Monument record 11893 - LEWIS, LOCH MOR A CHOCAIR

NB33SW 34 3455 3427

An archaeological assessment was undertaken in advance of a potential windfarm development at Beinn Mholach and Arnish Moor. A total of 29 areas (over 100 individual sites) of archaeological remains were identified, most of which relate to post-medieval shieling practice, lazy bed cultivation, peat cutting, and to the 19th and 20th-century use of these upland areas. The proposed windfarm development involves two areas of peat moorland in the centre of Lewis. (GUARD 891).
NB 3455 3427
Loch Mor a' Chocair
Shieling group.
NB 345 342
Loch Mor a' Chocair
Quarry pits.
Full report lodged with the NMRS.
Sponsor: Dulas Ltd
J Hooper 2001
REPORT DATE: 18/06/2002

B010-013 centred NB 3455 3427
Loch Mor a'Chocair, a group of four shieling huts clustered around a knoll to the north of the Pentland Road. Three are low grassy mounds with traces of stone built structures, whil one is a more substnatial stone built hut.
On the current edition of the 1:10000 map (1990), one roofed shieling hut is shown just to the north of the Pentland Road. It does not appear on the OS 1st edition map (1849-52), but may be the long roofed building shown on the OS 2nd edition map (1895), to the west of the quarry pit. On the vertical aerial photographs from 1946, a single unroofed hut, on a NW-SW alignement is visible. It is surrounded by small areas of what appear to be drier ground, which could be the remnants of earlier huts. A few peat cuttings are present to the east.
B010 NB 34570 34294
Right on the western edge of the grassy knoll on which this group o shieling huts is located is a stone built shieling hut, c. 4m long by 2m broad, and aligned NNE-SSW. The structure survives only as low stone footings. These suggest a wall c. 1m wide, although only the internal face is clearly defined. There is a possible entrance in the centre of the south wall
B011 NB 34552 34277
The footings of a second shieling hut, aligned NNE SSW and measuring c. 4m long by 3m broad. This was clearlya more modern shieling hut, which has been recently demolished. The most prominent feature is a concrete and brick fireplace with a red-tiled hearth. Part of the grate still remains. A wooden floor, covered in linoleam, seems to have rested directly on the exposed bedrock of the knoll. Some of the roof timbers and their felt covering also survive. Bed springs cover the floor
B012 NB 34553 34269
Set into the south slope of the knoll below 011, are the far more amorphous remains of another shieling hut, again aligned NNE-SSW. Superficially, it appears to be circular in form, although the east wall, which is the best preserved, is in fact straight and quite substantial. Even though it is terraced into the slope very little of the c. 3m by 2m floor area is level. There is a possible entrance in the sout-west corner.
B013 NB 34539 34277
On the West side of the knoll are the low stone footings of another shieling hut, similar in alignment and state of preservation to B012. It measures c. 3m by 2m and has an entrance towards the west end.
B009
Two large shallow quarry pits set into the south and west sides of the knoll on which B010-013 are situated. A single quarry pit is shown on the OS 2nd edition map (1895), but is not present on the OS1st edition map (1849-52), suggesting that it must be associated with the construction of the Pentland Road in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The second one may hten be associated with later upgrading of the road in the twentieth century.
Hooper 2000, 25

also listed in J Hooper 2001, 104

Janet Hooper, 2000, Lewis: Project 891 (Bibliographic reference). SWE41076.

Council for Scottish Archaeology, 2001, Discovery and Escavation in Scotland (Bibliographic reference). SWE41185.