marine biological station at port erin. 89 



Hut Tillages. 



Of the little villages referred to we have discovered 

 the sites of three, containing each the foundations of 4 to 

 16 huts. The largest and most interesting of these groups 

 (fig. 9) still retains amongst the country people its name 

 "Lag-ny-Boirey," hollow of trouble, or lamentations, or 

 strife, or, as the people put it, of " botheration."* When 

 or why this name was given one can now only conjecture, 

 but as it is good Manks, it seems to imply that the place 

 was still known as an inhabited village within historic 

 times. 



This village lies about 330 yards IN", of the cairn at 

 the summit of the hill, and is immediately at the foot of 

 the ridge on which the stone circle stands, in a sheltered 

 hollow looking towards the north. The hut foundations 

 of earthen banks and large unhewn stones are overgrown 

 with heather and gorse, and lie in a straggling row along 

 the eastern side of one of the ancient boundary fences ; 

 they extend over an area of about 130 yards, and are placed 

 at distances apart of from 3 to 24 yards. In at least three 

 instances there are groups of 2 or 3 huts adjoining, so that 

 one wall would serve for two. One of these which we 

 excavated measured inside 8 by 3 yards, and appeared to 

 consist of two dwellings. The foundation stones were 

 still in position and marked out a roughly rectangular 

 building, with a division across the middle, having at the 

 S. W. end what was probably an entrance passage 4 feet 

 long by 3 feet wide, but partly built up like a step at the 

 outer end. At a depth of about 18 inches we came on 

 what was clearly the ancient floor with some charcoal 



* When we laid an account of these excavations before the meeting 

 of the British Association at Nottingham in September, 1893, Dr. 

 Munro, President of Section H, suggested "scolding" as a better 

 rendering of the word. 



