32040: ECC 56.2/57.2 Torastay – Blackhouse and outbuildings

Summary:

BLACK HOUSE (Post Medieval to Crofting – 1540 AD to 1950 AD)
HOUSE (Post Medieval to Crofting – 1540 AD to 1950 AD)
COW HOUSE (Post Medieval to Crofting – 1540 AD to 1950 AD)
LONGHOUSE (Post Medieval to Crofting – 1540 AD to 1950 AD)
BARN (Post Medieval to Crofting – 1540 AD to 1950 AD)
Blackhouse and barn with later modifications

Location:

NB 38764 20020

Full description:

"Located in a low valley on the eastern slopes of Cnocan Biorach, the tumbled remains of this blackhouse measure 20 x 5 metres overall and are orientated from north-west to south-east. Standing to a maximum height of 1.5 metres the walls of this structure are constructed of stone faces with an earthen core and demonstrate extensive neglect (lack of maintenance) and episodes of stone removal or robbing. This building demonstrates two phases of construction or usage. Originally it is likely that this structure was actually two separate buildings, a house/byre to the south and barn to the north. The house would have measured 10 x 5 metres and had a single entrance in the centre of its north-east wall. Internally it had a single partition located immediately to the north-west of the entrance that marked the separation of the dwelling at the north-west (uphill) end of the house from the byre at the south-east (downhill) end. The second building probably measured ca 6-8 x 5 metres and was located to the north-west of the main structure. This ancillary building formed a barn, and together the barn and house formed the pattern typical of blackhouses in the vicinity from the late pre-crofting and early crofting phases. The second phase of activity saw a phase of ‘greying’ (the introduction of features typically associated with ‘whitehouses’ – windows, chimneys, sevices etc) of both structures, and also the linking of the barn (to the north-west) to the house (to the south-east) to form one long range of buildings. The ‘greying’ of this building is best seen as the presence of several windows in its south-west facing wall. An extensive garden enclosure (55.2) has been built against the south-western side of this structure." (Burgess 2004, 136)

References:

Chris Burgess, Northamptonshire Archaeology. 2004. Northamptonshire Archaeology Archaeological Survey and Evaluation of Eilean Chalium Chille and the Putative Site of the Seaforth Head Castle. Part No Loch Seaforth Head Gazeteer.

Acknowledgement:

Information provided by Western Isles Council Sites & Monuments Record, January 2006.