Accessibility

Font Size

100% 150% 200%

Background Colour

Default Contrast
Close Reset

Clachan, Strathnaver Museum

Burial Ground (Period Unknown), Church (18th Century), Museum (20th Century)

Site Name Clachan, Strathnaver Museum

Classification Burial Ground (Period Unknown), Church (18th Century), Museum (20th Century)

Alternative Name(s) Former Clachan Church; Farr Church Of Scotland Parish Church; Farr, Old Parish Church

Canmore ID 6442

Site Number NC76SW 44

NGR NC 71450 62248

NGR Description Centred on NC 71450 62248

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/6442

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

Toggle Aerial | View on large map

Digital Images

Administrative Areas

  • Council Highland
  • Parish Farr
  • Former Region Highland
  • Former District Sutherland
  • Former County Sutherland

Archaeology Notes

NC76SW 44 Centred on NC 71450 62248

Activities

Excavation (January 2021 - November 2021)

NC 71449 62246 (centre) A trial trench evaluation in January 2021 for the construction of a museum building annex uncovered a significant depth of midden layers containing archaeological features, with the earliest dating to the Iron Age. Ahead of construction of the building, a controlled site strip and archaeological excavation was undertaken.

The site consisted of a series of stratified midden layers overlying a series of archaeological features. During the site excavation, the midden layers were removed carefully by machine and sampled in 4 x 4m alternating grid squares with finds hand retrieved throughout stripping. The overall depth of the midden layers ran from c1m at the S end to c1.3m at the N end. The upper midden layers, which comprised homogenous sandy layers, contained animal bone and shell and small charcoal fragments along with iron slag fragments including some plano-convex hearth base fragments. This iron working debris became richer towards the base of one lower midden layer, where a small number of very ephemeral features were identified, consisting of a single course curving stone alignment and a couple of small clusters of upright stones, thought to be post-/stake-hole locations.

Below this, a series of large pits comprised a number of hearth/

fire-pit features, which had been cut by ardmarks/ploughmarks, consisting of intense orange-red silty ash layers overlying blackened charcoal-rich deposits containing animal bone and fish bone. A small Cu alloy object was recovered from one of these areas, and an iron ard/plough from another. Other finds included small coarse stone discs, possible whetstone fragments and a probable rotary quern fragment.

Below these features the lowest midden layer contained frequent animal bone but notably no iron debris or shell. A final horizon of in situ features was uncovered below this. To the SW side of the site, a rich deposit consisted of a charcoal-rich fire-cracked stone layer and a spread of large slabs/boulders; to the NE side of this, there was a pit containing probable bronze smithing residues and bronze fragments, with what appeared to be large ceramic mould (?) fragments set within the centre of it. Part of a narrow curvilinear gully, which ran out of the excavation area, was located to the W side of this feature. A bronze brooch pin was recovered from the fill of the gully and a fragment of a large ring (?) mould was also recovered in this discrete area. These features were contemporary with or later than the fire-cracked stone spread and stone/boulder surface.

Excavation of the fire-cracked stone deposit revealed a slabbed

structure edged with upright kerbstones centred on the N side of the deposit. This structure, of unknown use, appeared to have been partially dismantled. To the SW side of it, there was a sub-circular setting of boulders/upright stones, also mostly dismantled/ disturbed, filled by ash/hearth deposits and interpreted as single or multiple spot-fires. The fire-cracked stone deposit overlay these features and contained an intense amount of butchered large mammal bone (notably no fish bone or shell), a number of coarse ceramic potsherds, and a possible human skull fragment. Scatters of large boulders/stones throughout the layer were thought to represent remnants from partial dismantling of the slab/boulder structures. At the same horizon as the slab/boulder settings, within the SW, NW, and NE periphery of the excavation area, there were discrete groups of single course stone/slab settings within a homogenous sand layer, which also contained mammal bone and some coarse ceramic pot sherds spread. These stone settings were loosely interpreted as remnants of small structural stances, but of unknown activity.

Other finds from the site included small hammerstones, possible

stone ‘flake’ knives, iron fragments (including pins?), a polished pebble, a bone comb fragment and a sawn antler section.

It is clear that the build-up of material took place during multiple periods, from the late Iron Age and early medieval periods at the basal and lower midden deposits (as proven by initial C14 dating). It is thought that the site had been landscaped over in later periods. Formal post-excavation analysis will provide a full understanding of this significant site, which may have early ecclesiastical origins.

Archive: NRHE

Funder: Strathnaver Museum

Mary Peteranna – AOC Archaeology Group

(Source: DES Vol 22)

References

MyCanmore Image Contributions


Contribute an Image

MyCanmore Text Contributions