BY PROFESSOR V. GORDON CHILDE, B.LITT., F.S.A.Scoi
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NOTE SOMN O S 1 E8 DUN N ISLAYI S . III. NOTES ON SOME DUNS IN ISLAY. BY PROFESSOR V. GORDON CHILDE, B.LITT., F.S.A.Scoi. e twenty-seveOth f n fort dund an s s markee 6-incth n ho d O.Sp Ma . I visited sixteen on May 23—25, 1934. (a) East Coast. (1) Dun Bhoraraic broch, on a summit 550 feet above O.D. and -J of mila e from shore commandin gsupera bSoune vieth f Islap wdo u o yt Colonsay and Mull, across the island to Loch Indall, the Rhinns and Irelan dowd dSounan e nth Kintyreo dt entrance south-ease Th th . n eo t is well preserved e passagth , e being 13 fee tfee2 lon inched 4 t gan s wide t eaca h end t widenin cella e leftbu , t s centreth i a , t o entereT gou . d fro e door-passagemth corbelline Th rooe . th visibls fi f go e thouge hth capstones have fallen in and the floor is choked with stones; dimensions above these 8 feet by 4 feet 6 inches. The court is choked with fallen stones and exact diameter is uncertain. The outer face of the tower south-wese th wal n o l falles ha t n dow e precipicenth t elsewherbu , s eit base at least is well preserved. In the thickness of the wall on the left (south-west) sid staire tracee littleth ar A f .o s e further roun dpassaga e lead cell a corbellee o st th , d inner wal whicf o l exposes hi collapse th y db e e outeoth f r wall signaA . l station with concrete pile s beeha s n built ove e brocth r soute h th wal n ho l (left). certaio Thern e near tracef o s outworks. (2—6) Five duns in 3^ miles of coast between the east spur of Beinn Bheigeisouth-ease th d ran t corneislane th f dro for mgroupa . n Carraio r belon (2gMo Du )w Maol Ardtalla promontoryA . 0 10 , fee tfee0 5 lon t y widegb , rising sheer abou fee5 2 t t from water's edge with narrow coves or crevices on either side, is cut off by two well-built stone walls, 43 feet apart—traces of an intermediate wall. Above the neck the land rises quite steeply to the 200-foot contour. (3) Dun at Rudha Bhuidhe (north of Claggain Bay), 1-1 mile, south of (2), but not visible therefrom. A triangular promontory, rising 10 feet or so from the water and about 45 feet long, with a cove on the south a doubl y b f e o northof t a stonsand t sidy d cu e,ba yean wall, quite unmeasurable. Behind, the ground rises steeply to the 50-foot contour. 6 VOL. LXIX. 82 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193410 R . (4) Dun, vitrified fort, Trudernish Point, just under 1 mile, south of No. (3) and visible therefrom. The rocky promontory, about 30 feet above the water's edge, is cut off by a strong wall now a mass of rubble in which several of the stones are partially fused and some form typical vitrified agglomerations. Outsid massivo etw thie ar es ' walls, double-faced with trace f gooo s d masonr n castlyi e style. They t strictlareno y paralle vitrifiee th o t l d havy ramparema beed an tn built on to it. (5) Dun, Mulloch e highesBanTh .f severao t l isolated rock peaks midway betwee lesd san Porr d thanan Mo Aront y -j sBa mil e from shore, is girt wit massivha e stone wall over-ale th , l area being abou fee0 t10 t feet3 8 .y b Doubtful trace foss a outed f so an e r rampar e slopth en o t at the north-east end. (6) Dun, Ardmore. Fro e flamth t rocke groune heath th f - do t a d girt bay of Port na Cille a mass of rock rises vertically about 12 feet e landwaroth n fee8 d1 t sidd fro e an waterem th massivA . e stone wall encircle s summiit s t wit n over-ala h feet0 3 lfee6 ,y 6 areb t f ao clefts in the rock being carefully blocked by well-preserved walls. At the north-east end a built stair leads from the land through a cleft into the interior. (7) Dun Fhinn, on wild moors above Kintour river, about 1^ mile from the shore at Aros or Claggain Bay and over 200 feet above O.D., wat visitedsno . (8) An Dun, in the grounds of Kildalton House. An isolated rock about 50 feet above O.D. and 25 yards from the shore of Loch a Chruic, has been girt with a well-built massive wall. The interior has been made into a garden lookout and the walls have been as a result too much disturbe r measurementdfo . T (b) South Coast. inlann (9A ) d "site," ovefee0 20 tr above O.Dd nearlan . y f mile from shore at Ard Beg, was not visited. (10) Borraniebill Mor, just a mile from the shore at Port Ellen. A bare rocky summit, 450 feet above O.D., is protected on the south and massiveasa y tb e double-faced wall, very well preserve fee8 d t thickdan , and on the other sides by precipitous cliffs. There is a small gate on the south-east certainly not more than 6 feet wide (only one face of the passage was exposed). The interior, very uneven and broken by tall rock outcrops, could not be measured, but probably comprises 1 to 3 acres. (11) Dun, Mull of Oa, cliff fort, not visited. NOTES ON SOME DUNS IN ISLAY. 83 (c) Central Islay. (12) Dun Nosebridge ? vitrified fort, Mulindry, overlooking upper Laggan valley. An isolated eminence rising above the cultivated lands, is crowned by a rectangular citadel (with rounded corners) 96 feet by 55 feet from cres e well-markeo cresth t t f o t d rampart entrance Th . e is in the middle of the north end. The rock falls away sheer on the east, but the slopes elsewhere are defended by two ditches with counterscarp e south-westh t banksa d an ,t corne stone foury b rTh e. ramparte ar s entirely grass-grown and no traces either of vitrification or of building were exposed, but the form of the citadel recalls Dunagoil, Carradale, etc. n Ghuaidre(13Du ) , Kilmeny isolaten A . d eminence risin juso gt t over 300 feet above O.D. from cultivated fields, is entirely encircled by a massive-built stone wall enclosin ovan g a subrectangular o l r arefee0 a11 t e centr th a squar feet 4 n s 5 I ei .y eb stone foundation abou fee0 1 tt e soutsquare th e roc n hth kO . falls awa ye othe th sheer n r O side. s there are two ditches cut in the rock defending the slope. The entrance is at the south-east corner where a narrow causeway has been left between the cliff and the ends of the ditches. (14) Dun Cheapasaidh Mor, Ballygrant, over 300 feet O.D., 1 mile visibld an 3 e1 therefrom. nortNo f ho , apparentl y"hill-toa p town" like t visitedno , No10 .. Bheinicheltunn (15Du ) t visitedno , . (16) Site on Borichill Mor, not visited. e moorth n (dsO ) between Loch Indal d Machaian l y (wesBa r t coast) five ar e duns, f whico hgroua f threpo e near Loch Gearach were alone visited. Grlan (17 Loin Du sa ) n severaGrhuirmf o e On l smal. l rocky eminences rising from a marsh, with its summit girt by a well-built but ruinous wall enclosing an over-all area 50 feet across. Vague suggestions of outworks at the foot. Mideirn (18Du ) , frocka mil, 17 ye . peanortfee0 No k30 tf h o O.D . of abou same tth gird e an dimensiont 7 wit1 . hsimilaa No s sa r wallt bu , with trace crosa f so s wall dividin witd an h t glatei r walls runnino t p gu the cliff's base. n Bhar-a-chlaom(19Du ) , f mile n north-north-wesA . 18 . No f o t isolated rock abov a eswam p with high ground behin , girit n do t top with well-built stone wall. Over-all area less than 35 feet across. 84 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , DECEMBE , 193410 R . (e) West Coast. (20) Dun an Nighean, not visited. Apparently a cliff fort. (21) Dun Chroisprig, perched on a spur about half-way down a 200-foot precipice d abou an ,yard 0 5 t s from sandy shore. e Mosth f o t stone wal falles ha l n dow precipicee nth . (22) Dun Bhoraraig, Rudha na Faoileige, north of Lossit Bay. The headland that rise sfee 0 precipitousl2 t o t 0 1 d fee0 an y t15 a abovse e eth above the swampy hinterland is cut off by a massive-built stone wall. soute th e cliff th n h o s sidn narroa I s ei w cove accessible dow nsteea p slope through a cleft outside the ramparts. (23) An Dun, Rhinns Point, evidently a cliff'fort, not visited. (f) West Shore of Loch Indall. (24n DunA ) , Octafad a roc, k girt with well-built stone wall, with over-all width of about 30 feet, rising sheer some 40 feet from water's edge.