Print

MHG29540 - Fank - Tairbeart

Summary

A group of related, stone built features.

Type and Period (3)

Protected Status

Full Description

An archaeological walkover survey of a single, distinct area of proposed planting of natural woodland regeneration was carried by M. Wildgoose at Coille an Torran, Raasay in 1999.

Site 11: Lying at the foot of the west facing cliffs, below the summit of Meall Dearg, is a group of related, stone built features consisting of two pens, a driving wall and a sheep dip. The dip lies at the south end of the group and consists of a well-built sunken tank with a draining pen at its upper, eastern end. Approximately 13.0m to the north of the dip is a triangular pen which measures 11.0m long by 2.5m wide at its east end and 9.0m wide at its west end. A 1.0m wide entrance lies at the south end of the west wall. A second triangular pen lies 6.0m to the north of the first, it measures 5.0m long by 3.0m at its east end and 5.0m at its west end. There is no entrance into this second pen. Leading up to the first pen, and butting up to the west side of its entrance is a long "driving" wall which runs in a southerly direction, away from the pen, for about 400.0m. <1>

Raasay Survey 2000. Site 43: Lying to the northeast of the head dyke, at the foot of the cliffs west of the summit of Meall Dearg, is a series of structures forming a sheep fank and clipping station. The main enclosure is built between the dyke and rock fall from the cliff. Utilising a 9m stretch of dyke, two walls run 9m back towards the cliff where the back (east) wall, 3.80m long, is formed by two large boulders. The well-constructed walls stand to a height of 1.50m. A 2.20m wide entrance lies close to the dyke in the southeast corner of the enclosure. About 6m to the north is a second similarly shaped but smaller pen. With no obvious entrance this pen utilises 5m of dyke. The south wall runs back from the dyke for 7.80m to a large boulder and the north wall for 5.20m, curving slightly to form a back wall 3m long in the tumble. There is no entrance through the 1.30m high walls. To the south of the main enclosure is a well built sheep dip. The 2.50m long stone built tank of the dip is 0.80m wide with a depth of 0.60m. From it, at a 60 degree angle, leads a 3m long, 1.20m wide ramp with 1.10m high walls. <2>

NGR adjusted based on 2020 vertical aerial photographs. <3>

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 5962 4938 (28m by 32m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG54NE
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	PORTREE

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Investigations/Events (0)

External Links (0)