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MHG64526 - Farmstead - Loch Poll

Summary

The remains of a rectangular stone building are located just inside the head-dyke.

Type and Period (2)

Protected Status

Full Description

A rapid pre-afforestation survey by Headland Archaeology Ltd, was undertaken in 1997 at Cona Chreag on the Stoer Common Grazings, near Lochinver.

This is an extensive and structurally diverse settlement. It comprises elements of stone and stone-and-turf construction and structures and enclosures of various sizes. The presence of a substantial head-dyke (Site 4a), lazy-bed cultivation (Site 4i), areas of adjacent (and presumably contemporary) peat-cutting and possibly corn-drying (Site 4d) clearly imply that this is unlikely to represent the remains of a shieling settlement. The evidence of the clearance cairns (Sites 2, 4b, 4 c & 4f) and the adjacent areas of old pasture would point to the same conclusion. The place-name evidence, presumably preserved in the loch name, Loch Poll, would also suggest that the settlement is possibly of some antiquity. Derived from the Old Norse bolstadr (farm), and preserved in its Gaelic-Scandinavian hybrid form (boll /poll /pool / bo), the name remained a creative name-forming element for a considerable time and was used wherever permanent settlements were formed by the Norse: Nicolaisen (1976, 92), for example, has considered the bolstadr distribution as 'the map of Norse settlement in the Northern and Western Isles and adjacent mainland when such settlement was at its most extensive and Norse power at its height'. The settlement remains on the side of Loch Poll, potentially, have a very early origin indeed. The date of its abandonment is not known, although a clearance-period date might be assumed.

Site 4d: Rectangular stone building. The remains of a rectangular stone building are located just inside the head-dyke. Aligned roughly north-west to south-east, the building measures 14 x 5.1 m externally, with a small annex roughly 2 m long and 2.8 m wide at its south-eastern end. The walls of the annex are inset 0.8 - 1 m from the line of the main building. It may, by analogy with other buildings of this type, represent the site of a corn-drying kiln. No kiln structure, however, could be discerned in absence of excavation. The walls of the building, where best preserved to the north, are 0.75 m wide and stand up to 1 m (six courses) high. The walls, of medium to large rubble, are crudely coursed and have been built without mortar.
Condition: The building is engulfed in heather. Nonetheless, it is well defined and clearly visible. Displaced stones are evident underfoot, both inside the structure and outside to the east. <1>

NGR adjusted based on 1999-2001 vertical aerial photographs. <2>

Note; Six metres to the northeast is a circular structure visible on Aps measuring 3 metres internal and is a probable associated kiln structure. (TB 28/7/25)

Sources/Archives (2)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NC 1003 2965 (20m by 19m) (3 map features)
Map sheet	NC12NW
Geographical Area	SUTHERLAND
Civil Parish	ASSYNT

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Investigations/Events (1)

External Links (1)