MHG66261 - Dykes - Mas na Buaile
Summary
Straddling the neck of a sea-cliff promontory, and effectively cutting it off from the hinterland, are two parallel dykes.
Type and Period (1)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
A 2ha promontory has been fortified with a strong wall 80m long and up to 4m wide and 1.5m high with inner and outer facing stones visible. A cliff section reveals an earthen core and the entrance lies near the walls' S end. Part of the interior has been disturbed but no structures are visible. A modern dyke lies at the foot of slope below the wall.
D W Ross 1987.
The site is included in the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland online database. See link below foe site entry. <1>
A rapid coastal zone assessment survey was conducted by GUARD in the Autumn of 1997 commissioned by Historic Scotland from the Viking and Early Settlement Archaeological Research Project based at the University of Glasgow.
Straddling the neck of a sea-cliff promontory, and effectively cutting it off from the hinterland, are two parallel dykes. The seaward example is built of stone-and-turf, 0.4 m wide, standing 0.2 m high, and runs for 65 m NW-SE. The stones of the dyke are rounded (0.4 m diameter) and angular (0.4 m long, 0.3 m wide). Adjacent to this on the landward side and running broadly parallel is another stone-and-turf dyke/embankment. This runs for 50 m and is up to 1 m high. These two features may represent the delineations of a small stretch of track but equally they may not be contemporary. These features follow the line of the bank of the adjacent promontory-fort and prevent animal access to or from the headland that is defined by that monument. Both linear features are being eroded by sheep-grazing. <2>
NGR adjusted based on 1999-2001 vertical aerial photographs. <3>
Sources/Archives (4)
- --- SHG1498 Text/Publication/Article: Ross, D W. 1987. 'Skerray-Mas Na Buaile (Tongue parish) fort, promontory', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1987, p.29. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 29. 29.
- <1> SHG27950 Interactive Resource/Online Database: Lock, G. & Ralston, I.. 2017. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. SC2784.
- <2> SHG21099 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Brady, K. & Morris, C.D.. 1997. North Sutherland Survey: Coastal Zone Assessment Kyle of Durness to Torrisdale Bay. Glasgow University (GUARD). 30/01/1998. . p.253 Site 24.
- <3> SHG27491 Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph/Vertical: Get Mapping. 1999-2001. Get Mapping colour vertical aerial photography 1999-2001 (The Millennium Map). XY
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 6725 6345 (52m by 51m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC66SE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | TONGUE |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (1)
- https://trove.scot/place/5788 (View record on the HES Trove website)
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