Monument record 5001 - Gob Gearraidh Scoir Mhor, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis

Coastal settlement, difficult of access in the winter, or at high tide, on salt marsh north and east of Stornoway. Destabilised in the early 1990s, perhaps due to changing erosion patterns. Produced platter ware, of Norse date, and whetstones of possibly Norwegian garnet schist.
The extent of the settlement is unclear, as the surface has been subject to later cultivation. c. 1m of stratified deposits, with at least three major phases of occupation, were visible in the eroding face in the autumn of 1998, when visited by MML and Dr N. Fojut.

NB 44023 34744, c. 3m AOD, +/- 7m. The site consists of one clear piece of wall of 3 courses eroding out of the sand at the edge of the machair, a possible floor surface 1.5m beneath this, sitting directly on top of ancient peat which underlies the machair. Layers of charcoal and ash, with only very occasional burnt bone and pot, spread over a large area of c. 10m, mainly to the northeast of the wall. The machair has been cultivated in the intervening time with feannagan covering the site. The machair here abuts the Laxdale Estuary, which is slowy eroding the whole coastline. The site sits rougly in the midldle of a 10-15m diameter sub-circular protrusion of green machair into the estuary, possibly the footpring of the original building.
Neil MacDonald and Ian McHardy 23.4.2007

This site has been activly eroding ; a pile of large stones now lie in the tidal zone. In situ coarse of stones visible sitting on peat (as described above,machair overlies peat). No other apparent features visible. (KM 10/02/2016)

Site appaers to have stablised mostly via slumped material and grass, peat ash lenses visible in the small areas of clear section, no other material or deposits seen . (KM 03/11/2020)

Ordinance Survey, 1849, Six-Inch to the mile, 1st edition - 1843-1882 (Cartographic materials). SWE41259.