Monument record MHG344 - Cairn and Cist - West Laroch, Ballachulish, Lochaber

(NN 0787 5823, NN 0787 5817 and NN 0791 5812) Cairns (NR) (sites of)
OS 1:10,000 map, (1975)

The three small cairns that stood in a field extending between the west bank of the River Laroch and the houses of West Laroch village have been destroyed. In 1834 an empty cist was discovered in the easternmost cairn.
RCAHMS 1975, visited May 1970.

The field containing these cairns was cleared in about 1947, by Argyll County Council, for a housing estate and the cairns were destroyed. However, a stone recording the early removal of one of the cairns is preserved in the garden of No 9 Croft Road, West Laroch. It bears the following inscription: "In April 1831 (Information from Miss Robertson, 4 Long Cottage, West Laroch) cairn which stood on this spot was removed. The stone coffins within the enclosure were found underneath and have been left undisturbed. Neither bones, ashes nor any other remains of antiquity were discovered . . . . ".
Two local inhabitants, (Miss Robertson and Mrs Macdonald, 10 Leven Terrace, West Laroch) agreed that the number of cairns was two plus the stone mentioned above.
Visited by OS (C F W) 11 July 1961.

The stone described by OS (C F W) is now within a modern fenced enclosure at the back of No 2 Croft Road which was built in 1969 after the demolition of the 'pre-fabs'.
Visited by OS (R L) 8 May 1970.

The position of the cairn dismantled in 1831(or 4) is shown quite clearly on the 1st and 2nd Edition OS maps. <1> <2> [The NGR for this record has been moved to the correct position as shown on the rectified OS maps and the plaque can now be seen to stand in the correct position for the dismantled cairn.- IS-L 23/10/2012]

The commemorative plaque was photographed in 2011 during a watching brief on the replacement of poles for an overhead power line. <3>

See MHG55726 and MHG55727 for the other two cairns.