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MHG62951 - Cattle fold - Glaichbea

Summary

Cattle fold at Glaichbea

Type and Period (1)

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Full Description

The Inverness Field Club, led by Donald Coghill, surveyed a number of sites in the Aird area between 1987 and 1989. Glaichbea.
Situated under mature beech trees to the east of the public, road is a rectangular cattle fold 23yds x 17yds. Its eroded turf wall has levelled up the outer ditch. An entrance cannot now be traced but was probably at the west side. This earthwork forms the N.E. corner of what appears to be a larger sub-rectangular enclosure with its ditch on the inside of the turf walling. This possible enclosure widens out in scrub towards the road which obliterates any further trace of its straight turf walls. A short distance to the south and on the same side of the road there is a square earthwork 19yds x 19yds with an outer ditch. The turf wall at the east side overlooks the burn and the more eroded turf wall to the south appears to curve round to graft onto the roadside turf walling. The turf wall at the north side of the square appears to be a dividing wall as the turf wall at the east side continues northwards on the same alignment for another 14yds where, at a sharp right-angled corner, it turns westwards to meet the roadside turf wall This section, at the north end of the sate, has a much more substantial rampart with a deeper outer ditch. Except for a small area of bare ground below mature beeches at the south turf wall, and its very silted up ditch, the remainder of the site is hidden beneath dense bracken and scrub. No entrances can be identified anywhere in the overall larger rectangular enclosure.
Further to the south and beyond a glade on the same east side of the road there are, among scrub trees, the turf and stone footings of two long buildings, both aligned north to south and a little distance apart. The total length of the building at the north end is 19yds, which includes what appears to be a narrower outhouse. Close to the south, and probably the dwelling end, there is, at right angles and at a lower level, what may be the tumbled down stone ruins of a very small steading. The total length of the adjacent linear steading and dwelling is 24yds, the house being situated at the south end and on a slightly higher level. A few yards to the east of this building there is a more or less parallel turf rampart running above the slope which fades out towards the south. The arable land of what were probably two holdings lies lower down towards the burn at the east end, which is now woodland. <1>

Note: Site not visible on aerial photographs so location based on grid coordinates. (T. Blackie 19/07/23)

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 5148 3978 (30m by 30m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH53NW
Civil Parish	KILTARLITY AND CONVINTH
Geographical Area	INVERNESS

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