Achadh Na Teanga

NC60NE 17.02 6622 0742

This group of structures, overgrown with grass and bracken, is located on the N bank of the Allt Achadh na Teanga, about 250m to the W of the main concentration of settlement in the township of Achadh na Teanga (NC60NE 17.00). There are two buildings, the larger one partly overlain by a corn-drying kiln, and the remains of two small enclosures. The larger building (ROG95 569) has measured at least 10.9m ENE to WSW by 4.4m transversely over a faced-rubble wall 0.7m thick. It has an outshot attached to each side and an entrance on the SSE. The kiln is built over the WSW end of the building; it has a bowl measuring 1.4m in diameter and 0.5m in depth within a wall 0.7m thick (ROG95 568). These structures stand on the S side of an enclosure, which measures 50m E to W by 30m N to S within a stony bank. To the S a second bank cuts off a bend in the burn, thus enclosing a roughly triangular area measuring up to 100m NE to SW by 90m transversely. The second building (ROG95 570) is built onto this bank, about 20m SW of the kiln. It measures 5.9m N-S by 2.6m transversely within a stony bank spread to 0.6m in thickness. There is no clear entrance and a sheep track runs across the interior.

(ROG95 568-70).

Visited by RCAHMS (PJD, SDB) 7 June 1995

NC 6517 0750

A survey was undertaken 7 October–3 November 2010 for an area of proposed new woodland. The Lairg and Rogart parishes are well known for prehistoric archaeological remains and one of five survey areas was found to lie within a Bronze Age/Iron Age landscape.

The following features were recorded (numbers shown in brackets refer to the survey reference numbers):

NC 6539 0759 Clearance cairns (1) A previously recorded group of field clearance cairns was found to extend into Survey Area 2 and to be more extensive than expected. [NC60NE 45.1]

NC 6597 0728 Burnt Mound (6) A previously recorded burnt mound site lies 285m SE of the edge of Survey Area 2. [ND60NE 44]

NC 6622 0742 Settlement (7) A previously recorded site lies 440m E of the edge of Survey Area 2 and was not visited. However, more clearance cairns were noted here, no doubt related to the field system recorded by RCAHMS during their1995 survey [NC60NE 17.2].

Previously unrecorded sites:

NC 6558 0758 Upright stone (11) This site consisted of a single upright stone standing to c0.3m high above a mound of grass-covered packing stones at its base. It is probably a modern marker stone, as it marks the highest point on the hill [NC60NE 70].

NC 6547 0759 Clearance cairns (12) The group of clearance cairns at this location appear to form part of the field system recorded by RCAHMS. The cairns were moss- and heather covered and at times difficult to distinguish against the open moorland. [NC60NE 45.1]

NC 6561 0753 Clearance cairns (13) The group of clearance cairns at this location appear to form part of the field system recorded by RCAHMS. The cairns were moss- and heather covered and at times difficult to distinguish against the open moorland. [NC60NE 45.1]

NC 6546 0751 Lynchets or boundary banks (14) Two parallel linear banks on an ENE–WSW alignment that were probably associated with the areas of clearance cairns on the hill. The features appear as turf and boulder banks, one at the base of the hill and the second 35m upslope. Both are in a degraded state and only a portion of them remains. These may be some of the lynchets noted by the RCAHMS ,although the lowest (southernmost) bank seems more likely to be a boundary [NC60NE 45.1].

The terrain in the other survey areas mostly consisted of shallow peat surrounding outcrops of bedrock, which would not have been easily cultivated in prehistory. No archaeological features were noted in these areas.

Archive: Highland Archaeology Services Ltd

Funder: Scottish Agricultural College