MHG45708 - Possible Dun, Castle Corbet

Summary

No summary available.

Type and Period (1)

  • RECTILINEAR ENCLOSURE (Undated)

Protected Status

  • None recorded

Full Description

Castle Corbet (NAT) (Supposed remains of)
OS 6" map, Ross-shire, 2nd ed., (1907)

Macfarlane (1906-8) in first half of18th century mentions Castle of Easter Arbol "now ruinous, belonging one to Corbat of Easter Arbol" and situated "a short mile W of church" (of Tarbat). Davidson (Davidson 1948), however, states that Castle Corbet was quite unknown to farmer on whose land it was situated.
A low, surrounding ditch was visible in 1872 (ONB 1872).
Name Book 1872; W Macfarlane 1906-8; J M Davidson 1948.

The site of this alleged castle is on a spur between a stream gully and a raised beach. All that survives are overgrown footings of an off-square stone-walled structure of uncertain origin. There is no trace of ditch seen 1872. No further information obtained locally. Resurveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (A A) 14 September 1972.

The wasted remains of what is probably a broch. It measures 22m in diameter over a wall 5.5m thick; a single outer facing-stone is visible on NW. The remains are obscured by dense vegetation and an enclosure of no great age.
RCAHMS 1979.

The remains of this feature, which are those of a dun rather than a broch (see NH87SW 6 and 8), are generally as described above. The spread wall, which has an internal height of 0.5m, has been crudely dug into in N arc revealing a stone and earth mixture, which confirms that wall lacks quantity and quality of stone expected from a broch. No entrance is evident. Three rough pits dug in interior reveal nothing significant. Within dun are ill-defined remains of a sub-rectangular enclosure, 11.5m by c8.5m, SW side having been destroyed. The wall is spread to 1.5m and is 0.4m high. These remains are later than the dun, and seem too weak to be those of a 'castle'.
On SW side among modern stone clearance is a possible cup-marked stone bearing three poorly-defined cups.
Surveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (J B) 3 March 1981.

Sources/Archives (4)

Map

Location

Grid reference Centred NH 9025 8325 (60m by 60m) (2 map features)
Map sheet NH98SW
Geographical Area ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish TARBAT

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Investigations/Events (0)

External Links (1)

Comments and Feedback

Do you have any more information about this record? Please feel free to comment with information and photographs, or ask any questions, using the "Disqus" tool below. Comments are moderated, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible.