MHG2192 - Shieling, Mains of Ulbster
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (2)
- SHIELING HUT (Undated)
- ENCLOSURE (Undated)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
A large accumulation of stones, resembling a crescentic cairn, 100 yds long, lies near base of slope NE of Ormiegill cairn (ND34SW 2), on what has been an old lake margin.
One end of it, which seemed to terminate in a circular cairn, was dug into by Anderson in 1865. He found stones disposed at the end in a regular line, forming a kind of entrance-way, but discovered no trace of a chamber. No further excavation was attempted, and the character of the construction is still unkown.
Miss Henshall, quoting same sub-reference, described it as a chambered cairn.
J Anderson 1866; RCAHMS 1911; A S Henshall 1963.
At ND 3340 4295, a large bank, about 1.3m max height and composed of earth and stones, forms 3 sides of a subrectangular enclosure. There is no trace of a bank to E. This is the 'crescentic' structure referred to by RCAHMS.
S bank, the broadest, has been excavated through centre, presumably by Anderson, exposing two parallel walls some 0.5m high, which may have been an entrance. The remains of a shieling within the enclosure and of a rectangular building to the S may be associated with the enclosure. It is not a cairn.
Surveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (R L) 25 April 1967.
(ND 3340 4295) Enclosure (NR)
OS 1:10,000 map, (1976)
An enclosure comprising a large accumulation of stones in crescentic form about 90m by 1.3m high. There is now no trace of the rectangular structure nearby.
C E Batey 1981.
Sources/Archives (4)
- --- SHG1404 Text/Publication/Article: Anderson, J. & Shearer, R.I.. 1866. Report on the ancient remains of Caithness and results of explorations conducted for the Anthropological Society of London by Messrs. Joseph Anderson and Robert Innes Shearer in 1865. Memoirs Read Before the Anthropological Society of London Vol. 2 (1865-6). 226-56. 245.
- --- SHG1959 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Batey, C E. 1981. Caithness coastal survey 1981: interim report. University of Durham, Department of Archaeology. . Wic 199.
- --- SHG2664 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1911. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Third report and inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Caithness. . 188-9, No. 580.
- --- SHG357 Text/Publication/Monograph: Henshall, A S. 1963. The chambered tombs of Scotland, Volume 1. 285, No. 43.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 3340 4295 (60m by 60m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND34SW |
| Civil Parish | WICK |
| Geographical Area | CAITHNESS |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/9027 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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.