Monument record MHG56674 - Ruinous building and enclosures at West Suisnish, Raasay

Four ruinous post-medieval structures, and one C19 building imposed over a post-medival structure, in West Suisnish, Raasay.

An archaeological evaluation was carried out in 2007 by Martin Wildgoose as part of a condition on a planning application to install a new access road and construct a house in the vicinity of the ruins. This included a desk-based assessment, and also a contribution by Mrs Margaret Moodie who had been researching the Statistical Accounts of the area. None of the structures appear on the 1st Edition OS Map, but the 1851 census records that there were no inhabitants in the Suisnish area, as the township was abandoned to make way for a large sheep farm. It was noted during the primary site visit, that the access road had already been installed and a hard standing put in place, both of which had caused damage to the existing structures. The two structures in the south-east were completely destroyed before any thorough examination could be made and the access road cut through the northern faces of two of the structures to the north-west. The little archaeological work that could be carried out, which included a single trench and a topographic survey, confirmed the north-west structures as being post-medieval enclosures. <1>

<1> Wildgoose, M., 2007, New House and Shed at Croft 1, West Suisnish, Isle of Raasay: Archaeological Recording and Evaluation (Text/Report/Fieldwork Report). SHG23313.