Accessibility

Font Size

100% 150% 200%

Background Colour

Default Contrast
Close Reset

Lewis, Stac A' Chaisteil

Broch (Iron Age)(Possible), Galleried Dun (Iron Age)

Site Name Lewis, Stac A' Chaisteil

Classification Broch (Iron Age)(Possible), Galleried Dun (Iron Age)

Canmore ID 4207

Site Number NB24NW 5

NGR NB 2024 4540

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/4207

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

Toggle Aerial | View on large map

Digital Images

Administrative Areas

  • Council Western Isles
  • Parish Uig
  • Former Region Western Isles Islands Area
  • Former District Western Isles
  • Former County Ross And Cromarty

Archaeology Notes

NB24NW 5 2024 4540.

(NB 2024 4540) A small ruin, said to be the remains of a castle, with a considerable portion of the wall still standing.

The small headland, Stac a Chaisteil, on which it stands, is now almost inaccessable either by land or sea. The ruin is about 50' lower than the top of the adjacent cliff, with which it is connected by a narrow ridge, still lower by about 40', over which it is impossible to pass.

Name Book 1850.

On Stac a Chasteil there is the much-reduced and overgrown remains of a galleried dun or semi-broch. It consists of a substantial stone wall measuring c.13.0m in length and c.4.5m in width, and pierced by a central entrance passage 1.1m in width, placed on the lip of a cliff across the eroded ridge joining the promontory to the mainland.

The W half of the wall has fallen into the sea, but the footings of the outer wall face and entrance-passage survive. The outer wall-face of the E half has a considerable batter, and reaches a maximum height of 1.8m at the SE corner.

The inner wall-face is vertical, 0.9m in height, and pierced by a lintelled entrance, 0.8m in width, which leads into the remains of a cell too ruinous to be properly examined.

Within the enclosed area, measuring c.13.0m N-S by 10.0m transversely, there are traces of other structures of which only one can be recognised as an oval corbelled chamber, about 3.3m E-W by 2.3, transversely, with a lintelled entrance in its N wall.

Surveyed at 1/10,000

Visited by OS (A A) 20 June 1969.

A second season of fieldwork was carried out during the summer of 2004, building on work undertaken the previous year by the Severe Terrain Archaeological Campaign (STAC project).

Four stack sites were visited using rope access techniques. A full topographic and archaeological survey was conducted for all four sites.

NB 2024 4540 The complex remains of a possible late prehistoric dun (NB24NW 5) occupy a dramatic position atop a tall stack, once accessible via a narrow neck of land, now collapsed and eroding severely. There are at least seven structures in various degrees of preservation covering an area approximately 20m N-S by 15m. The main structure consists of a 4m wide drystone wall, running E-W across the landward edge of the summit for approximately 13m. The eastern corner is upstanding to approximately 1.5m, and retains a clear right-angled corner. This is built on the very edge of the outcrop which forms the top of the stack, teetering above a near-vertical cliff face. The wall is divided roughly in two by an entrance passage measuring just over 1m in width. Little remains of the structure to the W of this entrance, save turfed-over footings and large foundation stones. These footings extend to the very edge of the western side of the stack, again stopping abruptly at a 50m high vertical cliff face. A stone hammer was recovered eroding from the E side of the entrance passage.

The best-preserved eastern half of this wall actually forms a larger structure when viewed from the N. A gallery or passageway runs through it E-W, although it is hard to discern the exact internal dimensions of this feature due to considerable collapse of masonry at the SW corner. Large lintel stones cover the roof of this passage, and an opening 1m wide and high in the NE corner may have formed an entrance.

There are the remains of many turfed-over wall footings across the remainder of the summit to the N of the main defensive wall. The best preserved of these is a sub-rectangular building with a curved end, oriented N-S and measuring approximately 6 x 4m. The walls of this building are obscured at its southern end by irregular wall footings and tumbled masonry, but it may once have been related to the larger defensive wall.

A corbelled circular shieling-like structure partly overlies the rectangular structure to the NE. This appears to be a more recent building, and presumably the other structures were robbed of stone for its construction. The corbelling of the roof has partially collapsed. It measures 0.5m in maximum height and roughly 2m in diameter.

A series of revetted terraces, on which are the faint remains of other structures, lead to the steep slopes at the back or N of the stack.

Sponsors: HS, Russell Trust, Museum nan Eilean Siar, Comunn Eachdraidh Nis.

C Barrowman 2004

Activities

Publication Account (2007)

NB24 2 STAC a' CHAISTEIL

NB/2024 4540

This fairly well preserved probable promontory semibroch in Uig, Lewis consists of a drystone wall built across the neck of the headland of the same name [1]. The wall measures about 13.0m in length and about 4.5m in width and contains an entrance passage in the middle, 1.1m wide. The western half of the wall has fallen into the sea but the outer face of the eastern half, showing a considerable batter, is preserved up to 1.8m in the south-east corner. The inner face is vertical and stands up to 0.9m high; in it is a lintelled doorway 0.8m wide which "leads into the remains of a cell too ruinous to be properly examined." [1]. There are traces of other structures in the enclosed area. The fact that the lintel of the inner doorway is preserved in such a low wallface suggests that at least a metre more of the wall is preserved under rubble.

Sources: 1. NMRS site no. NB 24 NW 5: 2. Burgess 1999, 100.

E W MacKie 2007

Note (28 January 2015 - 31 May 2016)

Stac a' Chaisteil is a precipitous promontory, only connected to the mainland by the most tortuous of paths down the adjacent cliffs and across rock-falls before mounting its own rock-faces. The position itself is thus all but impregnable, and has been further fortified with a substantial wall 13m in length by 4.5m in thickness. Set on the landward lip of the narrow summit, the only access to what little space exists amongst the outcrops is provided by a central entrance passage 1.1m wide. Little more than the footings of the W half of the wall now survive, but the eastern half displays a battered external face still standing 1.5m high at its squared E terminal, while a lintelled doorway in the vertical inner face gives access into a collapsed mural chamber or gallery. The rest of the summit measures no more than 13m from N to S by 10m transversely, but there are extensive traces of grass-grown wall-footings, including at least one rectangular building measuring about 6m from N to S by 4m overall, which is overlain by a later shieling-type structure, which has a collapsed corbelled roof and a lintelled entrance in its N wall. Traces of revetted terraces and other structures on the N give way to a steep slope falling away to the sea.

Information from An Atlas of Hillforts of Great Britain and Ireland – 31 May 2016. Atlas of Hillforts SC2763

References

MyCanmore Image Contributions


Contribute an Image

MyCanmore Text Contributions