West Coast Archaeological Services New House, Husabost, Isle of Skye Desk-based Assessment and Archaeological Watching Brief On Behalf of: Mr R and M Bennett National Grid Reference (NGR) NG 20232 49988 WCAS Report No: 46/HUS/16 Planning reference 15/01902/FUL OASIS No. westcoas1-249884 Prepared by: Sam Williamson Date: 13/04/2016 Tel: 01381 600726 Mobile: 07867 651886 Email: [email protected] Desk-based Assessment and Watching Brief at Husabost, Skye Contents List of Figures................................................................................................................................................ - 1 - List of Plates .................................................................................................................................................. - 1 - 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... - 2 - 2 BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................................... - 2 - 3 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................... - 4 - 4 RESULTS............................................................................................................................................... - 4 - 4.1 Desk-based assessment ................................................................................................................... - 4 - 4.2 Watching Brief .................................................................................................................................. - 9 - 4.3 Survey and recording ......................................................................................................................- 11 - 5 Discussion ...........................................................................................................................................- 13 - 6 RECOMMENDATIONS ..........................................................................................................................- 13 - 7 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................- 14 - Appendix 1: Register of Photographs ...............................................................................................................- 15 - Appendix 2: Site Gazetteer ............................................................................................................................- 17 - - List of Figures Figure 1: Location of the development site in Husabost, Skye Figure 2: Excerpt from John Thomson’s map of 1824 Figure 3: Excerpt from the First Edition 25-inch-to-the-mile Ordnance Survey map Figure 4: Excerpt from the Second Edition 25-inch-to-the-mile Ordnance Survey map Figure 5: Extract from the 1 inch ‘popular’ edition 1921-1930 Figure 6: Site plan depicting the watching brief area and sites of archaeological interest List of Plates Plate 1: Looking NNW across the stripped house site Plate 2: Outer face of the crude sherd of pottery (001) recovered from the site Plate 3: Fragment of chert (002) recovered from the site Plate 4: Site 6, the concrete covered footing of a dip tank Plate 5: Site 7, the structural remains of the sheep dip structure Plate 6: Site 7, the structural remains of the sheep dip structure Appendices Appendix 1: Register of Photographs Appendix 2: Gazetteer of Sites and Findspots - 1 - Desk-based Assessment and Watching Brief at Husabost, Skye 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 A programme of archaeological works was required by Mr R and Mrs M Bennett in respect of the construction of a new house (Planning Reference 15/1902/FUL) at land southeast of 1 Husabost, Totaig, Dunvegan, Isle of Skye. The development site lies within the administrative area of Highland Council who is advised on archaeological matters by the Highland Historic Environment Team. 1.2 A programme of archaeological works, namely a comprehensive desk-based assessment and archaeological watching brief, were specified by the Highland Council Historic Environment Team in keeping with the policies outlined in Scottish Planning Policy (2010) and PAN 2/2011 Planning And Archaeology (2011) in order to record the extent and significance of any archaeological remains which may be present within the development area. 2 BACKGROUND 2.1 The development area is located in the small crofting settlement of Husabost, situated on the north coast of the Duirnish peninsula and overlooking Loch Dunvegan (Figure 1). The site is situated on level ground with hills to the west and the Totaig Burn to the east. The superficial geology of the area is Devensian glacial till and silts, with the underlying bedrock geology comprising Skye Lava Group basalt (British Geological Society 2016). The land is denoted as having being used for rough grazing in the past (HLAmap 2016). 2.2 The development proposal required groundbreaking for the new house site and for the road access to this. - 2 - Desk-based Assessment and Watching Brief at Husabost, Skye B884 Portree Colbost Dunvegan Figure 1: Location of the development site in Husabost, Skye - 3 - Desk-based Assessment and Watching Brief at Husabost, Skye 3 METHODOLOGY The desk-based assessment was conducted in order to assess the archaeological potential of the area based on previously recorded sites and any historical documentation. This was done in accordance with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists’ (CIfA) Standard and guidance for historic environment desk-based assessment (2014). Various resources were consulted, including the Highland Council’s Historic Environment Record (HHER), the National Monuments Record of Scotland (NMRS) and Historic Scotland’s records of scheduled monuments and listed buildings. Online aerial photographs were checked and the map collections of the National Library of Scotland (NLS) were studied. Other literary sources were also consulted. The watching brief was carried out on the 4th and 5th of April 2016 where the archaeologist monitored the stripping of ground for the new house site and the new access road. No archaeological features were identified during the watching brief, however two artefacts were recovered 4 RESULTS 4.1 Desk-based assessment The development site lies within the old civil parish of Duirinish. This area has a rich archaeological heritage and there are a number of sites in the landscape around the development location, including Dun Colbost, which has been the subject of archaeological fieldwork, and a souterrain, which lies very close to the development site. Dun Colbost broch (MHG4840), situated in the uplands 1km south of the development area, indicates a strong Iron Age presence within the area. The souterrain (MHG4829) further supports this notion as these are typically associated with Iron Age round houses and settlements, whilst the geographic location of the small plateau to the north of the broch makes the site a prime location to have settlement. 4.1.1 Cartographic Evidence Historical maps were consulted on the National Library of Scotland’s Map online database (National Library of Scotland 2016). John Thomson’s map of 1824 Skye Island &c. Part of Inverness-shire Husabost is first identified on Thomson’s 1824 map of Skye (Figure 2). - 4 - Desk-based Assessment and Watching Brief at Husabost, Skye Figure 2: Excerpt from John Thomson’s map of 1824 Figure 3: Excerpt from the First Edition 25-inch-to-the-mile Ordnance Survey map First Edition 25-inch-to-the-mile Ordnance Survey map Inverness, Skye Sheet XXI.1 (Duirnish) Survey date: 1877 Publication date: 1881 The settlement is clearly depicted in the 1881 First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (Figure 3). The development site lies within the centre of the map extract image below, west of the Totaig burn and bounded by the track on the east. Two roofed buildings lie on the south-west side of the development area and a semi- rectangular enclosure can be seen to the south. On the east side of the burn are two roofed buildings and an enclosure. The souterrain MHG4829 is situated west of these, halfway between the buildings and the burn. - 5 - Desk-based Assessment and Watching Brief at Husabost, Skye Figure 4: Excerpt from the Second Edition 25-inch-to-the-mile Ordnance Survey map Figure 5: Extract from the 1 inch ‘popular’ edition 1921-1930 Second Edition 25-inch-to-the-mile Ordnance Survey map Inverness-shire, Isle of Skye, Sheet 021.01 (includes: Duirnish) Revised: 1901 Publication date: 1903 By the time of the 1903 Second Edition map (Figure 4), there is an additional building to the north-east, near the two roofed buildings depicted on the earlier map. The enclosure has changed shape, and one of the buildings has been shortened. The buildings situated in the south of the development area are depicted as still roofed, but one has also been shortened. Some woodland has encroached into the northern area, but otherwise there is little change. - 6 - Desk-based Assessment and Watching Brief at Husabost, Skye 1 inch ‘popular’ edition Ordnance Survey map, 1921-1930 Portree & Dunvegan, Sheet 24 The OS 1 inch popular edition shows roofed buildings still present to the south and east of the development, which likely correlate with those depicted on the earlier maps. 4.1.2 Highland Council’s Historic Environment Record (HER) A search of the HER database showed that no previously recorded archaeological sites were present