Rubha Cladh Eoin
Fort (Prehistoric)
Site Name Rubha Cladh Eoin
Classification Fort (Prehistoric)
Alternative Name(s) Loch Sween; Port Lunna
Canmore ID 39077
Site Number NR78NE 7
NGR NR 7612 8600
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/39077
- Council Argyll And Bute
- Parish North Knapdale
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Argyll And Bute
- Former County Argyll
NR78NE 7 7612 8600.
(NR 7611 8600) Burial Ground (NR) (Site of)
OS 6" map, Argyllshire, 1st ed., (1868)
Cladh Eoin: Some of the stones marking the graves in this ancient burial ground may still be seen. There are traces of an old wall not far away, but whether of a building or an old chapel cannot be ascertained.
Name Book 1867.
A massive wall 6' wide and up to 2'4" high cuts off the promontory at the SE end of the Oib - now under Forestry Commission. The wall runs from the E side level with the bay on W and turns along the W side of the point, becoming lighter. It is traceable also on E and to the point. The enclosed area is full of outcrop rock. A few small narrow slabs may be grave markers, and some small oval piles of stones might be graves, but the main work is defensive. There may be an outer work to NE, low and confused.
M Campbell and M Sandeman 1964.
NR 7613 8602. All that can be seen at this site are the remains of a stone wall 2.5m wide and 0.5m high which extends round the N and E end of a promontory. The wall is best preserved in the N where the outer face is sited below the crest and stands five courses high. A gap in the NE of the wall suggests an entrance. The interior contains vertical slabs of natural rock.
The whole site is heavily overgrown making an accurate interpretation difficult but there seems little evidence that this is a burial ground. The defensive aspect of the promontary and the siting of a massive wall, however, are indicative of a fort.
Surveyed at 1:10,000.
Visited by OS (IA) 29 May 1973.
NR 7613 8601. No change to the report of 29 June 1977.
Surveyed at 1/10,000.
Visited by OS (BS) 24 January 1977.
Field Visit (May 1985)
Rubha Cladh Eoin forms the SW tip of the promontory that lies between Port Lunna and the easternmost inlet at the head of Loch Sween (Campbell and Sandeman 1964). The end of the promontory is crossed by a massive wall, which springs from a rock on the NW flank to run E for about 20m before turning sharply S to cut off an area measuring about 55m by 30m. The wall is unusually well preserved, standing in places to a height of 1m, and the neatness of coursing is well displayed at the NE angle. The entrance was probably situated in the gap on the E. The interior is planted with conifers.
RCAHMS 1988, visited May 1985.
Note (14 October 2014 - 23 May 2016)
This fortification is situated on a precipitous and steep-sided promontory projecting WSW into the head of Loch Sween, and comprises a thick wall still standing up to 1m in height, which blocks access from the ENE, Describing an L on plan, the wall extends along the lip of the promontory and encloses an area measuring about 55m from ENE to WSW by 30m transversely (0.16ha). The interior, which has been cleared of planted conifers, is now featureless, and the entrance was probably through a gap in the wall on the ENE. The first edition of the OS 6-inch map (Argyll and Bute, 1973, sheet 169) depicted a pecked square in the interior, and annotated it 'Burial Ground (Site of)'.
Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 23 May 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC2294
