Hill Of Craighead

NO15SE 26 Centred 193 544.

Centred at NO 193 544 is a settlement of three circular stone-walled huts ('A'-'C'), and a contemporary field system poorly defined by ruinous stone walls, and a few lynchets and stone clearance heaps.

'A', measures c. 10.5m in diameter between the centre of a mutilated wall robbed of most of its stone. The entrance is not evident. There are vague suggestions of an outer wall indicating this this may have been a "Dalrulzian" hut with an outer diameter of 16.0m.

'B', is a "Dalrulzian" hut measuring 8.5m internally and 15.0m between the centres of the outer wall. The ill-defined entrance is in the SSE. 'C', is a single walled hut measuring 8.7m in diameter between the centres of a wall spread to 2.5m. The entrance is in the SSW.

Surveyed at 1/10,000.

Visited by OS (AA) 27 March 1974

Situated on the fairly steep S-facing slope of the Hill of Craighead about 400m NW of Craighead steading, there are at least three hut-circles which are surrounded (mainly on the SW and NW) by a field-system consisting of several linear stone banks and a few small cairns. The N and E edges of the field-system appears to have been destroyed by later cultivation.

1. NO 1930 5444 (OS 'C') The W hut-circle in the group measures 6-6.5m in diameter within a stony bank on the S side and a stony scarp on the N. The bank measures up to 2.1m in thickness and 0.4m in height, and the scarp is up to 0.5m in height. The entrance is situated on the SSW and is now blocked, and field-banks join the hut-circle on the SW and SE.

2. NO 1933 5445 (OS 'B') The bank which joins on to the SE side of (1) runs uphill for a short distance before joining on to the SW side of a double-walled hut-circle. It measures 7.3m in diameter within a low rubble bank and 14.5m N-S by 16.4m over the outer bank. On the W side the outer wall is a true bank but on the N and NE sides it forms a scarp; the distance between the inner and outer walls varies from 1.6m on the W to 3.7m on the E. The inner wall is partially composed of several large boulders whilst the outer comprises mainly of smaller boulders; the splayed entrance is situated on the S side. From the E side of the entrance an outer bank runs down-slope and loops to the SW for a few metres before petering out.

3. NO 1938 5440 (OS 'A') About 60m SE of (2) there is a double-walled hut-circle represented by the robber trenches of the inner and outer wall-faces. It measures 9.5m internally and 17.2m overall. The position of the entrance is not apparent and joining on to the SW side of the hut-circle is a field-bank which runs from (2).

About 10m to the WSW there is a levelled area measuring about 8.5m

in diameter; it may be the stance of a fourth hut-circle.

Visited by RCAHMS (JRS) 2 March 1987.

RCAHMS 1990

NO 19713 55116 A programme of archaeological works including an archaeological walkover and photographic survey, a basic building recording and a watching brief was carried out by GUARD Archaeology Limited on the areas proposed for track upgrading, quarrying and of known archaeological sensitivity within Tullymurdoch, Forest of Alyth, Perth and Kinross. No previously unknown archaeological features were encountered during the walkover survey or the watching brief.

Information from Katharine Warden GUARD Archaeology Limited.