Ballone

NH63SE 80 centred 6749 3249

Location formerly entered as NH 674 324.

The remains of this township stand some 400m SE of Ballone farmhouse on a terrace above the floodplain of the River Nairn. Fifteen buildings and five kilns can be identified, and two rectangular platforms may indicate the sites of other buildings. The buildings stand either on the terrace itself or on the ESE-facing slope above it; most of them aligned along the slope, while all but one of the kilns are situated to the NE and set into the ground as it drops towards the river. The buildings can be divided into two groups on the basis of their construction materials: seven have walls of turf, usually on top of stone footings, while six are constructed of faced rubble. Two buildings are too badly robbed to ascribe to either group.

The turf buildings range from 10.8m to 24m in length and from 4.3m to 8.7m in breadth over walls which in one case (USN93 165) are 0.7m

thick, but otherwise are spread to as much as 2.6m. Little survives

of them beyond their bare outlines; two (USN93 162 and 172) are divided into two compartments, and although USN93 165 is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire 1874, sheet xxxi) with a bedneuk, this is no longer visible.

The largest of the stone-walled buildings are USN93 177 and USN93 178, which measure respectively 15.6m in length by 4m in breadth and 16.2m in length by 3.7m in breadth within walls measuring about 0.7m in thickness and up to 1.6m in height. They form the E and W sides of a courtyard, with a third building, which is still in use, forming the S side. The E building (USN93 177) has a bedneuk, fireplace and windows, and at, its S end, part of a turf gable survives. The other building is equipped with an internal drain, which runs through the door into the yard. The other stone buildings are not as well preserved and display few internal features: USN93 163 is divided into two compartments, and USN93 167 appears to have had an open E side, suggesting that it may have served as a cart-shed.

The kilns all consist of a stone-faced bowl set into the slope and measuring between 0.9m and 3m in diameter. One (USN93 175) has a possible barn on its SSE side. At the N end of the settlement, on a knoll immediately to the NE of buildings USN93 172-3, is a group of four shallow pits, each measuring about 2m in diameter. Similar features have been noted close to other townships in Upper Strathnairn, and they are probably storage pits.

A settlement, named Cnoc Firikin, is marked here on a plan of Drumboy, 'part of the lands of Inverness Castle', dating from c.1760 (SRO: RHP 1841). Four buildings and an enclosure are depicted, but in a stylised fashion, so they cannot be identified with any remains now visible. The 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map names the settlement 'Glenfirachan'.

At the time it was described as 'a small farm, the dwelling house and offices are one storey in height, thatched and in ordinary repair' (ONB 1871). From the evidence of this map the turf structures are earlier than the stone ones: only one of the former (USN93 165) is depicted, and it is shown as unroofed while five of the six rubble-walled buildings are shown as roofed.

This development from an informal layout of buildings to a more clearly planned courtyard steading is paralleled 1.3km to the W at Dunlichity (NH63SE 85). By the time of the 2nd edition OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire, 1905, sheet xxxi) only two of the courtyard buildings, USN93 177 and the building adjoining it (which remains in use) were still roofed.

(USN93 162-181, 470)

Visited by RCAHMS (SDB), 3 November 1992.

A township, comprising five roofed buildings of which one is L-shaped, two unroofed buildings and four enclosures is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire 1874, sheet xxxi). One roofed building, two unroofed buildings and four enclosures are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1975).

Information from RCAHMS (AKK), 1 July 1996.

The overhead electric power line extends from Daviot Elevation of Creag nan Uamh showing relationship of Claonaite and the main bone sites to the Bone Caves (NH 7225 3966) to the Wester Drummond Generator SW

of Whitebridge (cNH 469 139), with branches at Foyers (cNH 4998 2024) and Glenlia (cNH 5113 2083). Work was

conducted, 8 June–5 July 2009, to establish the nature and extent of any archaeology affected by the power line refurbishment. In total 57 sites were identified during the assessment and survey. Most of these were as previously described apart from the following:

NH 68180 33498 (approx) Spiral/‘C’-shaped feature, Tordarroch This spiral/‘C’-shaped embankment measures

c24m long internally. Its function was not obvious.

NH 7089 3853 Faillie and Daviot West This Bronze Age (2400–551 BC) hut circle was identified as a partially visible feature set into a SE slope by the OS in 1970. It was recorded as measuring 9m overall with the wall spread to c2m. No visible remains were identified during the walkover survey. However, undergrowth may have obscured the feature.

NH 7089 3853 Field system, Faillie and Daviot West The OS found a possibly associated field system which had been recently ploughed over and afforested. No visible remains were identified during the walkover survey.

NH 6740 3240 (centred on) Ballone Township This undated township was recorded in 1992 by the RCAHMS who noted 15 buildings, 5 kilns and 2 rectangular platforms (NH63SE 79 and NH63SE 80). During the walkover survey at least five roofless, stone buildings and an enclosure were identified (centred on NH 67502 32508). Within this group a slate roofed building seemed to post-date the surrounding structures.

NH 6731 3240 In 1992 RCAHMS noted a group of four buildings set into a NW-facing slope above the head of a

small burn. During the walkover survey at least two buildings and the outline of a possible enclosure were found, indicated by turf-grown footings (centred on NH 6746 3245).

Archive: RCAHMS. Report: HHER and Library Service (intended)

Funder: Scottish and Southern Energy

Cait McCullagh – Highland Archaeology Services Ltd