Monument record MHG4828 - Claigon

NG25SW 2 238 539.

(NG 238 539). Some 550 yards SE of Claigan Farmhouse, there is a partly destroyed earth-house. It consists of a long narrow gallery running in
a NE direction(260 mag) (Sic), 1ft below the surface, for a distance of 36ft where the passage is blocked by debris. The entrance is dilapidated and measures 2ft 5ins in width. The roof is formed of stone lintels:
the walls are of rough drystone.
Beyond the blocked end of the earth-house is a hollow with blocks of stone appearing above the soil around the margin. This might be the terminal chamber, but there are remains of old houses and enclosure walls in the neighbourhood and this feature may have been connected with them.
RCAHMS 1928.

Earth-house as described above except that it extends for about a further 18.5m to the SW. For the first 4.7m, it is roofless and filled with earth and stones to within 0.3m. of ground level, and it can be traced for at least another 3.7m, the first lintel stone just visible beneath the turf, and the passageway silted up almost to the roof. Beyond this, a slight hollow appears in the turf, and continues the line of the earth-house, but with a slight turn to the west, fading out after about 10.0m where the slope of the ground suddenly increases.
Visited by OS (A S P) 6 May 1961.

One of the best preserved structures on Skye which consists of a passage 9.8m long which climbs by about 4-5 degrees and narrows towards the end of the passage. The structure is made of dry stone basault blocks with large lintel stones. An interesting feature is a small compartment situated half a metre in from the entrance, the dimensions of which are 40cm wide, 50cm high and 37cm deep. In the surrounding area there is evidence of habitation, although it is difficult to assess.
The Souterrains on Skye - By Paul Yoxon of Isle of Skye Field Club.
See assoc. docs. File.

J Aitken : 20/02/01.