Gleann Beag, Laginamer

NO17SW 13 1174 7262.

Disposed over a terrace on the W side of Gleann Beag there are the remains of a farmstead comprising six buildings and a kiln.

At the centre of the group there are buildings on two sides of a yard (on the S and E respectively).

The larger of the two (that on the E and probably a byre-dwelling) is of three compartments and measures 18m from N to S by 5.4m transversely over stone wall-footings 0.9m in thickness; the second building (10.5m from NW to SE by 5.5m transversely over stone wall-footings 0.9m thick) appears to have had opposed lateral entrances and possibly a byre-drain on the S.

The yard measuring 24m from E to W by 19.5m transversely appears to be cut-back into the old head-dyke, which traverses the break of slope at the rear of the terrace; the dyke notably deviated in its course to take in the farmstead.

At the W end of the second building and end-on to the yard, there are the remains of a rectangular building (9.3m from NNE to SSW by 5.1m transversely over stone wall-footings 0.9m thick) with a substantial drainage-trench and hood running the length of its back-wall. End-on to this building, to the S, there are the wasted remains of a rectangular building (7.9m from NNE to SSW by up to 4.3m transversely over stone wall-footings 0.8m thick); its NW side-wall has been entirely robbed. The head-dyke picks up its course from the S side of the building to which it is closely abutted.

(NO 1171 7266) On a terrace upslope from the head-dyke and about 20m WNW of the yard, there are the remains of a rectangular building (8.7m from NE to SW by 4.7m transversely over stone wall-footings 0.9m thick) with a drainage-trench on the W; a spread of stone debris may represent the denuded remains of a drainage-hood on its uphill side. The entrance appears to have been in the SW end-wall.

To the SSE of the farmstead (at NO 1176 7261) there are the remains of a subrectangular building (7.2m from N to S by 4.5m transversely over stone wall-footings up to 1m thick) with an entrance central to its W wall. On its E side there is an adjoining enclosure (16m from N to S by 8.4m internally). Immediately S of the enclosure there is an oval pit (possibly of recent origin) measuring 5.7m from N to S by 3.5m transversely and up to 0.4m in depth; most of the upcast is piled on the SE side.

Immediately to the NW there are the remains of a kiln. Its bowl is 2.3m in diameter and up to 0.7m deep and the flue (on the SW) opens to a kiln-chamber measuring 9.5m from SW to NE by 6.7m transversely overall, with an entrance on the SW.

A track passes along the edge of the terrace and in proximity to the building on the E side of the yard the slope has been stone-revetted to accommodate it.

The farmstead appear as Laganamer (Roy 1747-55, sheet 18/4), Laginamer (Stobie 1783) and Lag-na-mer on Brown's 1808 survey, by which date the farmstead may already have been abandoned. Brown, however, depicts most of the buildings which figure in the above description and notes in proximity to the farmstead both arable and pasture; the arable appears to have been given over, or to have reverted to a grass ley.

Visited by RCAHMS (IMS/SH) 14 August 1987.

RCAHMS 1990