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MHG64488 - Farmstead - Tairbeart

Summary

The foundations of a large, stone built house and a much disturbed mass of stone which vaguely resembles a two-compartment pen.

Type and Period (1)

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 32: On a small, grassy knoll just 25.0m to the west of the Torran to Fladday path is a much disturbed mass of stone which vaguely resembles a two-compartment pen. Lying 25.0m to the north-west, and connected to it by an intermittent stone dyke, are the foundations of a large, stone built house. This structure lies on a north-south alignment and measures 15.0m by 6.0m over walls 1.1m thick. The interior is divided into two equal compartments. Numerous small cultivation plots and short lengths of boundary dyke lie around these two structures. <1>

Raasay Survey 2000. Site 11: Some 40m north of Torran House a small field has been delineated by a rough stone wall and is now surrounded by a post and wire fence. The field measures overall approximately 145m north-south by perhaps 50m across at the widest point. The field is bounded along its east side by the footpath to Fladda. .At the north end of the field are the remains of broad rig bounded by the modern post and wire fence and remains of old walling cross the north end of the field. Situated in the field are the following features.

A; House NG5931 4912
The very degraded remains of a longhouse lie northwest — southeast on the long axis. The house has originally measured about 15.00m x 4.80m with a bow end at the south end. A dividing wall has been built to form a rectangular structure 7.00m x 4.80m and the stone work in the south end of the original house has all but disappeared, the shape of the building being defined only by a low rise in the grass. The walls that remain in the feature are mostly very tumbled, but stand 0.90m thick and to a height of 0.90m at the east and north where 3 courses can still be seen. Very large stones have been used in the foundation of the north wall. There is a possible entrance in the east wall but the building is too ruinous for any internal details to be discerned. The east wall of the original structure has been extended, probably when the rectangular structure was formed, and the east wall runs for a further 5m to end at a large slab of bed rock to define a small clearing.
B; Field Banks NG59322 4911 (centre)
To the south of Feature 11A there is a series of field banks delineating small terraces which have been used for cultivation. The field banks are formed by rough boulder walling joining slabs of bed rock to form revetments, and most of the walling is now very tumbled. The most southerly of these field banks continues to run the length of the field until it meets with large slabs of bed rock which continue on to the burn at the south end of the field.
C; Foundations NG 5933 4911
Roughly 20m southeast of Feature 11A lie the remains of a small structure, 3.50m x 3.Oom showing as a slight rise in the grass with some stone visible. The interior is very slightly dished and there are no signs of an entrance or any internal details.
D; Foundations NG5932 4912
5m to the east of Feature 11A, and joined to its southeast corner by low boulder walling, the remains of a D-shaped structure can just be discerned abutting bed rock. A slab of bed rock with some low boulder walling forms the west chord of the structure and the curve of the D shows as a low rise in the grass with some stone visible on the east side. The chord of the D measures 9.Oom and the structure is 4m across. The interior is slightly dished and the remains are too insubstantial for any details to be discerned.
E; Iodhlann (crop storage) NG5934 4910
Along the edge of a sudden drop in ground level, a very ruinous stone feature lies north-south on its long axis. Mr. Nicholson informed us that this had been used as a iodhlann -an enclosure with no entrance used for storing the harvest -- within his memory. The south part of the structure, the iodhlann, is roughly circular and measures 6.Oom in diameter. The walls have been of dry stone construction with some very large stones visible under the tumble in the west side. Here the walling is built on outcrop >lm wide and in the walling 2 large stones stand vertical, one measuring 1.30m x 0.70m x 0.40m and the other 0.90m x 0.70m x 0.50m. In the south sector it can be seen that the walling has been double faced with rubble infill. At the north sector the walling is badly tumbled and it was realised that the walling must have been quite high to have resulted in such large quantities of tumble. It was suggested by the survey team that the iodhlann may have been built on top of an earlier circular feature, possibly a hut circle, but the ruinous state of the remains and the quantities of tumbled stone lying on and in the structure make it impossible to be certain of this. At the north side further walling extends beyond the iodhlann and appears to form a rectangular enclosure which may have been open to the north or may have had an entrance in the north end. The walling is very ruinous with great quantities of tumbled stone lying inside and outside the shape of the structure. A short length of walling runs from the northeast corner to the edge of the drop in ground level, probably to prevent animals from going too near the edge where the ground abruptly drops approximately 2.Oom. <2>

NGR adjusted based on 2009 vertical aerial photographs. <3>

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 5933 4908 (59m by 71m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG54NE
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	PORTREE

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