Monument record 594 - THE WITCHES GRAVE, LOCH AISAVAT, SOUTH UIST

NF71NE 4 7540 1509

(NF 7540 1509) Less than halfway up the northern slope of a low hill or common called Leaval, in Kilbride, South Uist and almost opposite the NW end of Loch Aisavat, and clearly visible from the road, there are megalithic remains consisting of four uprights enclosing a quadrilateral space. The entrance is in the SW corner.
The stones stand in the S or SE part of a circular raised platform, 67ft in diameter, outlined by small stones. Traces of another circle, also surrounding the stones eccentrically, appear within the larger enclosure.
The neighbourhood is known as 'The Graves' and the megaliths as 'The Witch's Grave'. The Gaelic name is Leac-na-bana-bhuidseach (The Witch's Table Stone), a possible reference to a capstone.
A Regg-Gunn 1937; Information from A S Henshall

This feature, possibly a robbed chambered cairn, is generally as described by Rugg-Gunn (A Rugg-Gunn 1937), except that the raised platform is oval in plan, measuring 27.0m NW-SE by 19.5m transversely. There are only faint indications of the inner circle mentioned by authority. The name "Witch's Grave" is still known locally.
Surveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (N K B) 5 May 1965

This ruined cairn is on the N side of a low hill of pasture, at a little over 50ft OD. The last remains of cairn material may be detected round the W half of the chamber, but old lazy-beds approach within 2 or 3 ft of it. The rectangular chamber is formed by four large upright stones, with the remains of dry-walling in the small gap at the SE corner. The stones are 3ft to 4ft 9in high, and enclose a space measuring 5ft to 5ft 6ins by 3ft 6in to 3ft 9in. A wider gap at the SW corner, only 1ft 6in wide, may be intended for an entrance.
A S Henshall 1972

DES 1999: NF 754 150 In June 1999, a small excavation was conducted at the proposed chambered cairn of Leaval. This site was descirbed by Henshall and had been examined during a field survey of the South Uist chambered cairns in 1998. It is very poorly preserved, comprising little more than four upright slabs surrounded by the vestigial remains of a cairn. The excavation had three explicit aims: to confirm this was a chambered tomb by identifiying a passage; to locate material suitable for radiocarbon dating; and to look for pre-cairn activity.
The entire site was planned before the excavation took place and this confirmed the identification of an enclosure, only partially visible, to the N of the chamber area. A 6 x 6m trench (A) was laid out to the SE to incorporate the area most likely to contain a passage. A smaller trench (B) was opened to the W to provide a section across the entire site.
Trench A revealed the basal core of the cairn. This was relatively well preserved, comprising large slabs laid on their ends. The rocks chosen for this core cairn had been carefully selected for size and shape and included a number of distinctively coloured slabs. There was no sign of an entrance passage. Cutting across the remains of the cairn was the enclosure wall. This enclosure can now be understood as oval in shape curving around the S and E sides of the chamber before expanding out to the W and N.
Trench B also revealed cairn material, especially near to the chamber, but it had clearly been robbed out more extensively in this area. A wall was exposed at the western end of the trench and this may indicate the presence of a structure associated with the enclosure.
Finds of flint and quartz were relatively common on the site and were scattered over the cairn in both trenches. The assemblage is dominated by flakes, with only a couple of shaped pieces, including a scraper, present. Bipolar flaking apears to be the dominant technology. No certain examples of prehistoric pottery was recovered.
The excavation was unable to clarify the research objectives set for it. No passage was revealed, no radiocarbon samples could be obtained and the old ground surface remains unexplored. However, the excavation has provided some very useful information on the site. The apparent absence of a passage may suggest we are dealing with a very early Neolithic monumnet or a very unusual later Neolithic monument. The structure is better preserved than would first appear and it is possible that this dating problem could be resolved by further excaation. The flint assemblage and the enclosure may be linked and may be associated with a house; this evidence is not well dated but probably belongs to the Early or Middle Bronze Age. It indicates that the chambered tomb was substantially robbed in prehistory and then incorporated as a significant feature within a settement context.
Sponsor: University of Cardiff
Cummings, V and Sharples, N 1999, 93

A Rugg-Gunn, 1937, Antiquity, 96-9 plan 97, illust. 99 (Bibliographic reference). SWE12956.

A. Henshall, 1972a, The Chambered Tombs of Scotland, 520, no. UST 21 plan: p. 519 (Bibliographic reference). SWE3275.

Council for Scottish Archaeology, 1999, Discovery and Excavation iin Scotland (Bibliographic reference). SWE41183.