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St Kilda, Boreray, Mcphaidein's Cleits
Cleit(S) (Post Medieval), Settlement (Period Unknown)(Possible)
Site Name St Kilda, Boreray, Mcphaidein's Cleits
Classification Cleit(S) (Post Medieval), Settlement (Period Unknown)(Possible)
Canmore ID 315929
Site Number NA10SE 42
NGR NA 1549 0467
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/315929
- Council Western Isles
- Parish Harris
- Former Region Western Isles Islands Area
- Former District Western Isles
- Former County Inverness-shire
Field Visit (14 July 2010)
The northern partof the main cluster of cleits on Boreray (known as MacPhaidean's cleits) sprawls across a large oval mound of rubble measuring about 20m from NW to SE by 12m transversely. Heavily spread, the mound forms an uneven terrace on the slope about 3.4m above the level of two large boulders that appear to belong to a built kerb protruding from its foot on the SW. In addition, about 5m up the slope from these boulders, a shallow concave arc of walling 2.4m in length that can be seen beneath the SW end of one of the cleits (NE10SE 42.2), almost certainly representing the remains of a substantial structure embedded in the mound rather than the remains of an earlier cleit built on its surface. The date of these remains is not known, but the position of the mound in relationship to the head-dyke on the slopes above it, indicates that the settlement associated with the field-system was situated here.
The cleits on the slope below the mound give the impression that they are arranged in two rough tiers, possibly along ill-defined terraces comparable to the one more clearly visible beneath the two cleits immediately up the slope behind the mound. By and large the cleits here have not been robbed, but many of them have collapsed in on themselves or the lower end has fallen out down the slope. At one place, however, there are three which seem to have been constructed successively (NA10SE 42.7-8 & 42.19).
Visited by RCAHMS (SH & IP) 14th July 2010
