MHG10820 - Crannog, Eilean nam Faoileag
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- CRANNOG (Iron Age - 550 BC to 560 AD)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
NC80NE 8 8560 0600.
(NC 8560 0600) Eilean nam Faoileag (NR)
OS 6"map, (1964)
The NSA (1845) states that the island is artificial and sited for defence. It was divided into two parts, one half for "lodgings in time of war, the other half laid out .... as a garden."
The island is bounded by a wall rising perpendicularly from the surface of the water, access being gained by two stairs on the S and E sides. NSA (written by Rev G Mackay) 1845.
Eilean nam Faoileag is a small island formed of boulders and said to be artificial. No sign of a building remains on the level top, but along the E face for 30 to 40ft are the remains of a retaining wall some four or five feet high. On the E and W faces near the N end, two built recesses probably indicate the position of the stairs mentioned in the NSA (1845). At the S end a circular depression may mark the site of a well. Gordon (1813) states that the island appears to have been occupied as a hunting seat in the 17th century.
R Gordon 1813; RCAHMS 1911, visited 1909.
Eilean nam Faoileag (name verified) is bounded by a retaining wall up to 1.3m high but generally reduced to footings protruding through the tumble. It measures 42.0m N-S by 28.0m EW. Of the two recesses on the E and W sides the latter, at least 11.0m long, is almost certainly a boat noust; there is no trace of the stairs noted by NSA. No buildings remain on the islet which is mainly turf-covered,with some trees.
The islet is wholly or partly artificial and, by the strength of the retaining wall and the nature of its position, defensive.
The angularity of the wall suggests an historic context rather than a dun or crannog. It may be a 17th century hunting seat (RCAHMS 1911) but no further evidence can be gained locally.
Revised at 1/10,000.
Visited by OS (E G C) 16 July 1961 and (J B) 14 November 1975.
Sources/Archives (4)
- --- SHG2273 Text/Publication/Volume: Weber, H (ed). 1813. Genealogical history of the Earldom of Sutherland by Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun. 5.
- --- SHG2597 Text/Publication/Volume: NSA. 1845. The new statistical account of Scotland by the ministers of the respective parishes under the superintendence of a committee of the society for the benefit of the sons and daughters of the clergy. Vol. 15, Sutherland, 155.
- --- SHG2657 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1911. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Second report and inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Sutherland. . 18, No. 47.
- --- SHG8570 Image/Photograph(s): Eilean nam Faoileag, crannog. Colour Print. .
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 8560 0600 (40m by 40m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC80NE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | CLYNE |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/6491 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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