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MHG11090 - Settlement - Cnoc Dail-Chairn

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Full Description

NC82NE 22 863 283.
Hut Circles and Enclosures (NR) OS 6" map, (1962)

A settlement of 10 hut circles discovered during field investigation.
Visited by OS (J L D) 4 June 1961.

This settlement, comprising ten stone-walled huts (A-K) is situated within an associated field system on the lower east slopes of Cnoc Dail-chairn. Huts 'C' to 'K' are similar in style and condition; 'A' and 'B' are distinctive. All huts have entrances in the SE arc.
Hut 'A' is 7.0m in diameter within a wall faced with upright slabs, 1.5m wide and 0.3m high, but widening to 2.5m at the entrance, where inner and outer portal stones occur on its E side.A small rectangular compartment, 4.0m by 2.5m, abuts the WSW side.
'B' is more massive than the other huts, and gives the impression of being later. It measures 11.0m in diameter within a boulder faced wall up to 1.2m high and spread to 3.0m. The wall widens gradually to 4.0m at the entrance, which is blocked with stones; one inner portal slab is visible.
Huts 'C'-'K', though similar in appearance vary in size from 5.0m internal diameter ('C'), and 6.5m by 5.0m 'G'), to 12.0m by 10.0m internally (the remaining huts). The walls are heather-covered, maximum height 0.6m, and spread to a width of 2.5m to 3.0m widening slightly at the entrance. No facing stones or details of entrances are visible.
Huts 'A', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'J', and 'K' are constructed hard against the lower part of lynchets, which cross the hillslope, roughly parallel forming four or five terraces, 25m-35m wide, and of indeterminate length. A few scattered clearance heaps occur to the SE of the settlement.
Revised at 1/10,000. Visited by OS (J B) 17 January 1977.

There are eleven hut-circles (A-H, J, K, M), three enclosures (I, L, N), two burnt mounds (O, P) and four huts set amongst a series of lynchets and banks in a slight col on the E side of Cnoc Dail-chairn. The col is relatively well drained and stone free, with mixed grass and heather vegetation. The areas to the NW and SE are littered with boulders and to the NE and SW the ground becomes very boggy.

A. NC 8645 2840 This hut-circle is situated on a knoll; it measures 6m in diameter within a stone-faced bank 1.2m in thickness and 0.3m in height. A later bank, possibly part of a hut, has disturbed the W side of the hut-circle. The E side of the hut-circle appears to be built on a terrace 1.5m in height.
(KILD91 338)

B. NC 8630 2840 This hut-circle is situated in a commanding position at the leading edge of a natural terrace towards the W edge of the site. It measures 10.5m from NW to SE by 10.1m transversely within a wall 1.5m thick and 1m in height. The wall may sit on a grassy bank about 3m in thickness. The inner face stands up to four courses high and is most clearly visible on the W. The entrance is on the SE and the wall terminals appear to have been thickened, extending the length of the entrance passage. There is an enclosure on the NE side which rides over the hut-circle wall.
(KILD91 346)

C. NC 8631 2846 This hut-circle measures 4.5m in diameter within a heather-covered bank 2.1m in thickness and 0.4m in height. The entrance is on the NE. There may be a further structure some 5m to the NW, defined by a slight crescentic scarp.
(KILD91 347)

D. NC 8646 2835 What may be a hut-circle is levelled into the N-facing slope of a slight ridge, creating a platform measuring 12m from NNW to SSE by 11.4m transversely. A lynchet runs into the NW of the platform.

E. NC 8635 2835 This hut-circle measures 11.3m from NNW to SSE by 10.3m transversely within a bank 2.7m in thickness and 1m in height.
The entrance is on the SSE. The W side is levelled into the slope and a well-developed lynchet runs away to the SE.
(KILD91 345)

F. NC 8632 2832 This hut-circle is levelled into the slope, creating a platform measuring 6.3m from NW to SE by 5.7m transversely and 0.6m in height. The entrance is on the SE.
(KILD91 343)

G. NC 8632 2834 This oval-shaped hut-circle is situated on a knoll; it measures 10.3m from NW to SE by 8.9m transversely within a bank 3.8m in thickness and 0.7m in height. The interior is slightly levelled into the hillside.
(KILD91 344)

H. NC 8634 2828 This hut-circle is situated on a knoll; it measures 12.5m from NW to SE by 11.5m transversely within a bank 2.7m in thickness and 0.6m in height. The entrance is on the SE and there is a short stretch of bank running away to the SE from the E side of the entrance.
(KILD91 341)

I. NC 8648 2831 What may be a D-shaped enclosure is situated on the level crest of a slight ridge. It measures 8.3m from N to S by 7m transversely within a bank 1.6m in thickness and 0.2m in height. There is a possible entrance on the NE and the NW arc is not visible. The SE side is slightly flattened.
(KILD91 340)

J. NC 8638 2840 This hut-circle is levelled into the slope on the W side and built up by 0.6m to the E, creating a platform 11.9m in diameter within a low bank 2.9m in thickness. A lynchet runs along the WSW side of the platform.
(KILD91 351)

K. NC 8634 2847 This hut-circle measures 11m from NW to SE by 10.2m transversely within a bank 2.8m in thickness and 0.6m in height. The interior has been levelled into the hillside. The entrance is on the SE and the terminal of the bank on the E side of the entrance has been thickened. A lynchet runs away to the S from the W side of the entrance.
(KILD91 349)

L. NC 8639 2852 This enclosure measures 4.5m in diameter within a boulder wall about 1m in thickness and 0.3m in height. It abuts a fieldbank on the N.
(KILD91 350)

M. NC 8648 2847 This hut-circle is situated on a well-drained, relatively smooth slope towards the boggier ground near the River Helmsdale. It measures 7.3m in diameter within a stony bank 1.6m in breadth and 0.3m in height and is slightly levelled into the slope. The entrance is on the SE.
(KILD91 337)

N. NC 8629 2829 This enclosure is levelled into the slope, has a very boggy, disturbed interior, and measures 5.6m in diameter within an irregular band of stones 0.2m in height.
(KILD91 342)

G. NC 8630 2850 This U-shaped burnt mound is situated on the NW side of a small burn and measures 11.1m from NE to SW by 9.8m transversely and up to 1m in height. Its open side is on the SE and its highest on the NE, downstream side. Lifting a sod revealed cracked, reddened stone in a matrix of black soil.
(KILD91 348)

P. NC 8651 2841 This oval mound measures 6m from NE to SW by 5m transversely and 0.8m in height. It is situated adjacent to a burn and there may be a slight mound to the W, which would form a crescent. Lifting a sod revealed densely packed cracked and reddened stone in a matrix of black soil.
(KILD91 352)

Q. NC 8650 2843 This hut measures 2.9m by 2m within a boulder bank 0.8m thick and 0.3m high and is set into the NW bank of the burn. There are what may be three further huts (NC 8636 2848; NC 8637 2845; NC 8657 2843), scattered around within, and to the E of, the field-system.

The field-system comprises five substantial lynchets, each extending for between 100m and 200m in length and standing up to 1.8m in height; they run approximately parallel to each other and define linear fields.
There are other, shorter, lengths of lynchet and stretches of bank. On the N side of the site a fragmentary bank appears to demarcate the smoother, stone-free area to the S from the boulder-strewn slopes to the N. There are a scatter of cairns measuring up to 5m in diameter and 0.4m in height at the S side of the site and a solitary cairn to the N, visible in an area of eroding peat.
Visited by RCAHMS (DCC) 7 May 1991.

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NC 8637 2838 (224m by 278m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NC82NE
Geographical Area	SUTHERLAND
Civil Parish	KILDONAN

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