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MHG4549 - Ruigh-Aiteachain

Summary

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Type and Period (1)

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Full Description

Visited Friday 6th June 2003. Weather - fine but windy. The site is situated on the valley floor amidst scattered mature pine trees. It comprises of a roofed bothy, a former building now reused as a toilet and evidence of 2 further structures. The 1st edition OS survey of 1872 depicts a ?farmstead comprising 10 roofed buildings and 2 enclosures, also a well. It is suggested that most of the structures on the 1st edition may be timber buildings, although a track has been constructed/?bulldozed in their vicinity. No evidence of settlement appears on the Roy map of 1752 or on the Thomson map of 1830, although the site is thought to have had associations with the painter Edwin Landseer in the ?1830s.

Structure A - NN 8456 9317
Evidence of a building on an east/west axis, exists in the form of a rectangular depression 0.5m deep, it measures 10m x 4m. No wall footings. A mortared chimney of dressed stone rising to a height of 5m, is situated within the east part of the structure. It measures 1.2m x 0.75m at its base, tapers towards the top and has a fireplace 1m x 1m x 0.5m deep . Evidence of the mortared walls of a porch at the SW corner also exists with stone footings to 0.3m height and 0.5m width (see plan). A large beech tree (?150 years old) grows a few metres to the east, this is a species not indigenous to the surrounding terrain.

Structure B - NN 8456 9323.
Low grass covered wall footings of a rectangular building on an east/west axis measuring internally 9m x 2.5m. Turf with some stones evident, the walls are generally 0.2m in height and 0.8m in width. No evidence of entrances or internal walls.

Structure C - NN 8461 9325.
Roofed bothy measuring 12m x 4.5m. Maintained by Mountain Bothy Association and in good order

Structure D - NN 8461 9322.
Partially roofed structure used as a toilet. Reused from former stone structure, evidence of which exists in the outer walls (rising to 1-1.5m) and blocked up windows. On north/south axis and measuring 5m x 4.5m

Structure E - NN 84723 92338 SMR - NN89SW 0005
500m to the south of the main group of buildings. Rectangular structure on N-S axis, measuring internally 10m x 2.5m. Defined by linear earth banks, more substantial at the north end where they are 0.2-0.3m in height, 1m in width and heather covered, but much lower at the south end where they are grassy.

Photographs
1. General view from east
2. A from SW
3. A - chimney from SW
4. A - porch from south
5. B from NE
6. C from SW
7. C and D from NNE
8. E from south
M. Marshall June 2003

NN89SW 2 846 928

The 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire 1872, sheet cxviii) depicts a farmstead, comprising ten buildings and an enclosure with a further building detatched to the S, on the E side of the River Feshie.
Information from RCAHMS (P McK) 5 January 1995.

An unroofed bothy or shed, lying to the SE of the refurbished bothy at Ruigh-aiteachain at NN 8472 9277, was noted during a pre-afforestation survey by J Wordsworth.
J Wordsworth 1996; NMRS MS 961/2

This site was visited during a walkover survey in March and April 2011. See the linked event (EHG3560) to download the survey report. <1><2>

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NN 8468 9274 (70m by 105m) (8 map features)
Map sheet	NN89SW
Civil Parish	ALVIE
Geographical Area	BADENOCH AND STRATHSPEY

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