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MHG64484 - Lazy beds - Tairbeart

Summary

A compact area of lazy bed cultivation..

Type and Period (1)

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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 25: Lying to the south side of a low rocky outcrop, close to the western end of Ard an Torrain, is a compact area of lazy bed cultivation. The lazy beds lie on a north to south alignment and vary in width from 2m — 4m. A narrow drain which once kept the area dry is now choked with weed and the lazy beds are now for the most part flooded and rush covered.At the foot of a small, south facing outcrop and just under the birch woodland that lies at the east end of the cultivation mentioned in Site 25, is a small pen. The pen is stone built, uses the outcrop as its north side and measures 3.5m long by 2.0m wide over walls 0.6m thick. A narrow entrance lies at the east end of the pen. <1>

Raasay Survey 2000. Site 51b: To the south and west an attempt has been made to improve the land. Broad patches of ground, varying between 2.0m and 4.0m in width and generally on a north-south alignment, are now partly flooded and overgrown with rushes. The troughs between these patches are water filled. This may have been an area of lazy bed cultivation but seems more likely to be a not very successful attempt to drain the boggy area at some time. <2>

Sources/Archives (2)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 5868 4928 (134m by 57m)
Map sheet	NG54NE
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	PORTREE

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (2)

Related Investigations/Events (2)

External Links (1)