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MHG66375 - House/byre/pen - North Screapadal, Raasay

Summary

Since abandonment, the building has been adapted for reuse as a shepherd's bothy and/or shieling with lambing pen.

Type and Period (3)

Protected Status

Full Description

Two townships named North and South Screapadal are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire, Isle of Skye 1881, sheet xxiv) and on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1988).
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 18 October 1996

(NG 581 443) North and South Screapadal: depopulated by 1877.
OS 6"map, Isle of Skye, Inverness-shire, 2nd ed., (1877)

North Screapadal, a depopulated township, comprises some 17 ruined houses. There are 4 small ruined boat-houses on the seashore.
There are lazy-beds in the area especially upon the higher slopes to the west.
These townships were probably depopulated by Mr Rainy of Edinburgh, who bought the island of Raasay in 1846, sending large numbers of the inhabitants abroad, and to Rona (Information from Miss Nicholson, 'Eilean Tigh', Raasay and from Mr Macleod, shoemaker, Clachan, Raasay).
Visited by OS (A S P) 12 June 1961

Fifteen unroofed buildings and a head-dyke are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Inverness-shire, Isle of Skye 1881, sheet xxiv). Nineteen unroofed buildings and a head-dyke are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1988).
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 18 October 1996

An Archaeological Survey of the townships of North & South Screapadal, with a survey of the surrounding area, on Raasay was undertaken by ACFA in 1998.

Feature 16; This sub rectangular drystone structure measures 14.Sm north to south and is 4.2m wide at the south end and 3.9m wide at north end. It is built on a slope which also dips east north east. The walls are 0.9m thick, and are still standing to I.Sm in places including the whole of the west wall. The corners are rounded externally and square internally. A cross wall whose basal courses only remain divides the structure. The northern compartment has an internal length of 9m and a floor level 0.3m higher than the main floor level in the smaller compartment. There is one external doorway Im wide in the east wall of the smaller room, and one internal doorway 0.8m wide at the east end of the cross wall now, filled by randomly placed stone blocking.

There are two structures within the smaller compartment. The floor at the south end is raised by a 0.2m high stone built platform whose east end is obscured by tumble. In the north west comer a quadrant has been divided off by a line of stone blocks. Outside the door in the east wall is a well-built stone platform with a drop of 0.5m maximum at its outer edge. On the natural slope beyond the platform is a shallow scoop in the hillside, defined by low turf banks 0.1m high in places. There is a rectangular pen in the north west corner of the larger compartment, 3m north to south by 1.8m east to west. The building originally was a combined house and byre, with the byre at the south end. The attention made to drainage from the byre is particularly noteworthy. It is presumed the drainage would run under the outside platform into the scoop. Since abandonment, the building has been adapted for reuse as a shepherd's bothy and/or shieling with lambing pen. <1>

NGR adjusted based on 2009 vertical aerial photographs. <2>

Sources/Archives (2)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NG 5805 4442 (15m by 19m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NG54SE
Geographical Area	SKYE AND LOCHALSH
Civil Parish	PORTREE

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Related Investigations/Events (1)

External Links (2)