Islay, Loch Staoisha

NR 406 712. The small island that lies about 60m off the w shore of Loch Staoisha may be wholly or partly artificial in origin. It measures about 12m in diameter and appears to composed mainly of boulders. The surface of the island is almost entirely obscured by a dense growth of vegetation but some remains can be seen of a drystone building subrectangular plan measuring about 7m by 4.5m over all.

There are no visible remains of a causeway.

Visited August 1974

RCAHMS 1984

NR47SW 4 4062 7123.

At NR 4067 7122, some 50.0m from the west side of Loch Staoisha is an island about 10.0m in diameter, now overgrown with trees. It may be a crannog, but access cannot be gained to it and there is no evidence of a causeway from the shore.

Surveyed at 1:10 000

Visited by OS (NKB) 9 October 1979.

NR 4063 7123 Located 45m off the W side of Loch Staoisha near the mid-point of the loch. The artificial islet is a nearly circular, stone-covered mound with a diameter of 24m at its base. The sides of the islet are a mass of stone rubble which breaks sharply, at an 18 degree angle, with the surrounding loch bed. The upper platform which crowns the top of islet is roughly circular, 14.3m in diameter. At the time of survey the upper platform stood 2.6m above the surrounding loch bed, 1.1m above the water level, and was heavily overgrown with bushy vegetation and several large willow trees. The foundations of a pentagonal structure, measuring 5.8m NW-SE by 4m NE-SW, were found near the centre of the islet. The foundations measure a maximum of 0.3m in height and consist of a single course of medium-sized stone.

Sponsors: Edinburgh University Archaeology Department, Holley & Associates.

M W Holley 1996