Creag Dubh-leitir, Gleann Fearnach

Strung out over a low ridge at the rear of a broad terrace some 550m SE of Castle Pirnie cottage, there are the remains of a fermtoun comprising at least nine buildings, three enclosures and two kilns. The structures are described from SE to NW.

A. At the SE end of the fermtoun there are two buildings ranged on the NE and NW sides of an enclosure. That on the NE (NO 0576 6390) measures 10.4m NW-SE by 4.9m over turf-covered wall-footings 0.8m in thickness and up to 0.7m in height; there is a centrally-placed entrance in the NE side. The building on the NW measures 12.9m ENE-WSW by 5.9m over turf-covered stone wall-footings 1m in thickness and 0.4m in height; it has an entrance midway along its NNW wall. Situated 13m S of the enclosure there are the remains of a kiln-and-chamber measuring 9.2m N-S by 5.3m overall and about 3m in diameter across the kiln-bowl, which is at the N end with its flue on the S.

B. The remains of a third building lie to the NW of A and measure 10.4m NW-SE by 3.7m over turf-covered wall-footings 0.6m in thickness; there is a centrally-placed entrance in the SW side. A few metres to the SW there are the remains of a kiln measuring 2.2m in diameter with its flue on the SW.

C. The remains of the fourth building lie a short distance to the NW of B (NO 0574 6393) and measure 14m NW-SE by 5.4m over turf-covered stone wall-footings 1.1m in thickness and 0.5m in height; there is a central entrance in the SW wall. Situated downslope to the SW there is a small enclosure with the remains of a pen adjoining the W end of its NE side. D. En echelon to the NW of C (NO 0573 6394), there are the remains of a two-compartment building measuring 13.5m NW-SE by 5m over turf-covered stone wall-footings 0.9m in thickness and 0.5m in height. The entrances to both compartments are situated in the SW side, and at the SE end there is an outshot (2.9m by 5m overall) and at the SE end of the NE wall the remains of a small rectangular structure (6.3m NE-SW by 3m overall). In front of the building there is a midden and below this there are traces of a further rectangular structure (7.2m NW-SE by 3.2m overall).

E. Situated a few metres to the W of D (NO 0571 6394) there are the remains of what may be a two-compartment building measuring 8.2m NW-SE by 4.5m over footings reduced to banks about 0.7m in thickness. There is an entrance towards the SE end of the SW wall. Set at right-angles to the SE end of the NE wall, there is a small rectangular building (4m NE-SW by 3.6m over turf-covered stone wall-footings 0.6m in thickness) and a drainage-trench extends to the NW end of the main building. A midden hollow lies immediately SW of the main building.

F. This building lies end-on to E a few metres to the NW (NO 0570 6396); it has two compartments, both with entrances in the WSW, and it measures 16.1m NNW-SSE by 4.2m over turf-covered stone wall-footings 0.8m in thickness and 0.6m in height. Set at right-angles to the middle of the building, immediately beyond the drainage trench that flanks the ENE wall, there is a small rectangular structure (open to the S and 5.9m WSW-ENE by 3.3m over turf-covered stone wall-footings). At the NNW end of the building there are the remains of another rectangular structure (open to the SW and 6.2m NE-SW by 4.8m over turf-covered stone wall-footings 0.8m in thickness), and in the angle between the two there is a small yard, its S and W sides defined by an arc of bank. To the NW there is a drainage-ditch which runs into a stream.

To the S of the fermtoun the slopes bear traces of cultivation ridges, some of which form lynchets. This fermtoun may be identified with Kerrow, which appears on the maps of Roy (1747-55, sheet 17/2), Stobie (1783), Grainger (1818), and Douglas (1826).

Visited by RCAHMS (JRS) 19 January 1989.

RCAHMS 1990

NO06SE 29 0573 6393

Two unroofed buildings and two enclosures are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Perthshire 1867, sheet xxxii). Four unroofed buildings and two enclosures are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1977).

Information from RCAHMS (SAH), 28 November 1997.