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MHG56683 - Farmstead - Ellishader, Culnacnock, Portree

Summary

A ruined post-medieval farmstead at Culnacnock, Portree.

Type and Period (5)

Protected Status

Full Description

A ruined post-medieval (probably C18-C19) house at Culnacnock, Portree.

A photographic survey of the ruin was carried out in 2013 as a condition of a planning application for the erection of 2 houses and formation of access. <1>

An archaeological desk based assessment and field evaluation were carried out by West Coast Archaeological Services in 2019 in advance of proposed works for a new house and associated infrastructure at Land South of 4 Ellishadder, Culnacnock, on the Island of Skye. The archaeological structures targeted for this evaluation comprised a stone-built house/byre and a smaller byre, and a turf and stone bank forming a small enclosure. During the proposed developments on-site, the larger of the two structures and the enclosure dyke will be removed and the recovered stone used for cladding the new house. The smaller byre will be retained as an archaeological feature adjacent to the new building. The DBA indicated that the complex of structures were built before the publication of the 1st Edition OS map sheet for the area (1875) and that the house/byre still had a roof as late as 1963. The field evaluation including trial trenching of the three features provided a wealth of evidence for their method of construction, artefacts relating to their use and abandonment, and confirmed that the house/byre structure had suffered a conflagration event in the recent past. The results of the desk based assessment and field evaluation indicate that the main structures including a house/byre (1), byre (2) and enclosed stack yard (3) are most likely contemporary in date, while the excavations on-site revealed no evidence for the earlier occupation of the site. The only artefact recovered to suggest an earlier potential phase of use was the saddle quern, recovered from the collapsed stone within byre (2). However, this item may have been recovered from the surrounding landscape, which has ample evidence for prehistoric occupation. The structures were most likely constructed at some stage during the 19th century, possibly between 1836 and 1841. The artefacts recovered provide a snapshot of social history for the time of the structures use, but also display the complexities in using such material to mark specific events in their life – particularly the timing of their abandonment. <2>

GIS spatial data amended in 2019 according to sites as seen on 1999-2001 vertical APs. <3>

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 5020 6558 (34m by 24m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG56NW
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	KILMUIR

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (2)

External Links (0)