MHG58349 - Roundhouse/shieling hut? Sgamadail (east)
Summary
Roundhouse/shieling hut? Sgamadail (east)
Type and Period (3)
- HUT CIRCLE? (Neolithic to Late Iron Age - 4000 BC? to 560 AD?)
- DITCH (Unknown date)
- SHIELING HUT? (Neolithic to Late Iron Age - 4000 BC? to 560 AD?)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
Sgamadail (east)
These sites were recorded by NOSAS in 2008/9 as part of an archaeological survey of outer Loch Hourn.
Sgamadail is a place of two halves, referred to here as ‘east’ and ‘west’ for convenience. In the latter 18th century, they were known as ‘the two Sgamadails’ and were held - along with ‘the two Croulins’ - by the same person (Munro 1984). Both Sgamadails are sited on outwash fans, spreads of boulders and earth carried down by melt water from the corries above at the end of the last Ice Age (plates 22 and 25). The outwash fans around Loch Hourn do not appear to have been the first choice for settlement, but following the settlement of the fertile valleys like Glen Mor, Glen Beag and Glen Arnisdale, population pressure eventually led to the occupation of the outwash fans. Plenty of building material was available, while the soil in the pockets between the stone is mineral rich. With a huge amount of hard work removing stones, outwash is capable of being cultivated in plots of rig and furrow or as small terraces.
The Sgamadails are typical of a dozen or more similar settlements around the shores of the loch, apparently progressing from summer shielings to permanent settlements. Having said this, the first settlement at Sgamadail (east) might go back to prehistoric times, as two circular recessed platforms were discovered about 200m inland, at an altitude of about 100m OD (Sites 1283, 1284).
Site 1283. A sub-circular shieling hut or possible round house, forming one of a pair with Site 1284; it lies to the SE and above the second one. It consists of a recessed platform, measuring 10m in diameter overall. The platform itself measures 4m in diameter and stands 0.3m proud of the surrounding ground level on the downslope (N) side. A 1m wide ditch, which links it to Site 1284, lies 4m from the upper (S) side of the platform. <1>
NGR adjusted based on 1999-2001 AP’s <2>
Sources/Archives (2)
- <1> SHG24749 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Wombell, J and Hooper, J. 03/2009. A Report on the 2009 Archaeological Survey of Outer Loch Hourn, Inverness-shire. North of Scotland Archaeological Society. Digital. p.86 Site 1283 p.37 Fig 11 Plate 23.
- <2> SHG27491 Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph/Vertical: Get Mapping. 1999-2001. Get Mapping colour vertical aerial photography 1999-2001 (The Millennium Map). XY
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NG 8078 0904 (11m by 11m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NG80NW |
| Civil Parish | GLENELG |
| Geographical Area | LOCHABER |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (0)
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