Monument record MHG24483 - Crofting Township, Blarbuie

Summary

No summary available.

Location

Grid reference Centred NB 9711 1417 (140m by 140m) (Buffered by site type)
Map sheet NB91SE
Geographical Area ROSS AND CROMARTY
Old County ROSS-SHIRE
Civil Parish LOCHBROOM

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

Thumbnail Photo of crofting township
Wester Ross Project - Cathy Dagg, 03/04
------
Small area of croftlands with 2-3 scattered houses, some new building and some ruinous 19th century croft buildings.
Wester Ross Project - Cathy Dagg, 23/03/04
------
NB91SE 4 9712 1417

Apart from roofed structures, Blarbuie crofting township comprises five buildings or huts, a series of crofts, and lazy-beds. The township is defined by a head-dyke of drystone on the landward side. The 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Ross and Cromarty 1881, sheet iB) depicts six unroofed buildings or huts, four roofed buildings, of which three are still occupied, and a head-dyke. Two of the unroofed structures could not be located, probably due to alterations to the public road to the S of Reiff (NB c.9667 1429).
Of the five buildings that were identified, four were small bothies and only one is big enough to have been a crofter's house (ACHIL94 94). The bothies are rectangular with a variety of round and squared corners, and range in size from 3.3m to 4.6m in length by between 1.5m and 2.3m in breadth within faced-rubble walls, 0.5m to 0.6m thick, standing between 0.8m and 1.4m high (ACHIL94 90, 92-3, 95). The bothy on the N edge of the townhip predates the head-dyke (ACHIL94 90). The larger building, of two compartments (ACHIL94 94), stands to gable height and measures 9.3m from E to W by 3.5m transversely within faced-rubble walls, 0.55m thick and 1.5m high, with entrances on the S and E. There is a byre-drain in E compartment and stone flagging in W compartment; it was lit by a window on the S, subsequently blocked, and another high in the W gable indicating a loft.
Lazy-beds are visible in several parts of the township within the head-dyke and also in one location outside it (centred on NB 9685 1395).
(ACHIL94 90, 92-5)
Visited by RCAHMS (PJD) 8 August 1994

Site recorded during a survey of the intertidal zone and the coast edge (50m from the mean high tide mark) between the Rivers Ullapool and Culag.
Further details can be found in a report submitted to Historic Scotland.
NB 967 139 Rough shelter, peat cutting.
NB 966 142 Circular ?kelp kiln, lazy beds.
NB 966 142 Rectilinear structure, stone wall
Sponsors: Historic Scotland, Glasgow University Archaeology Department.
A Long 1996

Sources/Archives (1)

  • --- Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Long, A. 1996. Ullapool to Lochinver (Lochbroom; Assynt parishes), coastal assessment survey. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. Digital (scanned as PDF). 69-71.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (0)

Record last edited

Jul 7 2015 10:50AM

Comments and Feedback

Do you have any questions or more information about this record? Please feel free to comment below with your name and email address. All comments are submitted to the Heritage Portal maintainers for moderation, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible. Comments, questions and answers that may be helpful to other users will be retained and displayed along with the name you supply. The email address you supply will never be displayed or shared.