Muck, Gleann Mhairtein

NM47NW 79 centred 40014 79316

Four buildings, three huts, an enclosure and an area of lazy-beds are situated on the S shoulder of a low rise on the E side of Gleann Mhairtein. The buildings are between 2.4m and 2.9m in breadth internally, three of them (Muck02 195, 200, 251) measuring 4.2m in length and the fourth 6.9m (Muck02 199). The walls of three are of faced rubble, spread up to 1.4m in thickness by 0.7m in height, but one has a turf core (Muck02 200). The largest building has rounded internal and external corners, and its entrance is in the NE side; a later pen is built into the NW end of the interior. Two of the huts (Muck02 196-7) stand a little to the NW of the buildings, the larger measuring up to 4.7m by 3.7m over turf banks. The third hut (Muck02 194) is built against the N face of a field-bank that cuts across a gully to the N of the buildings. It measures 3.5m by 2.5m within a stony bank 0.8m in thickness and 0.3m in height. The area of lazy-beds lies to the NW of this hut. The enclosure (Muck02 198) is pear-shaped on plan and measures 9m by 5m within a drystone rubble wall 1m in thickness and 0.5m in height. The group of buildings may be the remains of a farmstead, but it is not shown on either Chapman's estate map of 1809 or the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Argyllshire, Island of Muck, 1880, sheet lxxiv).

(Muck02, 194-200, 251)

Visited by RCAHMS (AGCH, SDB) 17 May 2002