Coille Na Cuile
Head Dyke (Post Medieval), Township (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Coille Na Cuile
Classification Head Dyke (Post Medieval), Township (Period Unassigned)
Canmore ID 5378
Site Number NC55SE 8
NGR NC 562 503
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/5378
- Council Highland
- Parish Tongue
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Sutherland
- Former County Sutherland
NC55SE 8 562 503.
Centred NC 562 503. The extensive remains of a depopulated village lie at the foot of the NW slopes of Ben Loyal and consist of building footings and enclosures. Some of the houses are of the usual rectangular plan, with walls standing to a height of 0.3m or more. An old enclosing dyke on the south side of the village is abutted by houses of this type. The other foundations are slight, oval or sub-rectangular, with turf-covered walls of no great height.
Visited by OS (JLD) 25 April 1960; Visible on RAF air photographs 106G/Scot/UK 70: 3177-8 and on OS air photographs 5/s/20:082-4
In ruins by 1874 (OS 6" map, Sutherlandshire, 1st ed., {1874}) this unnamed settlement lay in '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.
J Prebble 1963
No change to the previous field report.
Visited by OS (JM) 26 September 1978
This township which comprises four unroofed buildings, one of which is a long building, and a head-dyke, is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Sutherland 1878, sheet xxxiv). Ten unroofed buildings, one of which is a long building, and the head-dyke are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10.000 map (1990).
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 22 August 1995
