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MHG671 - Shieling Hut, Burn of Houstry

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Constructions (remains), Burn of Houstry: About 1.5 miles NW of Mullbuie, near the side of a burn, are the ruins of shieling bothies on the top of round green hillocks. The largest of these hillocks, measuring some 62 by 50 ft in in diameter, lying with its longest axis E-W, appears to have been the site of some earlier construction. It has an elevation of some 5ft. All over the surface protrude large stones, many of them set on end. The remains are quite indefinite, but resemble the ruins covering the hillock in the Moss of Whilk.
A short distance to the E is an area measuring about 140 by 100ft, surrounded by a single line of large blocks of stone not forming a wall, nor in their present position acting as a fence to keep animals outside or inside the enclosure.
RCAHMS 1911, visited 1910.

Centred ND 134 373. Numerous small grassy mounds on top of which are the ruins of shieling bothies. These are in various stages of dilapidation, and in some cases have been utilised as small sheepfolds. The average size of the shielings is some 9 by 4m, and in some cases the walls stand up to a height of 0.5m.
Visited by OS (W D J) 1 July 1960.

(ND 132 373) Old Shielings (NAT) (4 shown)
(ND 134 372) Old Shielings (NAT) (7 shown)
(ND 1356 3736 and ND 1381 3736) Undescribed features
OS 6" map, (1962)

Thirteen shieling bothies, generally as described in the previous field report. There is no sign of a line of stone blocks.
Revised at 1:10560.
Visited by OS (J M) 4 August 1982.

Thirteen unroofed shieling-huts are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Caithness 1877, sheet xxxii). A similar number of unroofed shieling-huts are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10,560 map (1967), but not all at the same location as on the 1st edition.
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 23 November 1995

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred ND 1351 3728 (673m by 396m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	ND13NW
Civil Parish	LATHERON
Geographical Area	CAITHNESS

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