Monument record MHG24724 - Middle and West Township - Upper Allt Dubh

NH45NW 16 4065 5501

A single unroofed building is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Ross-shire 1881, sheet lxxxvii) and on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1992).
Information from RCAHMS (AKK) 7 March 1996.

The Middle and West Township was recorded by NOSAS in 2007 as part of the Scotland's Rural Past Project,

Middle Township, Farmstead, Kiln and enclosures, (Nmrs No NH45NW0016) Centred on NH 4066 5498 this middle group of structures comprises 4 buildings, a corn drying kiln and at least 3 enclosures. There are also various humps and hollows which indicate manmade intervention and evidence of more recent ditching and field clearance in the immediate area. 101 appears on FES as a single unroofed building.

101 Building - NH 40657 55006 A complex rectangular building on an E-W axis with an internal measurement of 17.8m x 2.7m. A large boulder 3.6m x 1.6m x 0.7m height forms the dividing wall between 2 compartments: - Main compartment to the west is 7.7m in length has wasted walls of 0.6m thickness and height of 0.3m. Corners are squared. There is scattered tumble internally and a possible entrance in the S wall of 0.9m width. - East compartment is 8.5m in length. The walls are less distinct and non existent in the eastern half. There is an obvious centrally placed stone channel along the length of the compartment which has a width if 0.25m
and depth of 0.15m in places but it is untraceable for some of its length. To the south of the compartment there is a stone setting forming the edge of a terrace 1m in width. - an outshot to the north of the E compartment is 2.8m square internally with rough stone walls of 0.45m thickness and 0.45m height and a possible narrow entrance in its NE corner.

104 Enclosure - NH 40662 54981 A small rectangular enclosure on an E-W axis of internal measurements 9.7m x 5.8m. Walls of dry stone rubble are 0.6m in thickness and 0.2m in height. There is an entrance of 3.5m width in the N wall. A truncated grain drying kiln is situated 4m to the south of this encosure and seperated from it by a modern drainage ditch. Covered by grass, moss and bracken and occupied by a large derelict feeding rack.

105 Kiln and possible barn - NH 40663 54971 The remains of a rectangular building on a N-S axis are recessed into the north side of a small knoll. There are two parts to it - the kiln and the possible barn, which appears to have been truncated by a recently excavated ditch to the north. The kiln is contained within a square structure 3m x 3m which has a external stone faced N wall of 1.2m height in which there is a flue. The circular bowl is 1.2m deep internally and roughly 1.5m in diameter with more or less vertical sides.

106 Building - NH 40658 54951 This site lies in rough grazing and scattered deciduous woodland to the south of 104 and 105. The building lies E-W and is 7.10m E-W by 2.50m internally with walls from 0.60m wide to 0.80m wide. The walls are a maximum of 0.25m high and there is a S facing entrance. There is a possible N facing entrance but this is now filled with tumbled stone. The corners of the building are curved internally and externally. There is a turf and stone dyke extending N from the E end of the building and another dyke 1.50m to the W of the W end of the building. There are no internal features. The building may be a house or a byre.

106a Enclosures and pits - NH 40673 54946 The structures are 2 slight depressions with some stones set into the edge of the depression. To the SE of the 2 depressions there is a double line of stones and an enclosure wall.

107 Building - NH 40724 54967 A complex building, aligned E-W, sits on a slight platform to the east of 104 and 105. It consists of a central compartment with 2 (possibly later) outshots one at each end:
• the central compartment is 10.10m x 3.10m internally. The W wall is 1.10m wide and is slightly tumbled on the E side. The E wall is 0.50m thick and has a large amount of tumble on the W side. The S wall is 0.30m thick and has an entrance. There may be the remains of an internal division towards the W end of the compartment indicated by several earthfast stones.
• The E outshot is 3.10m E-W by 2.50m internally with a S facing entrance. The walls are 1m high and well preserved with square corners.
• The W outshot is 3.40m E-W by 2.15m internally with walls 0.60m wide and a S facing entrance. The corners are rounded internally and externally. The walls are reasonably well preserved. To the S, at the W end, the wall of the associated enclosure (site 108) is 1.50m from the building wall.

108 Enclosure - NH 40720 54957 This site is an enclosure lying immediately (1.5m) to the S of site 107 and appears to be associated with this building. The enclosure is 6.80m E-W by a maximum of 6.20m internally with turf and stone walls a maximum of 0.80m wide. The SW corner of the enclosure is curved with the other corners square; the inner wall face is most visible at the NW corner.
A small burn runs E-W to the S of the S wall and there is another wall lying N-S to the S of the burn.

116 - Building/possible Byre - NH 40669 54989 - A small rectangular building on a N-S axis and sloping towards the east, is filled with clearance material and therefore difficult to make out exact extent. The overall measurement is c5.2m x 2.7m. There appears to be an entrance in the east wall.

West Township/Farmstead enclosures and kiln (102 and 103) Centred on NH 4060 5500 This is the west part of the settlement. There are 2 complex buildings to this part of the settlement:

102 Kiln and associated buildings (Fig 8) - NH 4052 5488 This sub-rectangular complex is aligned NNW- SSE and is recessed into the east side of a birch clad knoll. There is an overall height drop of 2.2m over the site and it measures 14m x 6.5m. It comprises 4 parts:
- The kiln - The bowl is well preserved and 1.5m deep (from scarcement to floor). There is an obvious level scarcement around the top of the bowl, generally 40cms in width. The bowl has a lower diameter of 1.3m and upper of 2.5m (across rim of scarcement). The flue opens to the east and has a curving passage into the adjacent chamber. The aperture measures 40cms x 30cms (there is almost certainly some tumble material occupying the floor) and there is a substantial arrangement of lintel stones - see drawing
- Building - To the east of the kiln and contiguous with it, there is a rectangular building measuring 3.5m x 4m internally. This has dry
stone walls to a height of 0.6m, but more generally 0.4m/0.5m, and 0.8m in thickness. The remains of a curving wall occupy the
west part of the building. This wall forms the north wall of the flue passage which is 0.8m in width and relatively well preserved
being 1.5m in length. - The south part of the site has two not quite parallel walls. These are of dry stone construction, 3.5m in
length, 0.8m in thickness and generally 0.5/0.6m in height. The entrance in the south wall of the building is common with that of the flue - it is 0.6m in width. - A recessed compartment to the north, roughly 4.5m square and with steep banks to north and west (height drop of 1m). There is an entrance in its SE corner. A ditch, now dry, 4m to the east has been cut. It drains a marsh to the south.

103 Farmstead and enclosures - NH 40555 54918 Fifty metres to the east of the kiln, site 102, this site is revetted into the wooded slope on the N side and overlooks a level area of grass to the S. The site has 2 buildings within an enclosure wall.

A - The N building is set into the slope on the N side with the N wall forming part of the enclosure wall. The building is 9.300m E-W by 3.60m internally with a S facing entrance. The walls are 1m wide and are up to 0.75m high except on the N side where there is an area of collapse at the W end.
B - The other building is to the S of building 1 and at right angles to building 1 and the S wall forms part of the enclosure wall. Building 2 is 5.10m N-S by 2.50m internally with an E facng entrance. The walls are 1m wide and up to 0.75m high. There is a possible apron along the N wall and between building 1 and building 2 1.70m wide with a large boulder in between the buildings at the W end of the apron.
C - The E enclosure wall curves round from the end of building 2 and passes to the E and building 1 where it joins the slope and bed rock. The enclosure to the W of the buildings is 17.40m N-S, 12.50m wide at the S end and 5.60m wide at the N end. There may be a feature at the N end of this part of the enclosure as there is a scatter of stones some firmly earthfast, however the stones had no clear arrangement to suggest whether they were a building or a wall or hard standing. On the slope above the enclosure is a small depression, this may be the remains of a potato clamp or a sheiling. <1>