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MHG59206 - Building, Melvaig township

Summary

Building footings in Melvaig township

Type and Period (1)

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Full Description

A crofting township comprising seventy-one roofed, three partially roofed, twenty-one unroofed buildings, their associated enclosures and a head-dyke is depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Ross-shire 1881, sheet xxxi). Forty-eight roofed, three partially roofed, forty-five unroofed buildings, their associated enclosures and a head-dyke are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10560 map (1969).
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 17 April 1996

Melvaig is one of the Gairloch crofting townships created in 1845 by John Mackenzie, although early documents show that people lived here in 1660. The name Melvaig in Gaelic is ‘ Mealabhaig ‘ meaning ‘ bent grass bay ‘, and with aig associated with Viking vik it is possible that the area was settled before this. The Gairloch Estate maps show two main areas of settlement (see map) before the crofts were established and the older boundary head dyke can still be seen within the crofting township head dyke. The crofting township of Melvaig was surveyed in 2013 by A. MacInnes and assisted in the research by J. Buchanan, A. and R. Mackenzie and D. Malone.

Footings of building down river embankment. <1>

NGR adjusted based on 2009 aerial photographs. <2>

1st Edition OS 6" <3>

Sources/Archives (3)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 7433 8644 (18m by 13m)
Map sheet	NG78NW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	GAIRLOCH

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