Monument record MHG40530 - Hut Circles, Gleann Leireag

Summary

No summary available.

Location

Grid reference Centred NC 1605 3072 (30m by 30m) (Buffered by site type)
Map sheet NC13SE
Geographical Area SUTHERLAND
Civil Parish ASSYNT
Old County SUTHERLAND

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

An area of stone, roughly sub-oval in plan. Very heavily overgrown with moss and bracken. The putative hut-circle consists of large stones c.0.6m by 0.4m roughly piled together. Little evidence can be seen of construction, and the identification as a hut-circle must remain uncertain.
50m to the E lies an earth/stone boundary running from the river up the hill to the N. The wall curves, standing up to a maximum of 1.1m high and a 1.5 in width, with an almost vertical side to the W and curved bank to the east. The boundary is of earth and gathered stone construction. <1>

Surveyed by Historic Assynt. In amongst the remains of a shieling, on a ridge above the burn is a degraded sub-circular stone structure with an internal diameter between 11.8m and 12.5m and with walls between 1m and 2m thick. This was surveyed at 1:100. The walling is better preserved around the south, west and north quadrants but the eastern quadrant has been almost completely robbed. A small pen, store or kiln has been built into the outer walling to the northeast. The whole structure could be a ruined animal enclosure, but the shape, size and location, degraded state of the walls and signs of later modification also suggest the possible remains of a substantial round house of Iron Age date (500BC – 500AD) or a little earlier. Against this interpretation recent analysis of peat cores in and around the shieling did not indicate any sustained human occupation in prehistory. So if the remains are those of a round house, it must have had a short life span. <2>

Sources/Archives (2)

  • <1> Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Cavers, G & Hudson, G. 05/2010. Assynt's Hidden Lives: An archaeological survey of the the parish. AOC Archaeology Group and Historic Assynt. 01/08/2010. Digital. 173, p.150.
  • <2> Text/Manuscript: Historic Assynt. 08/2010. Reports from Historic Assynt on a number of sites in the Assynt area. Digital.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (2)

Record last edited

Sep 8 2010 11:33AM

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