In 1805 William Bald produced the first accurate map of South Uist. It compares well to the Ordnance Survey results over 70 years later, despite Bald being a only 16 years old when he produced this map.
In the southern area of Calternish, he recorded a solitary farmstead - named ‘Arriard’, aligned SW-NE. At this location one now finds a sheep fank. On closer examination, it seems likely that the larger enclosure of the flank is (mostly) the former farmstead longhouse, truncated at the NE end, with the addition of a squared-off wall. The smaller enclosure has been added, no doubt using stones recovered from the re-modelling of the longhouse, and possibly other smaller farmstead buildings.
Subsurface masonry is likely to be the footings of other former farmstead buildings and some demolition debris.
A one metre range pole, aligned North-South with red to North, is on the grass in the right foreground of the opening view.
Any comments or observations are welcomed.
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