Leacraithnaich
Bothy (20th Century) (1983), House (19th Century), Hunting Lodge (19th Century)(Possible)
Site Name Leacraithnaich
Classification Bothy (20th Century) (1983), House (19th Century), Hunting Lodge (19th Century)(Possible)
Alternative Name(s) Tearnait
Canmore ID 375635
Site Number NM74NW 2.01
NGR NM 74205 47155
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/375635
- Council Highland
- Parish Morvern
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Lochaber
- Former County Argyll
Note (7 July 2022)
NM74NW 2.1 NM 74205 47157
This 19th century building, now in use as a bothy, is located 75m from the NW shore of Loch Tearnait, 4km E of the public road at Loch Aline. The building is a 1 ½ storey cottage and has been described as ‘a house, occupied in 1872, later re-roofed as a sporting bothy’ (Gaskell 1968, 132-3).
In 1872, when the survey for the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map was undertaken, the building that is now the bothy is shown as roofed with a small garden enclosure on its S side, with another roofed building and a large enclosure to the ENE (NM 74500 47278). At that time the name Leacraithnaich was applied to ‘the ruins a short distance west of Loch Tearnait’ (OS Name Book, Argyll Book No. 72, p.98), that is to say the two unroofed buildings (NM74NW 10, NM 73941 47059) shown on the 1st edition map (Argyllshire, sheet lv, 1875) to the WSW of the building that is now the bothy. The area along the N side of Loch Tearnait, to the ENE of the bothy, is shown on Roy’s Military Map (1747-55) with a cluster of buildings and adjacent areas of cultivation, annotated ‘Ternitt’. There is extensive evidence for cultivation and peat cutting in this area, presumably associated with the 18th century township shown on Roy’s map (NM74NW 2).
The building, owned by Ardtornish estate, was adopted by the Mountain Bothy Association in 1983, and was renovated with the help of more than 50 volunteers in 2019.
Information from HES Archaeological Survey (D M Bratt) 7 July 2022
(Allan 2017, 220-1)
