Monument record 1161 - COILEAGAN AN UDAL, NORTH UIST

NF87NW 2 825 783.

NF 824 784 An extensive domestic settlement containing the elements of at least 20 buildings was partly excavated at Udal in 1963 and 1964. Widespread oral tradition a century ago suggested that the site was anciently called Veilish and that the name can be equated with varied name forms appearing regularly in the charters of the Great Seal between 1465 and 1660. The traditions further suggest that Veilish, ie. Udal, was the main settlement in the Northern Isles in the 13th and 14th centuries.
The site lies among four large sand dunes, some 40ft high, on the slopes of which the RCAHMS, in 1914, noted kitchen midden refuse and quantities of stones, apparently the ruins of earth houses. This description, with the exception of the term 'earth houses', is still appropriate. Elaborate iron work and decorated pottery, both undatable, and a considerable quantity of iron slag, suggesting mediaeval iron-working, were found during excavations.
The excavations in the main area exposed two buildings in toto. The later building, incorporating fabric and materials of the other, may be a chapel site but could have been an 18th century kelp-burners' bothan. The other building, an ovoid building of massive construction, with double infilled walls - 6ft thick, seems likely to be the first domestic building dating from the period 1000 - 1600 AD yet discovered in the West Highlands, and may well be a mediaeval prototype of the 'black house'.
Surface finds made before 1921 are in the NMAS.
I A Crawford 1964; RCAHMS 1928; Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1912; 1915; 1916; 1922.

NF 825 783 Udal settlement is as described above. Excavation was in progress during 1965.
Visited by OS (R D) 23 June 1965.

Additional information - Fort.
I A Crawford 1966.

I. Crawford, Excavations at Coileagan an Udail (Unpublished document). SWE13416.

Iain A. Crawford, The West Highlands and Islands: A view of 50 centuries (Unpublished document). SWE41109.

Erskine Beveridge, 1911, North Uist: its archaeology and topography, 77, 9506, 129-31, 268, 326 (Bibliographic reference). SWE12876.

PSAS, 1911-12, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 329-30 (Bibliographic reference). SWE9079.

PSAS, 1914-15, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 11 (Bibliographic reference). SWE8963.

PSAS, 1915-16, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 16 (Bibliographic reference). SWE9903.

PSAS, 1921-2, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 15 (Bibliographic reference). SWE9178.

RCAHMS, 1928, The RCAHMCS 9th Report & Inventory: Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles, 89, No. 273 (Bibliographic reference). SWE5587.

I. Crawford, 1964g, Preliminary Report of Excavations at Udal, 1-12 (Unpublished document). SWE13415.

I A Crawford, 1966b, Discovery and Excavation, Scotland, 29 (Bibliographic reference). SWE12928.

L E and J Webster and Cherry, 1974, Medieval Archaeol, 186 (Bibliographic reference). SWE9771.

L E Webster, 1975, Medieval Archaeol, 232 (Bibliographic reference). SWE7014.

L E and J Webster and Cherry, 1976, Medieval Archaeol, 176 (Bibliographic reference). SWE9649.

L E and J Webster and Cherry, 1977, Medieval Archaeol, 218 (Bibliographic reference). SWE9651.

I. Crawford, 1986, An t-Udal (Unpublished document). SWE13417.

Iain A. Crawford, 1996, The Udal (Article in serial). SWE41110.