Print

MHG58464 - Shieling - Allt Fearns, Raasay

Summary

A shieling built on the site of an earlier cairn.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

Lying 46m to the N of the Inverarish to Fearns road and just E of a large area of enclosed rig cultivation, at 155m OD is a tumbled mound of stone. The mound lies within an area of grass surrounded by heather and bracken. A well defined kerb surrounds the mound and measures 10.8m in diameter. Within the kerb are the remains of a small circular shieling type structure which measures 2m in diameter. <1>

The cairn and shieling were noted at NG5785 3598 in the ACFA's 2004 publication of their surveys of cairns on Raasay. On a south facing slope at approximately 170m above sea level, on a mound between two small burns, was a cairn, not more than 25m to the north of the Inverarish to Fearns road. Within this inner mound of this cairn a shieling had been built (see MHG4111 for cairn). The shieling appeared to have a figure of 8 shape, lying northwest to southeast on its long axis and measured 6.5m by 4m externally. The smaller, north section was clearly defined by dry-stone walling upto 3 courses high and 0.35m tall at the highest point. This section measured 3.5m by 3m externally and an entrance may have existed on the southeast side. The limits of the larger south section were less clear with some stone edging in the southwest and considerable tumbled stone lying in the interior and scattered about the structure. It was considered that this was a multi-period site. An oval prehistoric cairn has been re-used as a base for perhaps a second cairn and finally as the base for a shieling. <2>

GIS spatial data amended in 2021 according to location on 2020 vertical APs. <3>

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 5796 3599 (8m by 8m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG53NE
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	PORTREE

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (1)

External Links (1)