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MHG32074 - Farmstead - Greeanen

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Type and Period (2)

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Full Description

Site of a farmstead or small township at Greeanan, which may have originated as a summer shieling.

The site was visited and recorded by J Hooper during a walkover survey in advance of potetntial works for an access route for the proposed Gordonbush Wind Farm. Site 86: On the First edition of the OS map (1879), three buildings - one of which is very long, although the central section appears to be unroofed - are depicted at NC 83469 10220. The ground to the north of the road at this point rises sharply from road level and these structures lie on top of this rise. Attached to the north side of the long building is a large garden area, while a small rectangular enclosure, also utilised as a garden lies to the south. The west side of the garden area is formed by part of a straight dyke, which runs in a south-westerly direction (across the road) to finish at the river, while it also continues up the hill to the north-east to link in with the head-dyke surrounding the abandoned township of Fearach (NMRS no. NC81SW43, HER MHG11528, centred NC 837 105). The southern boundary of the garden continues to the north-west, more or less parallel with the road, as a less regular dyke. On the opposite (east) side of the burn, an almost square field runs upslope from the road; its interior is distinguished as improved ground and two small enclosures lie within its north west corner. On the OS Second edition map (1907), although one of the two smaller buildings is still roofed, the long building is shown as entirely unroofed and the garden is merely shown as improved ground. The smaller garden is not depicted at all. On lower ground to the east, at NC 83523 10186, Greeanen School - the replacement for that at Ascoilebeg - appears for the first time; this building, although still used as a school into the second half of the twentieth century, is now a Scout Hut. It has a datestone of 1883 to the rear of the building. Only a single enclosure is shown in the north west corner of the field east of the burn. Greanan is described as the minister's shieling by one of the witnesses (Joseph Macleod of Brora) to the 1892 Royal Commission (1895, vol. I, 623); certainly Grinan, along with Furranmore, Altivulen, Clynekirkton and Badenlois, were held by the Reverend William Ross, minister of Clyne in 1811, for a rental of 28 bolls of bear and 10 10s money (Adam 1972, vol. i., 92, 218). The fact that Badenlois, named as a former shieling ground in the OS Name Book (Book 26, 72), is linked to Greeanen, might indicate that it was the higher ground which was used as summer grazing, although it is possible that the main settlement had originated as a low shieling at a much earlier date. <1>

An archaeological excavation led by GUARD Archaeology was undertaken at the site in 2022. The work had been commissioned by N Lindsay on behalf of the Clyne Heritage Society. The investigations involved members of the Clyne Heritage Society, volunteers from the local community and archaeology students from the University of Glasgow and Edinburgh, including overseas students from America and China. The project involved the hand excavation of a series of eight trenches across parts of the farmstead buildings’ footprints, an enclosure wall and a track approaching the farm steading from the north-west. Walls, floor surfaces and hearths were found forming parts of four buildings and cobbled or paved areas outside the buildings were also recorded. The investigations provided an insight into the working of an C18 farm steading, albeit perhaps not a typical farm steading from that period. No evidence of occupation earlier than the C18 steading was found on the site during the course of the work, although the excavated trenches were specifically targeting the extant structures. A metal detecting survey was also undertaken across the site and a varied assemblage of metal artefacts along with ceramic, faunal and glass finds was recovered during the course of the excavation. <2>

Sources/Archives (2)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NC 8346 1022 (100m by 100m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NC81SW
Geographical Area	SUTHERLAND
Civil Parish	CLYNE

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