Monument record 10543 - ECC 75.2 Loch Mharabhig

"Situated on flat ground to the west of the western shore of Loch Mharabhig the remains of this large blackhouse measure 19 x 7 metres overall and are orientated from south-west to north-east. Constructed of stone faces with an earthen core the walls of this building are largely collapsed and robbed with the exception of the north-eastern, of former byre end, which appears to have had some later re-use. Two entrances may be seen, one located 3 metres from the south-western end providing entrance into the dwelling end of the house, and the other located 3 metres from the north-east end providing access into the byre end of the house. The north-eastern end of this building (the former byre end of the building) is apsoidal in form. Blackhouses of this size and form seem to date to the pre-crofting phase of settlement and largely appear to have gone out of usage in the Lochs area by the time that enclosure/encrofting occurs during the first half of the 19th century. The north-eastern (byre) end of this structure appears to have had some later re-use. As part of this a new wall has been constructed within the building to shorten it. This is located 5 metres from the south-eastern wall. This re-use is likely to have taken the form of a barn relating to one of the other two blackhouses in the vicinity (75.1 and 75.3)." (Burgess 2004, 167-168)

Chris Burgess, Northamptonshire Archaeology, 2004, Archaeological Survey and Evaluation of Eilean Chalium Chille and the Putative Site of the Seaforth Head Castle (Unpublished document). SWE41054.