Grimsay – historical contex...
Grimsay, for most of its recent history, was part of the tack of Boirearaigh, tenanted by the MacLeans. The lease of 1612 was one of the first to specify the lands included in the lease, which included Sollas, Lingay, Meikle and Little Grimsayes (see Lawson 2000, 50). The first detailed map of Grimsay by Reid in 1799 depicts three areas of habitation and agriculture, at Gearrudy, Kallin and Aird nan Sruban. An indication of the number of crofters on Grimsay cannot be ascertained until 1814 as the 1799 Estate records do not differentiate between those households situated on Boirearaigh and Grimsay (Lawson 2000, 51). It is thought Grimsay was first crofted in 1814, with sixteen distinct land units in 1820, and a further eleven added a few years later (ibid 51). Lawson suggests the initial sixteen crofts were established in Aird nan Sruban and Gearrudy, with those added later at Sgoitbhein and Rubha Dubh at the later date (2000, 51). This sequence of crofting development outlined above may therefore include the location of the structures examined in this website, suggesting a date of after 1814 for the creation of the large area of lazy beds (or runrigs) still visible at Bagh nam Feadag.
Site & Setting...
Feadag bay looking SE
The Bagh nam Feadag wheelhouse structures are not visible from any of the modern road routes but can be accessed from the south by skirting around Loch Hornary and from the north over the sand flats of the sea inlet at low tide. At present, the Bagh nam Feadag wheelhouse lies exposed above ground in the lee of a hummock adjacent to a prehistoric quarry, having a clear outlook to the north, and restricted outlooks to the south and east. The hummock restricts all visibility to the west. The primary wheelhouse (structure II), which is the subject of this website and the other associated structures are all built from the same rock type (Lewisian gneiss, pronounced ‘nice’). With the wheelhouse and other structures being constructed from local stone it would seem likely that they are sited in the remains of this stone extraction area, exploiting the protection it offered from the prevailing southwest winds. The location of the settlement satisfies all the basic necessities for habitation. The small land area commanded by the wheelhouse includes relatively fertile soil by Hebridean standards, a sheltered bay permits access to the Atlantic c.100m to the northeast and a fresh water loch (Hornary) c. 100m to the southwest gives easy access to fresh water. The nearest source for clay can be found just to the south of the site at Loch Hornary. This clay contains the same mineralogical inclusions found in most of the pottery recovered by excavation.
Dun Ban...
Dun Ban, Loch Hornary
The excavated site is not the only known structure on this part of the moorland. Dun Ban (NF85NE 7), a promontory fort located approximately 1km south east of structure II, with evidence for an Atlantic Roundhouse and later cellular buildings, is the only other recorded site in the immediate vicinity, situated to the south in the eastern end of Loch Hornary (Plate 6, located in figure 16). A further two possible sites exist a short distance to the north at the Bagh nam Feadag wheelhouse site.
The island of Grimsay generally is not known to be rich in Iron Age settlements, with the only recorded sites at present being four island duns most of which were examined to some extent in the early 20th century (e.g. Beveridge 1911). Recent surveys of the machair have shown that large numbers of unrecorded settlement sites exist along the west coast, (Parker Pearson et al forthcoming) however, the same intensive survey methods have only been applied sparingly to moorland areas and the island of Grimsay was not included. Although there are few examples of moorland wheelhouses, those that are known are not found immediately upon the machair/moorland division, but some distance into the moors, and in the case of Usinish in South Uist almost as far away from the machair as is geographically possible (McKenzie 2003, 6 figure 1.6; 24 figure 3.1). This, to my mind, suggests that proximity to both the machair and the moorland was not integral to their function, otherwise they would be found closer to the transitional zone where the machair and moorland converge.
The island of Grimsay generally is not known to be rich in Iron Age settlements, with the only recorded sites at present being four island duns most of which were examined to some extent in the early 20th century (e.g. Beveridge 1911). Recent surveys of the machair have shown that large numbers of unrecorded settlement sites exist along the west coast, (Parker Pearson et al forthcoming) however, the same intensive survey methods have only been applied sparingly to moorland areas and the island of Grimsay was not included. Although there are few examples of moorland wheelhouses, those that are known are not found immediately upon the machair/moorland division, but some distance into the moors, and in the case of Usinish in South Uist almost as far away from the machair as is geographically possible (McKenzie 2003, 6 figure 1.6; 24 figure 3.1). This, to my mind, suggests that proximity to both the machair and the moorland was not integral to their function, otherwise they would be found closer to the transitional zone where the machair and moorland converge.