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MHG8523 - Township - Arboll Links, Tarbet

Summary

Arboll Links Township

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

Situated immediately S of the large coastal sand dunes on Ardboll links are the remains of at least 9 buildings and associated enclosures. The buildings appear to have been of dry-stone construction although they have been reduced to their footings and covered with blown sand and turf. They are all rectangular, 3m wide but vary in length from S to 13m. Running E around the S side of the settlement is a substantial bank 5m wide at its base and 1m high. There are traces of field work to the S of the bank. A track can be traced along the N edge of the settlement. RCAHMS 1979, visited by RCAHMS (PC) 1977.

A survey of the Arboll Links Township, Easter Ross was carried out by members of the North of Scotland Archaeological Society (NoSAS) in January 2017. The township comprises the remains of 9 (possibly 11) buildings, up to 12 enclosures, several midden pits and a possible kiln.

The township does not appear on the maps of 1876 (1st edition OS survey) and 1904 (2nd edition OS
survey, above) but it is marked on an estate plan of Geanies dated 1833, where it has at least 7 roofed
buildings. It appears to have been a result of a population cleared from the hinterland, settled on marginal ground outside the estate boundary and expected to make a living from pastoral and fishing
activities; the estate plan produced in 1833 (almost certainly surveyed a few years before that) has the
township annotated as “Fishertown of Arboll”. The enclosures were possibly for kale or other crops and their number suggests that the cattle were free to roam about the township. It is quite likely that the community was heavily affected by the cholera epidemic of 1832 and it may well have been abandoned about this time. <1>

Sources/Archives (2)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 8832 8283 (229m by 134m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH88SE
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	TARBAT

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (1)

External Links (1)