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MHG9356 - Cnoc Dail-Chairn

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NC82NE 24 859 288.

('A':NC 8692 2874 'B' :NC 8597 2880 'C' :NC 8603 2888) Hut Circles {NR} OS 6"map, (1962)

A settlement of four hut circles ('A'-'D') discovered during field investigation (Information from OS (J L D) 4 June 1961) on the lower NE slopes of Cnoc Dail-chairn.
'A', the uppermost, is the most prominent, and consists of an earth and stone wall up to 1.3m high externally. It is 8.8m in diameter within a wall about 2.0m wide enlarging to 3.8m at the clubbed entrance in the east.
'B' is set on a small knoll, and is obscured by heather. It is 8.3m in diameter within a wall of indeterminate width, with an entrance in the E.
'C' is scooped into a relatively level part of the hillside. It measures 10.0m E-W by 9.0m within a bank 2.0m wide.
'D' is oval and measures 3.7m E-W x 3.0m within a wall 0.9m wide, set into the slope and built up on the downslope arc. No entrance is apparent. Although the feature is unusually small, its "hut-like" form of construction points to the probability of it being a small hut-circle.
The ground around the huts is stone-free and covered with close-cropped heather, with a few isolated clearance heaps. Undoubtedly this area has been cultivated, but no plots are visible.
Surveyed at 1/10,000
Visited by OS (J B) 17 January 1977

There are at least three hut-circles (A-C), two burnt mounds (E, F) and a hut (G) set on a series of knolls and terraces on the NE slopes of Cnoc Dail-chairn.

A. NC 8692 2874 This hut-circle measures 7.6m in diameter within a stony bank 3.6m in thickness and 0.8m in height. The entrance is on the SE and the terminals of the bank are thickened.
(KILD91 213)

B. NC 8597 2880 This hut-circle measures 9.5m from NW to SE by 7.8m transversely within a stony bank 2.6m in thickness and 0.4m in height. The entrance is on the E and there is a hut built in the interior. (KILD91 212)

C. NC 8603 2888 This hut-circle measures 9.6m from ESE to WNW by 8.6m transversely within a stony bank 2.6m in thickness and 0.5m in height. The entrance is on the E and the interior is slightly levelled into the slope.
(KILD91 211)

D. NC 8596 2873 No structures were located at this location on the date of visit.

E. NC 8595 2885 This oval burnt mound measures 7m from ESE to WNW by 6m transversely and up to 1.2m in height. It is situated to the SW of
a boggy sump and is backed-up against a steep slope. A lynchet extends E from the mound for 20m; the SW side of the mound has been reduced by cultivation which has left the slopes above it smooth and stone-free. Lifting a sod revealed densely-packed, cracked stone set in a matrix of black soil.

F. NC 8596 2896 This U-shaped burnt mound measures 8m from NNW to SSE by 5.5m transversely and 0.5m in height. Its open side is on the E where it has also been cut by a drain. Lifting a sod revealed densely-packed, cracked stone set in a matrix of black soil.
(KILD91 216)

G. NC 8594 2878 This hut measures 5m from NW to SE by 1.3m transversely within a rubble bank 1.1m in thickness and 0.3m in height. There is a second hut 3m to the NW.
(KILD91 214)

Although there are several cairns, measuring up to 5m in diameter and 0.4m in height around hut-circles 'B' and 'C', the well-drained knolls and terraces in the vicinity of the hut-circles are smooth and relatively free of stones. A stony bank runs W for at least 50m along the contour from a little to the N of 'C'.
Visited by RCAHMS (DCC) 2 May 1991.

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NC 8598 2878 (181m by 265m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NC82NE
Geographical Area	SUTHERLAND
Civil Parish	KILDONAN

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