Monument record 375 - CARN A' MHARC, LEWIS

NB44SE 2 4723 4386

(NB 472 438) Carn a' Mharc (NR)
OS 6-inch map, 2nd ed., Island of Lewis, Ross-shire, (1898)

This chambered cairn is an irregular oval in plan, almost 100ft NE-SW by about 80ft NW-SE, and up to about 10ft in height.
In many places, and especially towards the E and SW sides, there are large split blocks of stone which look as though they were structural, but only one of them, on the SW, appears to be earthfast. The remains of a peristalith exist on the W. and SW edges of the cairn, with stones spaced from 4 to 6ft apart.
The chamber lies SE of the centre of the cairn, with only a small portion of its upper part identifiable, and is probably undisturbed. A short length of massive walling, three courses high, facing SE, is probably the back of the chamber. Part of this wall rests on an upright stone, at least 2ft high, presumably part of the W side of the chamber. In front of this walling is a large displaced capstone tipped almost vertically. About 12ft SE of the chamber walling a massive stone stands 4ft high, while 6ft SE is another large slab, nearly 7ft long, which may well be a displaced lintel stone from the passage. (Information from MS of A S Henshall's 'Chambered Tombs of Scotland', 19, No. 15)
There are two small circular or oval settings of stones near the cairn, probably shielings (RCAHMS 1928).
RCAHMS 1928.

Thomas (F W L Thomas 1890) states that Carn a Mharc should be named Carn a Bhairce, and that it is known (erroneously) in Lewis as Carn Bharce Mhic Righ Lochlinn. This latter name derives from the local people no longer realising that 'Barp' (gen.: Bhairp) means 'barrow'.(Martin knew this cairn as Carn-warp, i.e. Carn-varp.) (M Martin 1934)
The Name Book (1849) has Carn a Bhare as an alternative name.
F W L Thomas 1890; M Martin 1934; Name Book 1849.

Carn a' Mharc is a large chambered cairn generally as described by Henshall.
Few positive details of its plan can be ascertained due to its being masked by tumble and modern mutilation. The alleged peristalith could be fortuitous.
Visited by OS (A A) 14 June 1969.

What may be two unroofed shieling-huts are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Island of Lewis, Ross-shire 1852, sheet 15) just to the north of the chambered cairn. They are not shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1991).
Information from RCAHMS (AKK) 30 June 1997.

Situated on a small plateau on Druim a' Chairn, 370 yards south-south-west of the south-west point of Loch a' Chairn, 1400 yards west of the southern extremity of Loch Chulapuill eastward, and approximately 1 3/4 miles north-west of Gress Lodge, near Stornoway, Lewis.
HS Schedule

Martin Martin, 1695a, A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland c. 1695, 8 (2nd ed., 1716) (Bibliographic reference). SWE5082.

Thomas, F. W. L., 1890, Archaeol Scot, 377 (Bibliographic reference). SWE7756.

RCAHMS, 1928, The RCAHMCS 9th Report & Inventory: Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Small Isles, 16, No. 55 (Bibliographic reference). SWE5587.

R W Feachem, 1963b, A Guide to Prehistoric Scotland, 48-9 (Bibliographic reference). SWE2141.

A. Henshall, 1972a, The Chambered Tombs of Scotland, 462, LWS 4 plan (Bibliographic reference). SWE3275.

Name Book (County), 1998, Name Books of the Ordnance Survey, Book No. 36, 31 (Unpublished document). SWE4254.