Old Hall Of Craig, Airyhemming

NX15NE 3 1737 5985 to 1742 5987

(A - NX 1737 5985 : B - NX 1742 5987) Forts (NR)

OS 6" map (1909)

Ancient Earthworks (NAT)

OS 6" map (1957)

Fort (B) : The remains of a small defensive enclosure, in a non-defensive position, obscured by grass and field-clearance stones.

In shape an irregular oval, some 92ft by 66ft overall, it appears to have comprised two main enclosures.

One, sub-circular, measuring internally some 31ft by 40ft and apparently subdivided, occupies the central part of the feature: the other forms a small ear-like projection towards the west.

The wall surounding the central enclosure varies from 7 to 10ft generally, broadening as a bank of stone on the east side to 18ft where it attains its maximum height of 4ft above the interior (these measurements are hypothetical as no wall-faces are actually exposed). Over this bank of stone are exposed in line several large blocks of stone, commencing from a single standing stone towards the outer side, and possibly indicating the position of the entrance. The massive wall at one end of the construction seems characteristic of these enclosures, and probably contained chambers. (The other published 'fort' - A - is not recorded by the RCAHMS)

RCAHMS 1912

On the right of the Water of Luce, on Airiehemming, not far to the SE of the old Halls of Craig (NX15NE 21), in a cultivated field, there is a pair of oval buildings. They have been regularly built, with a cup-shaped floor at each end. That to the west is in good preservation to a height of nearly 5ft, the drystone building being very close, with a good deal of bottom or slope at the west end. Behind each there is a quadrangular enclosure covered with scattered stones.

G Wilson 1899

A is a stony mound, c.1.0m average height, its top almost entirely occupied by the footings of a rectangular building with a rounded SW end.

B is a much larger mound with the outlines of rectangular buildings at its west end.

I believe both these features to be large stony mounds, possibly natural, partly field-clearance, both of them later used as the sites of buildings.

Resurveyed at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (WDJ) 4 March 1968

OS (WDJ) confirmed. Both of these natural mounds have shieling-like structures built upon them, while the larger mound contains some field-clearance.

Visited by OS (EGC) 13 March 1968

On improved ground about 550m NW of Airyhemming steading there are the remains of a kiln-barn (NX 1737 5985) and on the E a rectangular building (NX 1742 5987) with what may be a third building (NX 1736 5992) on the ENE.

RCAHMS 1987, visited (PC) 1985-6

Two unroofed buildings (NX 1737 5985 and NX 1736 5992) are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Wigtonshire 1850, sheet 17), but they are not shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1991).

Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 22 October 1999