Achilian Site 4 And 5

NN 13024 22874 (Centred) A pre-afforestation walkover survey was conducted, on 4–6 May 2021, over two parcels of land at Achlian, near Dalmally. There was one previously recorded site, a small structure, within the area. Up to 68 sites were recorded during the walkover survey and included: 34 shielings/structures; three house platforms; 18 banks and/or walls; one enclosure; five tracks; two quarries; one sheep pen; one area of peat cutting; and numerous areas of cultivation rig.

NN 13183 23193 Site 1. Spur off main track, 2m wide. Runs SE down to burn.

NN 13241 22907 Site 2. Rig and furrow – area of former field cultivation

NN 13448 22488 Site 3. A single unroofed T-shaped building is depicted on the 1st Edition OS 6-inch map (Argyllshire 1874, sheet cxiii). One unroofed rectangular building is shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1977). A stone structure measuring 8 x 4.5m with dry stone cobble wall with a twinning pen in one corner. A 3 x 4m cobble structure, sub-oval could be the remains of a possible earlier structure underneath. (Canmore ID: 155491)

NN 13438 22502 Site 4. Platform measuring 6 x 4m.

NN 13442 22507 Site 5. Shieling-like structure measuring 5 x 4m with low earthen bank 0.3m high by 1 – 1.2m wide.

NN 13493 22483 Site 6. Shieling measuring 6 x 3m. Oval earthen bank 0.4m high and 1m wide. Entrance to the W.

NN 13505 22486 Site 7. Shieling 6 x 5m oval shieling, low earthen bank 0.2m high on platform.

NN 13502 22470 Site 8. Stone circular structure 9m diameter with a sunken centre. Low stone wall c1m wide. Possibly a roundhouse or a stock enclosure? Entrances to NE and SW sides.

NN 13628 22470 Site 9. Shieling 4 x 3m with possible older shieling measuring 4 x 6m underneath. Low stone and bracken walls. Entrance to the NE.

NN 13631 22477 Site 10. Low walled shieling measuring 2 x 3m. Entrances to NE and SW sides.

NN 13605 22478 Site 11. Shieling measuring 5 x 3m low oval structure with earthen banks 0.4m high and 0.1m wide. Possible entrance to SW side.

NN 13606 22465 Site 12. Shieling measuring 3 x 4m with low earthen bank 0.3m high.

NN 13583 22469 Site 13. Low sub-rectangular structure measuring 7 x 5m. Possible entrance to NW side. Earthen banks 0.2m high and 1m wide.

NN 13585 22475 Site 14. 7 x 4m rectangular structure with low ephemeral earthen bank. Entrance NW facing.

NN 13577 22473 Site 15. Possible shieling structure or store. Sub-circular low earthen bank measuring 3m diameter.

NN 13606 22441 Site 16. 0.1m high earthen bank structure measuring 6 x 4m. No visible entrance.

NN 13603 22438 Site 17. Oval structure measuring 3 x 4m with a barely discernible low earthen bank. No visible entrance.

NN 13254 22534 Site 18. Area of rig and furrow cultivation orientated E/W. 1.5m wide.

NN 13119 22908 Site 19. Peat cutting strip, 10m linear strip orientated N/S.

NN 13067 23297 Site 20. Small quarry scoop 5 x 4m.

NN 12984 23407 Site 21. Earthen bank curves up from N side of area next to burn and disappears into bog. Maximum height of 0.5m and 1.5m wide. Also at NN 13021 23395.

NN 13109 23224 Site 22. Track, aligned NW/SE coming uphill from Achlian Farm. 2m wide and sunken.

NN 12902 23550 Site 23. Turf bank running NW/SE, 1.2m high and 2m wide. Runs to burn at S and stops at NN 13152 22385. NN 12906 22540 Site 24. Stone wall replacement for bank.

0.8m high tapered sides and 1.10m wide at base. E end stops at a burn at NN 13173 22405. On 2nd Edition OS map CXIII NE 1900

NN 13033 22441 Site 25. Possible shieling on S facing slope above a burn located 10m to the south. Measuring 3.5 x 2.5m with walls 0.3m high. Entrance to S side.

NN 13149 22286 Site 26. Structure: measuring 10.5 x 7m with walls 0.35m high and a possible entrance on the W side. Turf walls with some stone on top of knoll.

NN 13458 22041 Site 27. Slight remnant of a turf bank running E/W. 0.25m high and 1m wide. There is an area of improved ground located to the north of the bank.

NM 13500 22148 Site 28. Shieling, situated 1m N of burn and measuring 4.5 x 3.5m with walls 0.3m high and an entrance to the S side.

NM 13494 22129 Site 29. Shieling, situated 4m N of burn and 5m away from the shieling in site 28. Measuring 4.5 x 3m with walls 0.4m high.

NN 13471 22136 Site 30. Turf structure possibly turned into a shieling. Measuring 7 x 4.5m with walls 0.6m high and a possible entrance on the E side.

NN 13477 22155 Site 31. Built against N facing scarp. Scarp is 1.6m high. Structure measures 4.5 x 4.5m with an entrance to the N side. Walls 0.45m high and up to 0.8m wide.

NN 13429 22173 Site 32. Rectangular turf structure measuring 5 x 3m with walls 0.35m high and no obvious entrance.

NN 13454 22198 Site 33. Turf structure possibly a shieling measuring 4 x 3.5m with walls up to 0.4m high and an entrance to the N side.

NN 13442 22199 Site 34. Measuring 6 x 3m sub-rectangular with entrance on E side. Turf walls up to 0.6m high.

NN 13212 22314 Site 35. Turf structure on top of knoll situated on the opposite bank of the burn from site 26. Oval, measures 5 x 4m with walls up to 0.5m high.

NN 13214 22469 Site 36. Oval turf structure measuring 5.5 x 3.5m with walls up to 0.35m tall. No clear entrance.

NN 13200 22473 Site 37. Oval structure on a slight slope measuring 7 x 3m with walls 0.4m high. Next to site 35.

NN 13193 22451 Site 38. Oval turf structure measuring 9 x 4m with walls 0.3m high.

NN 12811 22856 Site 39. Rig and furrow traces running to S.

NN 12794 22915 Site 40. Turf bank orientated roughly E/W but meanders. Runs downhill to burn at south from this point. Up to 0.8m tall and 2.5m wide.

NN 12449 22948 Site 41. Possible structure with walls 0.4m high and measuring 5 x 3.5m. Ephemeral.

NN 12419 23068 Site 42. Dry stone structure measuring 7 x 4m with walls up to 0.7m high and 1m wide.

NN 12398 24487 Site 43. Quarry with wall on E side. Quarry measures 20 x 20m.

NN 12866 24155 Site 44. Stone wall with tapered sides, 0.8m tall and 1m wide at base. Shown on OS map.

NN 12890 24041 Site 45. Turf and stone bank. SW end of the SW/NE orientated bank, where it joins the steep S facing slope. Continues to NN 12990 24064

NN 12909 24068 Site 46. Remnants of rig and furrow in entire area of the slopes to N of the bank (site 45).

NN 12680 23609 Site 47. Bank and track at NE end of turf bank. Bank orientated NE/SW. 2m high on S side and 3m wide. Continues to NN 12550 23557. Track on S side of the bank continues beyond bank for 30m then disappears in bog and heath.

NN 12470 23578 Site 48. Revetment wall for dyke track. 0.5m tall.

NN 12448 23575 Site 49. Turf bank running parallel to and

c20m south of revetted wall (site 48). 2m wide and 0.7m tall.

NN 12297 23472 Site 50. Turf structure, an elongated oval located on SE facing terrace of Creag Dubh. Measuring 11 x 4.5m with walls no more than 0.3m high.

NN 12298 23482 Site 51. Turf bank to N of structure (site 50). 1.2m wide and 0.35m tall.

NN 12217 23340 Site 52. Turf structure on SE side of Creag Dubh. Oval/sub-rectangular measuring 8.5 x 5m with walls up to 0.70m high and an entrance on the NW side.

NN 12153 23276 Site 53. Measuring 8 x 4m with turf walls 0.4m high. There is an additional 8m extension of platform to the E side of the structure, which may have been an earlier building platform, or the existing building may originally have been longer.

NN 11801 24222 Site 54. NE edge of rig and furrow above main road.

NN 11590 24113 Site 55. Ephemeral remains of bank marking edge of rig and furrow remnant, 0.2m high.

NN 11714 24487 Site 56. Stone wall shown on OS map. Aligned NW/SE. 0.9m tall and 1.10m wide at base with tapered sides.

NN 11742 24503 Site 57. Clearance Cairns – small stone heaps in this area. Max size of 2 x 2m and 0.4m tall.

NN 12395 24516 Site 58. Remains of stone wall, a few boulders between two metal posts. one boulder high. Orientated E/W on knoll.

NN 12522 24438 Site 59. Possible house platform measuring 7 x 14m with a few boulders and stones.

NN 12514 24429 Site 60. Boulder structure measuring 6 x 4m. Very difficult to discern within an area of bracken.

NN 12656 24375 Site 61. Remains of stone enclosure measuring 11 x 6m with walls 0.6m wide and 0.1m high.

NN 13244 24188 Site 62. Possible structure measuring 10 x 5.5m with stone and earthen walls 0.3m high and 1–1.2m wide. Sunken centre.

NN 13012 23940 Site 63. Part of old track, curves up bedrock knoll in an E/W direction, 2m wide, slightly built up on N side.

NN 12915 23729 Site 64. Bank, 2m wide and 0.76m high, orientated NW/SE. Curvilinear and runs into the trees to W and E. Also at NN 12920 23620

NN 12671 23525 Site 65. Stone and earthen bank running parallel to burn. Orientated E/W and standing 0.5m high and 1.5m wide.

NN 12221 23038 Site 66. With one definite piece of dry stone wall 1.2m long and 0.5m high and 0.5m wide and possible collapsed dry stone wall at either end.

NN 12101 22980 Site 67. Platform – an area of non-stony ground, flat and measuring 7 x 4.5m. A possible stance for a structure.

NN 11998 22943 Site 68. Dry stone wall running alongside of burn. 0.3m high and 0.8m wide. Orientated NW/SE.

NN 11653 23563 Site 69. Clearance Cairn – small pile of stone set on natural ridge. Measures 4 x 4m.

NN 11485 23936 Site 70. Short length of track, maximum of 4m wide and forming flat ground/holloway. Runs down into native woodland at NN 11411 23829

NN 11670 24552 Site 71. Stone and turf bank, 0.75m high and 1m wide, revetted into the hill. Orientated E/W. Cut by modern track at 211861 724531.

Funder: Scottish Woodlands Ltd

Clare Ellis – Argyll Archaeology

(Source: DES Vol 22)