Monument record MHG5451 - Allt Glinne, Eigg

Roofed sheilings in narrow gulley

Info from Steve Boyle via R.Lamb 10/1/02

JW


NM48NE 26 4511 8571.

(Area: NM 452 857) A group of beehive chambers or earth-houses have recently been revealed in dense scree covering the underground stream Allt Glinne, Eigg. Five are visible, and they closely resemble the structures at Staolaidh and at Usinish, S Uist. These complexes, invisible when intact, seem unsuitable for any function other than that of concealment.
I A Crawford 1964

The name, Allt Glinne is not known locally but the structures seen by Crawford are undoubtedly at NM 45118571 in a rocky gully through which a stream flows under fallen rocks. There are two structures about 5m apart each comprising two or three "cells", but the more southerly of the two is filled with debris and scarcely recognisible. The other, built of hexagonal pitchstone blocks laid with their heads forming the wall face, is oriented N-S and consists of an oval enclosure 1.8m by 1.5m internally opening on to a sub-circular annexe 1.0m in diameter at its N end. There is no trace of an entrance. Attached to its S end is another sub-circular "cell" 1.3m internal diameter. The dividing wall between this and the oval enclosure is tumbled, but it seems as if there was a lintelled communicating gap between the two. The walls stand to a height of 1.4m and there is no trace of corbelling to suggest that these have been beehive structures. They are probably animal pens contemporary with several shielings about 150m to the N.
Visited by OS (AA) 9 May 1972.

Two unroofed shieling-huts are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Argyllshire & Inverness-shire, Islands of Rum and Eigg 1879, sheet lxx). Two unroofed buildings which may be shieling-huts are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1976).
Information from RCAHMS (AKK) 9 December 1996.

Crawford, I A, 1964, 'Earth houses, Eigg', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1964, p.34, 34 (Text/Publication/Article). SHG695.