Easter Lair

The remains of this fermtoun are disposed on both sides of a canalised burn close to the roofless ruin of the 19th-century farmhouse and fank at Easter Lair. It comprises at least twenty buildings, together with their enclosures, pens and two kilns, and the remains can be broken down into three principal groupings. The first consists of a series of buildings which lie directly beside the 19th-century dwelling and adjoining enclosure; this later building is itself worthy of note. It is gable-ended and rectangular on plan and was divided into three bays by opposed cruck-slots (now refilled but with an original span of 4.4m and with a bay width of 3m from centre-to-centre). The NW gable incorporates two aumbries and has a scarcement and window at first-floor level probably for a loft; a fireplace (now robbed) was incorporated in the opposite gable and the entrance-doorway was probably in the SW wall. Beginning on the N and proceeding to the S, the buildings of the first group are as follows:

A. Adjacent to the N side of the 19th-century enclosure wall, and end-on to the burn, there are the wasted remains of what may be a subrectangular building measuring 11.7m from E to W by 2.8m transversely overall. A turf-dyke dog-legs from the E end of the building.

B. At right angles to the roofless ruin of the 19th-century dwelling (on its NW side) there are the wasted remains of what may be a subrectangular building measuring 8.2m from NE to SW by 4.4m transversely overall.

C. To the S of, and on the same axis as the 19th-century building there are the turf-covered remains of a three-compartment building measuring 16.7m from NW to SE by 4.8m transversely over stone wall-footings 0.8m in thickness and up to 0.4m in height; each compartment was entered independently from the SW. To the front of the building a scooped-depression probably indicates the site of the midden.

D. At right angles to (C) and beside the 19th-century enclosure wall, there are the wasted remains of a rectangular building measuring 10m from NE to SW by 4.7m transversely overall.

E. To the SW and at right angles to (D) there are the wasted remains of a building (10.3m from NW to SE by 4.9m transversely over stone wall-footings 0.7m thick) with an outshot on the SE (2.2m by 4.9m overall).

F. On a ridge of ground flanking the S side of the midden associated with (c) there are the turf-covered stone wall-footings of what may be a pen (9.7m from WNW to ESE by 2.8m transversely overall).

G. To the SSE and en echelon with (C) there are the remains of a three-compartment building which has been levelled into the slope. It measures 21.7m from NW to SE by 5.2m transversely over turf-covered stone wall-footings 0.8m in thickness and 0.6m in height. A terrace extends along the front of the building and serves to separate it from the midden-hollow immediately to the SW (up to 4.8m in diameter); contiguous with it there is also a second smaller depression.

H. To the WNW of (G) there are the turf-covered stone wall-footings of a bilateral pen (7.8m from SW to NE by 6.9m transversely overall).

I. Immediately E of (G) there are the wasted remains of a rectangular building measuring 10m from NNW to SSE by 5.8m transversely over a low bank up to 1.1m in thickness.

J. To the SSE and set forward of (I), there are the remains of a rectangular building (possibly a byre) measuring 10.9m from NW to SE by 4.9m transversely over turf-covered stone wall-footings 0.8m in thickness; the entrance was off-centre in the SW wall and emitting from it there is a drainage-hollow.

K. To the SW of (G) and roughly parallel with it (thereby closing off the third side to a yard), there are the turf-covered stone wall-footings of a round-angled rectangular building (10m from NNW to SSE by 3.9m transversely overall).

L. End-on to the burn and let into the slope to the SSE of (G), there are the remains of a substantial kiln with chambers at both ends. The kiln-bowl is 2.1m in diameter and opened to a flue on its SSW side; overall the structure measures 14.8m from NNE to SSW by 6.8m transversely.

The second group of buildings is disposed over the ENE-facing slope on the WSW side of the burn and is as follows:

M. Let into the foot of the slope almost oppostie the 19th-century building there are the well-preserved remains of a bowl-kiln; the bowl is 2.9m in diameter and at least 1.1m deep in seven courses, and has a flue on the ESE.

N. On a narrow shelf, upslope and to the S of (M), there are the remains of a two-compartment building measuring 12.5m from NW to SE by 4.6m transversely over turf-covered boulder-footings 0.8m in thickness; the entrance was central to the SW wall.

O. To the SSE of (N) and levelled into the slope there are the remains of what may be a pen (8.3m from NNW to SSE by 3.4m transversely overall).

P. Immediately downslope from (O) there are the wasted remains of a rectangular building (14.5m from NNW to SSE by 4.8m overall).

Q. At the foot of the slope to the E of (P) and at right angles to the burn, there are the remains of two buildings which are connected by a bank on the WSW. Both buildings are reduced to their turf-covered stone wall-footings and measures 7.6m from WSW to ENE by 4.3m and 9m from SW to NE by 5.5m transversely overall respectively; the NW building is round-ended. The third group of buildings are as follows:

R. On the S side of a dyke to the SSE of (Q) and set at right andles to the slope there are the remains of a rectangular building (12.2m from WSW to ENE by 5.5m transversely over turf-covered stone walls 1m thick and 0.4m high) with an entrance central to its SE wall and an enclosure on its NNW side (14.8m by 6.6m internally).

S. Roughly parallel with (R), but to the S, there are the remains of a second building (8.3m from SW to NE by 4.5m transversely over turf-covered stone wall-footings 1m thick and up to 0.5m high).

T. Upslope from (R) and on the same axis, there are the remains of a three-compartment building measuring 14.3m from SW to NE by 3.4m transversely over turf-covered stone walls 0.6m in thickness and 0.4m in height.

U. To the S and at right angles to (T) there are the remains of a building measuring 6.2m from NNW to SSE by 3.6m transversely over turf-covered stone wall-footings 0.6m in thickness.

V. Directly upslope of (T) there are the stone wall-footings of an enclosure (10.5m by 10m internally).

Pont (c.1600) depicts a settlement and denotes it 'Lair'. Lair is on record in 1674 (Spalding and Spalding 1914) and Easter Lair in 1730.

Roy (1747-55) depicts the fermtoun but gives no name, however, it is 'E. Lair' on the maps of Stobie (1783), Ainslie (1794) and Thomson (1825). Visited by RCAHMS (IMS/PC/JRS) October 1988

RCAHMS 1990

NO16SW 126 1432 6275

A farmstead comprising one unroofed L-shaped building, three conjoined enclosures and an unroofed structure which may be a kiln is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Perthshire 1865-7, sheet xxxiii). One unroofed building and an attached enclosure are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1977).

Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 3 December 1997