Oldany

NC13SW 9 centred 100 327

NC 103 328. 'SE of burn, on hillside above 50' contour. Closely arranged group as follows: 2-roomed 11 x 3m, 6 x 4m and encl., 13 x 4m, 10 x 4m, 5 x 4m, 8 x 4m, 11 x 4m and 10 x 5m.'

T C Welsh 1971.

This township comprising eleven roofed buildings, one of which is marked as a corn mill, two unroofed buildings and one unroofed structure, is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Sutherland 1878, sheet xlviii). Six roofed, one partially roofed, and five unroofed buildings, and one unroofed structure of two compartments are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10,000 map (1971).

Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 31 August 1995.

The E part of this township, which is situated at the base of a WNW-facing slope overlooking the Oldany River, was recorded during a pre-afforestation survey of Drumbeg Common Grazings. Four buildings and associated enclosures and cultivation remains within the head-dyke were noted.

One building (NMRS MS 899/188, no.3a) lies isolated to the N of the main group at NC 1033 3285). It measures 6.5m from NE to SW by 2m within 0.7m wide and 0.5m high stone walls. The entrance is in the SW corner and there are several orthostats set along the inside of the NW wall. On the NW side of the building, there is a small enclosure, measuring 9m by 4m, formed by low walls extending up against crags.

Several lengths of dyke, can be traced from the building intermittently along and between the crags towards the SW.

Opposite Oldany steading, there is a group of three buildings, each with an associated enclosure, set out along the contour. The northernmost building (NMRS MS 899/188, no.3d), set at the SE corner of an enclosure, measures 12m from N to S by 3m and has a later small building built along side its E wall. Within the enclosure, there are four small circular turf- and stone-banked structures, measuring 1.5m in diameter, which may be planticrues built to shelter seedlings from the wind. A blocked well, shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1990), lies about 10m to the W of the building.

A second building (NMRS MS 899/188, no.3e), set in the NE corner of an enclosure, lies to the SW. It measures 9.5m from N to S by up to 3.5m within 0.7m thick drystone walls and stands up to 1.6m in height at the N gable. The entrance is in the E wall near the N end of the gable. Within, there is a single partition. It is depicted as roofed on both the 1st and 2nd editions of the OS 6-inch map (Sutherland 1878 and 1906 sheet xlviii) but is shown as roofless on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1990). The third building and enclosure (NMRS MS 899/188, no.3f) lies 40m to the SSW. It measures 4m from N to S by 2.5m within 0.7m thick walls standing up to 1.7m in height at the S gable. There is an entrance in the E wall near the NE corner. A sub-oval enclosure adjoins the building on the E. The building is not depicted on the end of the gable. Within, there is a single partition. It is depicted as roofed on both the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Sutherland 1878 sheet xlviii) but it is shown on the 2nd edition of that map (Sutherland 1906 sheet xlviii). It appears, ruined, on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1990). An isolated sub-divided sub-oval enclosure, measuring 24m by 12m overall, lies about 50m to the W of the building.

To the S, traces of rig cultivation and clearance cairns, together with intermittent traces of a head-dyke, are scattered over a large area bounded by the Oldany Burn.

M Dalland and C Lowe (Headland Archaeology) 20 December 1999; NMRS MS 899/188, no.3

A rapid pre-afforestation survey was undertaken of roughly 1.5 km square of land on the Culkein-Drumbeg common grazings to the N of Loch Poll. Eight sites were identified, all probably of medieval or later date. The sites include two settlements, four shielings and one march dyke. The majority of the sites could be identified on John Hume's plans of Oldany and its neighbouring farms from 1774. A shieling recorded to the N of the survey area is not depicted on Home's plan. It compromises eight small stone structures, one cairn and one dyke, all located within a radius of 50m, situated on the S-facing slopes N of a loch near the middle of the survey area. The structures are small, from 0.8m x 0.8m to 1.4m x 1.7m internally, generally defined by single lines of stones.

M Dalland (Headland Archaeology) 2000.

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