Monument record MHG5106 - Souterrain - Glen Tungadal

NG44SW 1 4076 4006.

(NG 4076 4006) Dun (NR)
OS 6"map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1904)

Earth-house, Tungadal - about 150 yards E of Loch Duagrich .. is an earth-house, which, though partially destroyed, still shows a long straight gallery drystone building roofed with long lintel stones under about 9ins of soil, in a good state of preservation. Access to the building is at present obtained through a break in the roof and wall at the NE. The chamber runs towards the SW with maximum height of about 3ft 6ins. The walls are well built and on the S side there are several large slabs set on end. At the NE end of the gallery there are indications in a stone hollow that it had continued in a curve towards the N and back towards the W, and perhaps was connected with two oval cells placed end to end in a line roughly parallel with the gallery. The indications of these oval chambers are very indefinite and their existence can only be verified by excavation. They appear as stony hollows measuring some 12ft and 9ft in length and about 7ft and 6ft in breadth respectively. This earth-house is marked "Dun" on the OS map."
RCAHMS 1928.

Earth-house as described. Curved NE end abuts onto and is overlaid by foundations of a ruined house. At the SW end are the possible remains of a collapsed cell.
Visited by OS (A S P) 19 April 1961.

This souterrain is very similar to 'Claigan', consisting of an 8m lintelled dry walled passage with an average ht. Of 97cm and an average width of 81cm. There are three interesting features in this souterrain, two of which are not seen elsewhere in Skye: Firstly, there is a small compartment, very like that in Claigan, which is situated 67cm from the entrance; secondly, the construction differs from the others in that not only has dry stone walling been used as in places large blocks only are used to support the lintels; finally, there appears to be a ventilation shaft near the rear of the structure.
The Souterrains on Skye - By Paul Yoxon of The Isle of Skye Field Club.

J Aitken : 20/02/01.

Sub-rectangular stone and earth-built homestead, c. 11 by 4m with a contemporary souterrain. The interior of the homestead appears to have been for domestic habitation, with remnants of benches in the eastern half of the building and a central hearth. Occupational debris on the floor level of the homestead produced a range of pottery. Later a circular 'shieling-type' building was built within the ruins of the homestead. It had a well-built inner wall-face, short entrance passageway and two floor levels each with a hearth. C-14 dates and a small 14th c bronze mirror case recovered from the passageway confirm 13th to 14th century date for this later building. Sometime in the 18th or 19th century two rectangular stone buildings were built a few metres to the east.

The souterrain entrance was not hidden. There was also access from the structure. A drain had been inserted into the floor of the souterrain, leading out through the entrance, beneath the main occupation area, to an external cobbled yard.

Finds from the excavation are in Dualchas. The site has been laid out for display, with access by foot from Totarder, Glen Bracadale.

(Miket 2002).

Radiocarbon dates of the Tungadale building are c. 3rd century BC (Armit 1993, 241), showing clearly that subrectangular buildings were also being constructed as well as the familiar roundhouses.

Armit, Ian 1993. The Archaeology of Skye and the Western Isles, pp. 131-3, 241
Roger Miket 2002. 'The Souterrains of Skye' in Beverley Balin Smith & Iain Banks (eds). In the Shadow of the Brochs. The Iron Age in Scotland, pp. 83, 90, 98-101.

Note: called Tungadale in Armit 1993 and Miket 2002.
Associated with BUILDINGS <1>