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Latitude: 58.1076 / 58°6'27"N
Longitude: -6.8172 / 6°49'1"W
OS Eastings: 116352
OS Northings: 923320
OS Grid: NB163233
Mapcode National: GBR 97K9.878
Mapcode Global: WGX26.7GZY
Entry Name: Airigh a'Sguir,beehive shielings
Scheduled Date: 6 April 1992
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Source ID: SM5353
Schedule Class: Cultural
Category: Secular: shieling
Location: Uig
County: Na h-Eileanan Siar
Electoral Ward: Sgir'Uige agus Ceann a Tuath nan Loch
Traditional County: Ross-shire
The monument consists of a group of beehive shieling huts.
These particular examples at Loch a'Sguair may be of considerable age although they may have been reused and repaired seasonally until the late 19th-century. Two huts are situated in a small valley sheltered between two outcrops. A third hut is located 70m to the SW of these
in a more exposed location. There is another hut to the N. One of the central pair remains intact. Its corbelled roof still has a covering of turf. The building has an exterior kerb or "fosgarlan", a word derived from the Norse "for skali" meaning a porch. This is an extension of the main wall which projects outwards in a horseshoe shape to shield the low entrance in the SE from the direct force of the wind. Overall the exterior diameter of the structure is about 7m. The interior is solidly constructed on the lower courses. The stones are large, well fitted and there are small storage niches at regular intervals at ground level. The floor is of earth. The upper levels appear to have been repaired. The interior diameter is c.2.4m and the height at the centre is 1.7m. The other three huts are of similar drystone construction but are less well preserved. They lack their corbelled roofs and protective turf skins.
The area to be scheduled is circular and has a maximum diameter of 130m to include the shieling group as shown in red on the accompanying map.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
The monument is of national importance as a good example of an early shieling site, preserving a group of corbelled dry-wall chambers. The structures are important in their own right as field monuments; in addition they have the potential to provide valuable information about the role within a crofting community of the seasonal movement of people and livestock, a practice which has since vanished; about local folklore and culture; and about land use and the economy.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland
Bibliography
RCAHMS records the site as NB12SE 1.
Source: Historic Environment Scotland