E half of (5), however, it extends SE along the side of a low rocky ridge immediately NE of the hut-circles. There is a shallow depression about 9m in diameter immediately SE of (5), possibly the remains of a third hut-circle enclosed by the bank but now virtually obliterated by ridged cultivation.

6. NO 0873 5471 At the SE end of the rocky ridge that lies to the NE of hut-circles (3), (4) and (5), there are possible traces of two hut-circles reduced to shallow platforms. The E one, which is immediately NW of the E corner of the plantation, measures 9.5m in diameter; it has been levelled up to 0.4m into the slope on the NNW and the scarp at the front is up to 0.4m high. The second is immediately to the WNW and has an arc of eight large boulders around its W side; it too measures 9.5m in diameter and has been levelled into the slope on the NW to a depth of 0.5m.

7. NO 0860 5468 (OS 'A') Three more hut-circles are clustered in the angle of the fences immediately W of the plantation. The westernmost measures 8.2m in diameter within a wall reduced to a stony bank 1.8m in thickness by 0.3m in height; there is evidence that large stones have been dug out along both the inner and outer edges of the bank. The entrance is on the SSW. On the SE the hut-circle appears to overlie the outer wall of a double-walled hut-circle (8).

8. NO 0861 5468 (OS 'B') The middle hut-circle is double-walled and measures 10.7m in internal diameter and 17.5m overall. The inner wall has been reduced to a stony lip around 1.2m thick by 0.2m high, and the outer forms a stony bank 1.7m thick by 0.3m high. Very few possible facing-stones are visible but there is clear evidence that large stones have been dug out of both of the walls. There is a slightly-splayed entrance, about 1.9m wide at its inner end, on the S; its E side is marked by a boulder 0.3m high.

9. NO 0862 5465 (OS 'C') This hut-circle has been reduced to an oval hollow, measuring about 7.5m from NW to SE by 6.5m transversely, with traces of a stony bank around its edge. The bank is best-defined around the entrance on the SSW, where it is up to 2.3m thick and 0.2m high.

The sides of the entrance are marked by two boulders, the northerly 0.5m high, and another large boulder 0.7m high sticks up through the bank on the WNW. The entrance is 1.1m wide.

10. NO 0876 5466 (OS 'F') This hut-circle lies 45m SSE of the E corner of the plantation and has been damaged by cultivation. It measures 8m in diameter within a bank 2.8m in thickness by from 0.2m to 0.3m in height.

11. NO 0878 5457 (OS 'G') A second hut-circle lies a further 70m to the S. It has been reduced by cultivation to a shallow depression 10m in diameter with traces of a bank around its edge.

12. NO 0884 5454 At least one more hut-circle is situated on a knoll 60m ESE of (11) but it has been almost obliterated by cultivation. It measures about 9.5m in diameter within traces of a low bank and the entrance is on the S.

13. NO 0890 5466 (OS 'H') Two more hut-circles are situated on a knoll to the NE of the stone dyke 150m E of the plantation. The NE arc is set on the crest of the knoll, its interior, which measures about 9m in diameter, sharply defined by a scarp up to 0.5m high. Part of this scarp is probably made up of the wall which is spread up to 2m in thickness, but the floor level has probably been sunk beneath the surface of the knoll. At least four outer facing-stones are visible on the W and a further four, only one of which is upright, on the E. The entrance is on the E.

14. NO 0889 5465 (OS 'J') The SW hut-circle measures about 7.5m in diameter within a bank about 2m in thickness and 0.3m in height.

15. NO 0893 5469 (OS 'K') On the NE flank of the same knoll, 40m NE of (13), there is a possible hut-circle reduced to an oval platform, measuring 8.8m from NW to SE by 7.5m transversely, with a stony bank up to 1.8m thick surviving on the NW and SE respectively. A possible line of five outer facing-stones is visible on the S. The interior has been dug up to 0.6m into the slope on the SW, and the stony frontscarp is about 0.5m high.

16. NO 0895 5459 (OS 'L') The remains of this heather-clad hut-circle are situated immediately NE of the stone dyke on the S side of a shallow gully. It measures about 7.3m in diameter within an ill-defined stony bank about 2.7m in thickness. A large boulder sticks up through the bank on the N and the entrance is on the SSE.

17. NO 0900 5456 (OS 'M') Another hut-circle lies 50m ESE of (16), immediately NE of the stone dyke. It measures about 7m in diameter within a stony bank up to 1.6m in thickness by 0.2m in height. The interior has been levelled into the slope on the W and the entrance is on the SSE.

Visited by RCAHMS (SPH) 2 May 1988.

RCAHMS 1990.