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MHG5073 - Fort, dun and ?souterrain - Penduin

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(NG 3882 5770) Dun (NR)
OS 6"map, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1904)

Dun near Penduin: The oval summit of a flat-topped eminence, 300 yards NE of the ruined house of Penduin is surrounded by the remains of a stone wall built on the edge of the rocks, which varies from 5-16' in width according to its accessibility and encloses an area with axes some 200' and 90' in length. At the SE end of the wall, a mass of tumbled stones still rises 5' above the interior and from 5-12' above the exterior level. Across the SE projection of the ridge, some 28' from the inner wall, four large stones set on edge may indicate an outer defence. The entrance, about 4' wide, is near the middle of the E side. An enclosure inside the dun against the SW wall is 35' across and 5' deep surrounded by a tumbled mass of stone walling once about 9'. A tumbled walled and roofed passage 3' wide and 26' long connects this enclosure with a corbelled oval cell 18' long built against the main wall; it looks like an earth-house. To the S are indications of one or more hut circles. <1>
RCAHMS 1928, visited 1921.

A fort generally as described and planned by RCAHMS. The outer defence can be traced around the whole of the S arc mainly as a rickle of stones on a change of slope, with occasional outer facing stones visible. (See amended RCAHMS plan).
The enclosure within the fort appears to be a circular stone-walled hut similar to that at Dun Borve (NG35NE 6 ). Traces of the inner face survive in the N and W arcs giving an estimated internal diameter of 10.5m, with the wall spread to c.2.5m. The entrance is not evident. The SW arc of the inner face appears to abut onto the inner face of the fort wall but the spread of debris at this point makes it uncertain whether the hut has been bult against the fort wall or has overlaid it.
Probably contemporary with the hut are the passage and cell compared with an earthhouse by RCAHMS. They are now tumbled and filled with debris. There is no trace of lintels or other indications of roofing. To the S of the passage is a rocky platform but there are no traces of the hut circles mentioned by RCAHMS who have probably misinterpreted tumble from the fort wall. Immediately to the N of the passage are traces of a circular structure, c.4.0m internal diameter, of uncertain character. Visited by OS (R L) 30 September 1971.

The hut circle and possible souterrain ('earthhouse') are included in an inventory of souterrain sites on Skye by R. Miket. It is located on the flat-topped oval summit of Dun near Penduin some 300m north-east of the ruined house of Penduin. Just within the defences on the south-west lies a clearly-defined substantial circular structure, 2m high and enclosing an area with a diameter of 10.5m. A sunken passage, 1m wide and 8.2m long, connects this enclosure with a corbelled oval cell 6m long, built against the inner face of the defences. The gallery appearance and its characteristics suggest it may be a souterrain. <2>

This site was included in the Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland online database. See link below for site entry. <3>

GIS spatial data created 2018 based on OS Master Map where it is spelt Peinduin. <4>

Sources/Archives (4)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 3878 5771 (55m by 50m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG35NE
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	SNIZORT

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