Monument record 1131 - CNOC A'CHAISTEAL, VALLAQUIE STRAND, NORTH UIST

NF87NE 15 8672 7532.

At NF 8627 7532 there are the remains of an earth-house in an eroded sandy cliff on the north side of Vallaquie Strand.
It is situated approx 1.7m below the present ground level and consists of an entrance passage 0.6m wide, of which 1.6m of walling is still intact, with a lintel at its west end. The height of the passage is unobtainable due to debris.
The chamber, thought locally to be oval and corbelled, seems to be about 2.5m in diameter, with the roof supported by a central drystone pillar. Around the earth-house is a dense scatter of shells, animal bones and potsherds both above and below the earth-house. About 5.0m of walling can be traced in the sand to the west of the entrance, and may be a continuation of the north wall of the passage.
Surveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (N K B) 24 June 1965.

'Rim and wall sherds from beside the earth-house, Vallaquie Sound (NF 863753) were donated to NMAS by Mrs M E Parkinson, Northallerton.'
Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1967.

The survey of the area around Cnoc a'Chaisteal seems to suggest the presence of at least one structure and associated midden deposits. As with all geophysical survey it is impossible to accurately or confidently provide a date for this group of anomalies.
Moore 2007, 4.3

PSAS, 1964-6, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 334 (Bibliographic reference). SWE8943.

Centre for Field Archaeology, 2005, Coastal Zone Assessment Survey, North Uist (Bibliographic reference). SWE41070.

James Moore, Orkney College Geophysics Unit, 2007, North Uist Souterrains (Unpublished document). SWE41149.

James Moore, Orkney College Geophysics Unit, 2008, North Uist Souterrains: Geophysical Suvey Report (Unpublished document). SWE41186.