Gleann Beag, Laginamer

NO17SW 14 1177 7284.

About 150m N of NO 17 SW 13 and interrupting the head-dyke there are the remains of a round-angled rectangular building (10.7m from N to S by 4.1m transversely over turf-covered stone wall-footings 1m thick) with an enclosure on its SW side (7.8m by 6.5m internally). The angles of the buildings are secured by massive boulder-footings.

To the NNE there are the remains of at least six buildings (A-F) disposed across the terrace and over its backslope (NO 1174 7276 - NO 1180 7295). To the ESE of the buildings and extending downslope and beyond the A93 there are traces of rig-and-furrow cultivation. The first building to be described together with buildings B, C and D are all depicted in Brown's survey of 1808. The enclosure adjoining building B is annotated 'Old Yard'.

A. NO 1175 7281 A substantially built building (8m from NNE to SSW by 5m transversely over stone walls 0.9m thick and 0.6m high) with a drainage-trench on its uphill side.

B. NO 1178 7278 To the E of the track from Laginamer 1 and end-on to the slope, there are the wasted remains of a two-compartment rectangular building (13.8m from WNW to ESE by 4.8m transversely overall) on the NNE side of which Brown (1808) depicts an 'Old Yard'.

C. NO 1178 7284 A four-compartment rectangular building (23.3m from N to S by 5.1m transversely over stone wall-footings 0.9m thick). Some 4.5m E of its S end there is an arc of bank up to 2.1m thick and 0.8m high. This may define the point at which the track from Laginamer 1 was directed past the building.

D. NO 1175 7285 Abutting the head-dyke there is a two-compartment, round-angled rectangular building (15.5m from SSW to NNE by 4.5m transversely over turf-covered stone walls 1m thick and 0.8m high), with an entrance to each compartment on the E. These open to a stone-walled enclosure measuring up to 8m from SSW to NNE by up to 6m transversely internally.

E. NO 1181 7292 A rectangular building (7.6m from SSW to NNE by 4.7m transversely over turf-covered stone wall-footings) with an additional unit (5m by 3.9m) on the NNE; the end-wall of which is terraced into the slope. Immediately to the W, there is a hollowed depression about 2.5m across. The head-dyke dog-legs back onto the hollow to produce an open-ended yard on the W side of the building.

F. NO 1180 7295 Situated on a ridge of higher ground overlooking building E, there are the remains of a rectangular building (7.9m from N to S by 4.1m transversely over turf-covered stone walls 0.9m thick and on average 0.5m high.

Visited by RCAHMS (IMS/SH) August 1987.

RCAHMS 1990