Cnoc An T-sithein

This township is situated on a natural terrace in the lee of a steeply rising ridge to the S, which overlooks the low-lying boggy ground to either side of the Milton Burn. It consists of seven buildings (including a kiln barn), together with at least one clamp and the remains of at least three enclosures.

Building 1 (NN 73211 96100): This building is situated at the foot of the rising ground on the SSE of the township about 20m NW of the dam. Its W end is terraced into the gently rising ground and it measures 10.4m from ENE to WSW by 3.3m transversely within heather and grass-grown faced rubble walls 1m thick and up to 0.6m high. There is a possible entrance on the NNE offset W of centre. There is a small rectilinear platform to the north (NN 73210 96109) containing what may be two deflated stacks.

Building 2 (NN 73195 96101): This building is situated at the foot of the rising ground on the S of the township and 5m WNW of Building 1. Its SSW end is cut-back to a depth of 1m into the steeply rising ground and it measures 10m from NNE to SSW by 3.5m transversely within grass-grown spread stony banks 2m thick and up to 0.5m high.

Building 3 (NN 73200 96110): This building overlies the NNE end of Building 2. It measures 8.9m from NNE to SSW by 3.2m transversely within heather and grass-grown faced rubble walls 1m thick and up to 0.5m high. There are possible entrances on the ESE and NNE. The interior, which is divided into two unequal compartments, contains two later pens. One on the SSW measures 1.4m in from NNE to SSW by 1.9m transversely within rubble walls 0.4m thick and 0.4m high; while the other to its NNE measures 3.2m from NNW to SSE by 1.4m transversely within rubble walls 0.4m thick and 0.35m high.

Building 4 (NN 73190 96113): This building is situated at the foot of the rising ground on the SW of the township and 4.5m WNW of Buildings 3 and 4. It measures 10.7m from NNE to SSW by 2.8m transversely within heather and grass-grown stony banks 0.9m thick and up to 0.9m high. There is a large outshot to the WNW measuring 4.7m from WNW to ESE by 2.8m transversely. There is no clear trace of an entrance, but the wall-line is broken on the ESE.

Building 5 (NN 73199 96125): This kiln barn is situated on the natural terrace 2m NNE of Building 4 and 5m NW of Building 3. It measures 11.6m from NE to SW by 4m transversely within heather and grass-grown stony banks 1.2m thick and up to 0.3m high. There is a possible entrance on the ENE. The interior is divided into two compartments, with the north-easterly including a kiln bowl measuring 3.6m in diameter and 1.2m deep. The fire pit and stairs are marked by a hollow in the adjacent compartment to the SW. A circular pit (or clamp) situated on a small natural terrace 8m NW of this building measures 2m in diameter within a heather and grass-grown bank up to 1m thick and 0.4m high on the W (NN 73189 96133).

Building 6 (NN 73221 96135): This building is situated 12.5m ENE of Building 5 on the natural terrace immediately adjacent to the ESE side of a roughly square enclosure (NN 73210 96138). It measures 16m from NNE to SSW by 4m transversely within heavily robbed grass-grown rubble walls at least 1m thick and 0.2m high. However, the WNW wall is overlain by the enclosures ESE wall. There is an entrance on the ESE offset NNE of centre. A later pen situated roughly in the middle of the building measures 1.5m in diameter within rubble walls 0.3m thick and 0.3m high.

Building 7 (NN 73222 96121): This building is situated on the natural terrace immediately SSE of Building 6. It measures about 11m from WNW to ESE by 3m transversely within heavily robbed grass-grown stony banks 1.5m thick and 0.2m high. There are traces of a robber trench at the ESE end.

A grass-grown earthen dam to the SW of the township (NN 73257 96071) holding back the waters of an unnamed artificial lochen measures 101m from E to W by 8m transversely and up to 2m high on the N side. It carries the modern track running roughly SE from its junction with General Wade's Military Road (NN 72677 96288) to a point where it fades out to the E of the township (NN 73312 96092).

Only the roughly square enclosure immediately WNW of Building 6 is shown on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire 1872, Sheet CII).

Visited by RCAHMS (ATW, AKK and PJD), 29 May 2014

[This is an element of the Township described under NN79NW 24 as part of the RCAHMS First Edition Survey Project]