Creag Dubh-leitir, Gleann Fearnach

The remains of a small fermtoun comprising seven buildings, three enclosures and a kiln are situated on the SW edge of a broad terrace about 300m SE of Castle Pirnie cottage, and about 60m SE of the fermtoun NO06SE 120, to which it is linked by a stony bank.

A. The principal building is situated on the N side of the modern track and measures 14.1m NW-SE by 5.1m over turf-covered stone wall-footings about 0.9m in thickness and at least 0.5m in height. There is an entrance in the SW wall and set at right angles to the NW end of the SW side there are the wasted remains of what has probably been a second building. It measures 6.6m NE-SW by 4.4m over turf-covered stone wall-footings (0.7m thick), and has an entrance in the SE side.

Situated in front of the principal building, on its SW side, there are the remains of a probable kiln-bowl measuring 2.4m in diameter; it has been let into the slope and has a flue on the SW.

B. Situated a little upslope and to the E of the principal building, there are the remains of a subrectangular building measuring 9.4m NW-SE by 4.3m over turf-covered stone wall-footings 0.8m in thickness. The NW end of the interior is slightly sunken and the entrance is at the NW end of the SW wall. Attached to the NW end of the building there is an open-ended (to the SW) structure (6.8m NE-SW by 3.1m overall); a further structure (4.5m by 5m overall) has also been added to the NW. To the SW of the latter there are the wasted remains of what may be a small building.

C. To the SSE a short section of bank links B to a two-compartment building which measures 12.5m NW-SE by 5m over turf-covered stone and boulder wall-footings 0.9m in thickness.

D. A short distance S of C there are the wasted remains of a building measuring 8.4m NE-SW by 4.3m over turf-covered wall-footings, which survive up to 0.6m in height in three courses at the SW end, where the building adjoins a polygonal enclosure.

E. Lying to the WSW of D, and just below the SW side of the track, there are the remains of a substantial four-compartment building with entrances in its SW side. It measures 20m NW-SE by 4.3m over turf-covered wall-footings 0.7m in thickness and 0.4m in height; at the SE end there is a small detached enclosure. There is also a probable midden hollow to the SW of the NW end.

F. Situated immediately below the track and some 15m NNW of D, there are the remains of a building set end-on into the slope at the N corner of a small enclosure. The building measures 9.6m NNE-SSW by 5.1m overall and there is what may be a potato-store or clamp (2.6m by 3.5m overall) at its SSW end. Ascending the slope between E and F there is a hollow trackway, which is crossed by the modern farm track, and extending over the slope to the W there are a series of lynchets (none of which have been enclosed); extending over these there are traces of ridge-and-furrow which complement the cultivation remains on the terrace to the rear of the fermtoun.

The remains, together with those of (NO 06 SE 120), are probably to be identified as 'Ballintuim' which is named and depicted by Roy (1747-55, sheet 17/2), Stobie (1783), Grainger (1818) and Douglas (1826).

Visited by RCAHMS (JRS) 19 January 1989

RCAHMS 1990

NO06SE 122 0535 6392

One unroofed building and one enclosure are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Perthshire 1867, sheet xxxii) and on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1977).

Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 28 November 1997.