Habitation site in Buncrowey

Locating in old turf cuttings, on a broad, flat expanse of bog bordered at E by the valley of the Buncrowey River and at W by a small stream valley. There is a forestry plantation c. 40 m to SE. This monument was exposed during turf cutting in the 1960s. When first inspected in 1963, it was partly concealed by peat layers and consisted of a central cairn or pile of stones, incorporating hearths or areas of burning. The cairn was enclosed by a narrow fosse. Small timber stakes were lying in a horizontal position in the bottom of the fosse. Immediately outside the fosse was a low enclosing wall (Wth c. 1m; H 0.45m) of small rounded boulders. Further turf cutting during the 1960’s exposed more of the cairn (SMR file). When inspection in 1994, the monument was visible as a cairn (5.5m NW–SE; 4m NE–SW; H c. 0.7m) located off-centre within an irregular enclosing wall, partly concealed by bushes and bog regeneration. The poorly preserved wall enclosed an area c. 11m NW–SE by 9.5m NE–SW. The fosse between the cairn and the enclosing wall was no longer evident. An inspection in 2014 found that the cairn is evident only as a slight rise (c. 6-7m N–S; c. 5m E–W; H c. 0.3-0.4m) entirely engulfed in thick heather, with small willow scrub at the N end. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 18 August 2014