South Uist, Glac Hukarvat

Chambered Cairn, Barp, Glac Hukarvat.

On the brow of a sharp brae at the top of the short, broad glen, Glac Hukarvat, between Haarsal and Meall Hukarvat, rather more than ¾ mile east of Howmore school, at an elevation of 200 feet above sea-level, is a ruined chambered cairn. The view is restricted on all sides except down the glen towards the north-north-west, where a maze of lochs and the Atlantic beyond with intervening machairs are seen. The area occupied by the cairn has been levelled preparatory to its erection, the excavated hollow on the higher or southern side measuring some 30 feet in width. The cairn has been considerably despoiled of stones on the summit and towards the southern and eastern sides, laying bare the central chamber, which has also been badly handled.

The cairn seems to have been circular with a diameter of about 65 feet; it is reduced to a height of about 7 feet, measured from the west side, but one of the large upright slabs forming the chamber rises about 5 feet higher. Round the boundary of the cairn there has been a setting of upright stones, the general height of the survivors being about 2 feet 9 inches. Five remain in position on the west and one on the south-east; other five displaced slabs lying round the eastern arc are probably part of this setting.

The chamber in the cairn has been formed of upright slabs, and has probably been circular, but the stones have been displaced and the present diameter is about 13 feet. Amongst the debris which has fallen into it is an irregularly shaped slab 4 feet 8 inches long, 4 feet 5 inches broad, and 12 inches thick, and scattered over the present summit of the cairn outside the chamber are at least twenty-five large blocks and lintels, some of which attain a length of 6 feet. The entrance passage has been destroyed, but it seems to have been either in the south or east side of the cairn.

RCAHSM 1928, visited 25 August 1914.

OS map: South Uist l.

This heavily robbed chambered cairn is largely as described and planned by Henshall. It stands at the head of a broad flat-bottomed valley, looking N over an area of grazing. It measures 21m in diameter over a peristalith that is best preserved on the SW. A funnel-shaped forecourt on the ESE, which is partly obscured by the construction of a shieling hut, leads to a low passage that opens into the chamber. The chamber measures 4m in diameter and is formed by large upright slabs, though the slab at the rear does not appear to be aligned on the passage. Two other shieling huts, both circular on plan, are built into the base of the cairn on the SE, and another can be seen on the NW.

Visited by RCAHMS (ARG,SPH) 4 March 2010

Despite being one of the most isolated and inaccessible of the South Uist cairns, this monument has been severely robbed. At least six buildings have been built into or are adjacent to the monument. The most substantial of these structures is located in the forecourt. It is rectangular, approximately 4m by 2.60m, and might have had an east-facing entrance. Another well-preserved building lies in the southern part of the cairn. It is 2.50m square and placed adjacent to a third structure approximately 1.80m by 2.50m. They have south- and north-facing entrances respectively. The fourth structure lies to the west and is only 1.10m by 0.90m with no obvious entrance. The fifth and sixth structures are both found to the north of the cairn and are too badly preserved to define.

A substantial amount of cairn material survives to the north and west but there is little around the chamber area or in the forecourt where several kerb stones can be identified. Henshall (1972: 517) located 14 stones in the peristalith, but we were able to identify at least 16 stones during our visit. The majority of the kerb stones were identified on the west side of the cairn. The kerb stones define a roughly circular cairn that measures approximately 20m in diameter. Six upright stones define a funnel-shaped forecourt facing east. Four of these stones are marked on the original plan by Henshall but for some reason she did not accept a stone on the northeast corner as marking the northern end of the forecourt. There seems no reason not to accept this stone as it mirrors a very similar stone that marks the southeast corner. The forecourt is U-shaped, approximately 3.80m wide where it meets the edge of the cairn. Halfway into the forecourt two opposing stones indicate it is 2.65m wide. Two slabs set just in front of the entrance to the passage are set 0.70m apart. The passage from the forecourt to the chamber is clearly defined by two longitudinal stones set opposite one another, again at a distance of 0.70m.

The passage appears to be roughly 2.30m in length but it is difficult to precisely define the beginning of the passage owing to the presence of a large stone that may be a displaced lintel. The chamber is roughly circular, defined by six orthostats (although Henshall identified eight) and is approximately 4m in diameter. A very prominent orthostat provides a distinctive backstone to the chamber. Many other large slabs found in and around the chamber may be collapsed corbel stones. One large slab in the centre of the chamber area may be a capstone. Three grooves on the edge of the capstone suggest it has been broken up during the recent destruction of the cairn.

Cummins, Henley and Sharples 2012, visited 1997-1999