Monument record 12901 - Tom Ta and Mhaol Mhor, Leurbost

At least 4 circular shapes can clearly be seen in the heather near the south eastern corner opf Loch Ta from the top of Tom Ta. Upon closer inspection it is clear that these shapes are made only from turf, with no stone in the walls. They consist of lower banks standing only c.0.3m tall and c. 0.4m wide in very regular circle shapes of 3-4m diameter, or in other words shieling sized, and slightly lower inside than out. They are probably examples of turf shielings, a type of site which rarely either survives or gets noticed, (and has therefore not been studied in great detail) but which is though to have been more common in pre-crofting townships than we currently think (Dr Mary Macleod, pers. comm.) They may also concievably be 'clamps' used to germinate seed potatos, although given the lack of other settlement or lazy beds in the immediate vicinity this seems unlikely.

Ian McHardy, 2006, The Archaeology of the Tom Ta and Mhaol Mhor area, Leurbost (Unpublished document). SWE41104.