Scrabster

NC55SE 7 Centred on 591 546.

(Area NC 591 546) Scrabster (NAT) (remains of)

OS 6" map (1961)

The remains of Scrabster, an extensive settlement, mentioned in 1726 and in ruins by 1874. This was part of 'Lord Reay's Country' which was bought by Lord Stafford, later Duke of Sutherland, in 1829. The depopulation is presumably later than this date, possibly about 1855 when there are known to have been evictions in Tongue.

W Macfarlane 1906-8; Name Book 1874; J Prebble 1963

The remains of many buildings of various shapes and sizes, the walls ranging in height from mere footings to 0.5m.

Visited by OS (JLD) 23 April 1960; Visible on RAF air photographs 106G/Scot/UK 74: 3111-2 and on OS air photographs 5/5/20: 083-4

The depopulated crofting township of Scrabster comprises at least nine "longhouse" footings, ranging from 25.0 by 4.5m to 33.0 by 4.5m, accompanied by ruins of enclosures and subsidiary buildings. Rig and furrow cultivation is evident. There are traces of internal field banks but no indication of a head dyke.

Visited by OS (JM) 26 September 1978

A township, comprising fourteen unroofed buildings, nine of which have two or more compartments, and an enclosure, is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Sutherland 1878, sheet xxv). The township has twenty-four unroofed buildings, six of which have two or more compartments, and several enclosures are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10,000 map (1990).

Information from RCAHMS (FO) 18 August 1995.