MHG5182 - Hut circle - Glen Boreraig

Summary

No summary available.

Type and Period (3)

  • ENCLOSURE (Undated)
  • (Alternate Type) HUT CIRCLE (Neolithic to Late Iron Age - 4000 BC? to 560 AD?)
  • (Alternate Type) STONE CIRCLE (Undated)

Protected Status

  • None recorded

Full Description

Stone Circle (NR) (site of)
OS 6"map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1904)

Hut Circles (NR)
OS 1"map, 7th series.

On the grass covered plateau near the middle of Glen Boreraig, about 400 yards W of Dun Kearstach, at an elevation of 300ft above sea level, is a hut circle 41ft in diameter internally with an entrance 5ft wide on the ESE. Two lines of stones set on edge, the foundation stones of the inner and outer faces of the wall are still in situ, showing a breadth of 5ft except on either side of the entrance, where it widens to 7ft. A modern stone enclosure about 4ft in diameter, a lamb fold, occupies the centre of the circle. Some 95ft to the ENE are the stone foundations of an oval enclosure 36ft in length from NW to SE and 20ft in breadth, with the segment of a hut circle approx 11ft in diameter near the SE end. A modern lamb fold occupies the centre of the latter structure. The large hut circle is erroneously noted as stone circle (site of) on OS map. RCAHMS 1928, visited 15 May 1914.

The larger of the two features described by the RCAHMS is too big for a hut circle and must be some form of enclosure. In the S quadrant the walling appears either to have been disturbed, or, on the anology of Sutherland/Caithness examples, to possibly be the entrance to an earth-house. The second feature described is not now recognisable as a hut circle.
Visited by OS (C F W) 18 April 1961.

Originally identified by the RCAHMS in 1928 as being the remains of a stone circle, the site was re-visited in 1960 and was re-identified as a hut-circle. Further confusion has resulted from further visits to this site. The walls are generally 1.6m wide, but they thicken to 2.5m wide at either side of the entrance. The structure resembles a monumental roundhouse, 15m diam. Over the spread of the walls. The 'earth house' does not seem to exist, in this position on the site we found a 1.5m diam. Single cell structure.
S.A.Birch. 12/99.
See assoc. docs. File for SMR NG51NE0003.

J Aitken : 22/02/01.

Sources/Archives (1)

Map

Location

Grid reference Centred NG 5921 1743 (20m by 20m)
Map sheet NG51NE
Geographical Area SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish STRATH

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Investigations/Events (0)

External Links (1)

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