Monument record MHG55859 - Post-medieval croft - near Inverness Airport, Petty

The site of a probably post-medieval croft house near Dalcross Airport was identified in a DBA in advance of a proposed new access road to the airport by Wordsworth Archaeological Services in 1996. It was recommended that the site should be archaeologically investigated prior to road construction. <1>

This building was noted again during a subsequent DBA and walkover survey carried out by SUAT in 2002 for a slightly realigned airport access road scheme as being one of a row of five crofts seen on historic maps dating from between 1760 and 1842. During the walkover survey it was seen that the area of the crofts lay partly in an area of set-aside containing long grass in a barley field and partly in the adjacent Scots Pine woodland. Nothing could be seen in the area of long grass although there may have been a slight increase in stoneyness underfoot. Nothing could be seen in the woodland due to dense understorey vegetation. It was recommended that this part of the proposed road line should be evaluated. <2>

An evaluation of the site of the crofts was carried out by SUAT in 2004 in advance of the construction of the proposed access road. The site of the crofts lay partly in forestry and partly in an adjacent field. Two trenches excavated in the field failed to find evidence of the crofts and only a dump of field cobbles containing modern glass and pottery was found. In the wooded area, the site of one previously recorded croft (see also MHG55858) was also investigated. This revealed walls, a cobbled floor, and 19th-century pottery and window glass. After clearing bracken no further remains of the row of crofts was found within the wood. It was stated that a further watching bried would be carried out during soil stripping and ground preparation for the access road. <3>

A watching brief was carried out by SUAT in 2005 in the corner of the area of woodland during stripping and groundworks for the new access road. Known as Area 7, work here revealed no trace of the crofts after felling and removal of tree stumps. Some stones were visible but none were considered structural. Some small piles of stones were revealed. One pile to the northwest was 3m wide, about 0.5m high and infilled a hollow. Within the mound was a sherd of C19/20 bottle glass. Other piles of stones appeared to be clearance from the adjacent field. The area had been very heavily disturbed by tree roots and badger setts. <4>

<1> Wordsworth, J., 1996, An Archaeological Survey of the Proposed New Access Road for Dalcross Airport (Text/Report/Fieldwork Report). SHG21082.

<2> Perry, D., 2002, Desk-based Assessment and Walkover Survey of a proposed access road at Inverness Airport (Text/Report/Fieldwork Report). SHG22600.

<3> Cachart, R., 2004, Archaeological Evaluation: Inverness Airport Access Road, Inverness (Text/Report/Fieldwork Report). SHG22216.

<4> Cachart, R., 2005, Archaeological Watching Brief: Inverness Airport Access Road, Inverness, p.5 (Text/Report/Fieldwork Report). SHG22395.