Period: Prehistoric
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Long cist and skeleton discovered in Scarinish in 1894
Last year a Druid circle was discovered at Mr MacDiarmid’s farm in the north part of the island, and that this relic of antiquity has a history is beyond doubt. Last week a grave was discovered at Scarnish, immediately behind the Post Office. It was opened in presence of a company of onlookers and was found to be five feet long by three feet broad, and three foot deep, and was substantially built all round. The bottom was on the solid rock. The bones were there, and the teeth on examination were perfectly fresh and as firm and perfect as life. Who has been buried there is not known, but there is a tradition which is said to belong to it which we reproduce in the words of one of the islanders :
‘Donald, son of John of Jura [a] MacLean, tenant of the farm of Hynish, was drowned on his way to the island of Barra. That his body was washed ashore on the island of Gunna in the Sound of Coll, and identified by Black Donald of Gunna, who placed the body in a sack made of straw ropes, called in Gaelic maorach. When starting for Tiree, the propietrix of Gunna by both ends of Coll hailed him from the Coll side, and wished to be taken across to Tiree, but would not go along with the body. Black Donald refused to go with her till he left the body in Tiree. For this she took offence, and evicted him from Gunna, and he had to build a house in Tiree. The place where the body was landed, at Caolas, Tiree is still marked by a cairn called Donald son of John of Jura’s cairn. Also, the creek where the body was washed ashore is called till this day after him. Argyll had the whole of the island of Tiree, with the exception of the farm of Scarnish owned by MacLean of Drimmer [Drimnin?]. Consequently, Donald of Tiree was buried in Scarnish, but seemingly no one knew of the place. It is supposed to be the grave found by some boys last week on a little knowe called Baca Gobheach. The grave is built with stones … covered with large flat slabs of stones.’ (Oban Times and Argyllshire Advertiser, 6 October 1894, p. 5).
The post office in 1894 was in MacArthur’s shop, the site of the present Coop.
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Flint finds
From the collections of Marion Campbell of Kilberry Castle (2019 to 2000), an active amateur archaeologist, 43 flint tools including scrapers, and flakes. -
Antiquarian collection in 1891
‘An Antiquarian Law Student: Mr Charleson, law student, brother of the lighthouse-keeper [William Charleson, 34, from Dunnet, Caithness], has been in the island for some time, and has succeeded in collecting a number of old Croggans, an old quern at Moss, an old brooch, and an old stone axe.’ (Oban Times and Argyllshire Advertiser, 13 June 1891, p. 6) -
1911 Exhibition in Glasgow
Palace of History: catalogue of exhibits, with illustrations (1911) Glasgow: Dalross
https://archive.org/details/palaceofhistoryc02scot
Page 819
‘HEBRIDEAN BURIALS, PROBABLY OF STONE AGE.
Skeleton of an Adult, about 23 years of age, probably a male, discovered and excavated in 1907 by Mrs. A. W. Farquhar and Ludovic McL. Mann. It was interred several feet deep in ancient drift shell-sand, and immediately beneath it was the ancient compact hard gravel of the 25 foot beach.
The body was placed in a crouched position on the right side, somewhat breast downwards, with knees drawn up. At the neck was found a Bone Pin, perforated at the thicker end. (See small box within the case.) No cist-structure was present. The bones are in wonderfully good condition, owing to the preservative action of the shell-sand, which in those parts is com- posed of the finely comminuted particles of the shells of
certain land snails. The interment was exposed with the utmost caution, and photographs, drawings, measurements and compass bearings were taken at the various
stages in the work, to ensure the utmost accuracy when the time came for reconstructing the burial (as has now been done with the co-operation of Prof. Thos. H. Bryce) in its precisely correct original position and in the original soil.
The bones of one foot disclose slight traces of rheumatoid arthritis.
In 1910, within a few yards of the same place, another burial was similarly excavated by Mr. Mann, with the assistance of A. Henderson Bishop and J. Graham Callander.
The Child’s Skeleton then discovered is shown at farther end of the case in its original environment; and on the opposite wall is a life-size photograph taken at one stage in the excavation work. In the photograph may be seen a foot-rule, which lies magnetic north and south. The head of the body was placed to the south. Supporting the left shoulder was a stone. A small flint flake was found in close association with the bones of the right hand. The relatives or friends of the deceased had apparently placed within the hand of the dead child this tiny Cake of flint, then perhaps hafted in a small handle of wood or horn, now perished. The child was about six years of age, as shown from the dentition and the bones.
On an old land surface above the interments, and apparently of less antiquity, were found about a hundred prehistoric objects shown in this case. They are :
A massive Domestic Hand-made Pottery Vessel, bucket-shaped, about 17 ins. high, with beading outside about 5 ins. below rim. It was found embedded in a layer of dark soil, closely associated with bones of the lower animals and pottery fragments.
Bone Implements and Objects, some or known types, but some of quite uncertain purpose and unique.
Implements, Discs, and possibly Ornaments of stone, chiefly of flint, porphyry, and quartzite.
Lent by Ludovic McL. Mann.’
p. 554 Wecht or weght is a very ancient name for an instrument in the form of a sieve, but without holes. This one is made of goat’s skin. From Tiree. Used for winnowing husks from oatmeal, barley meal, and rye meal. Lent by Ludovic McL. Mann.
p. 560 A Sea-weed Gatherer’s Hook. Tiree. Lent by Ludovic McL. Mann.
p. 571 Scottish Iron Cruisie, with long nose and angular ratchet (hook and spike gone) from Ballavoullin, Tiree. Lent by L. McL. Mann.
p. 583 Case of Tallow Dips, from Tiree. Lent by L. McL. Mann.
p. 842 Small Pear-shaped Object of Lead, with truncated butt and perforation at the narrow end ; from Kilmaluaig, Tiree; a sinker. Lent by Ludovic McL. Mann.
p. 842 Two Pear-shaped Stones, each with perforation at narrow end, perhaps sinkers. One from Kilmaluaig, Tiree, and the other from Auchnagatt. Lent by Ludovic McL. Mann.
p. 842 Hammer Stone from Tiree, Lent by A Henderson Bishop
p. 875 Six “Craggans” from Tiree and Coll; and a pottery Churn, from Coll. Lent by Ludovic McL. Mann.
p. 875 Three ” Craggans ” and a Pottery Churn, from Tiree. Lent by A. Henderson Bishop.
p. 905 Casting Line of Hair, a survival, from Tiree. Lent by Ludovic McL. Mann -
Skeleton in Cnoc nan Deiligeanan
When they were building the ROC hut at Cnoc nan Deilgeanan they found a body with its feet crossed inside a circle of stones with another stone on top. They gave it to Dr Bonner who sent it away somewhere. John George MacLean, Scarinish, 1/1994 -
An Carnan Liath ‘the gray cairns’
A green dome in a wet field in Heylipol, measuring 30 m in diameter and about 3 m maximum height. GPS is NL97050 43509. The dome has a central depression, and there appears to be a structure to it. The centre and east of the dome has a different vegetation with a lot of nettles and Rumex. There are the stony footings of a 10 x 5 m rectangular building to the east, which may be on the 1768 Turnbull map. -
Elizabeth Gibb Collection
Evelyn Elizabeth Balfour Gibb (née Milne) (1914–2000) was the daughter of Lady Frances Balfour, herself the daughter of the 8th Duke of Argyll. She married and lived in Sussex, but was a frequent visitor to the island, usually staying at The Lodge. She developed an interest in archaeology, and spent a lot of time in the 1970s and 80s roaming Tiree, particularly its Iron Age forts. She donated some material to the National Museum of Scotland, but this collection from 16 find spots was donated to An Iodhlann by her granddaughter Stephanie Clarke.
Dun, Caolas (which one is not described): 1983; 4 small sherds, 2 large pieces of slag.
Dun Mor Vaul: 13 thick sherds (2 rims, one of which is everted; 1 comb decoration), 1 possible lug.
Dunes between Brock and Ruaig Post Office: 11 small sherds.
Kirkapol: 1 sherd.
Dùn an t-Sìthein, Gott: 13 sherds (1 flat base).
Old Manse garden, Gott: 2 sherds.
Island House (possible location): hammer/smoothing stone (see photo).
Stream on boundary of Heylipol and Balinoe (NL 98686 42460): 9 sherds, 1 glazed pottery piece, 1 piece of slate, 1 of 3cm tapered nail, 1 hammer stone, whelk, limpet, scallop shells, animal bones and teeth, 4 bits of hard dark unidentified material.
Barradhu, Hynish: 1 piece of pumice, 2 small smoothing stones, 1 piece of slag, 1 limpet shell, 3 pieces of iron (possible cartspring).
Barradhu, Hynish (rock shelter): around 60 worked flints, 15 sherds (1 with comb decoration).
Dunes between Hynish Farm and Dùn nan Cleite: 1 worked flint (awl), 3 sherds, 1 3-cm iron cylinder with two notches (see photo).
Dùn na Cleite: 1972; 8 sherds (2 with everted rims and 1 with comb decoration), 1 worked flint, 3 animal teeth.
Dùn Hiader: 1972. 5 sherds (1 decorated, 1 with an indented, raised cordon), 1 smoothing stone, 1 hammerstone, 1 piece of iron 2 cm long, 1 piece of burnt bone.
Balephuil: 2 worked flints, 14 thick sherds, 1 small bone awl, 1 small pointed bone tool. ‘Sand dunes below Balephuil – just over the fence, not in the field you go down to the shore from, but the next along to the NW. 1982 May. Dr Brown knew this was an old settlement. Jean has a finger bone!’
Balephetrish: 1 hammerstone.
Sorisdale, Coll: 1 large fine sherd, 6 small sherds, 3 worked flints, 12 cowrie shells, 3 large pieces of bloom.
Included was a note [about possible rock art]: ‘I’m sure I found some [cup marks] on the non-seaward side of Dun Moor Vaul above the well/spring. I have a photograph somewhere. Quite small depressions in a circle about 12 of them. [?] “votive” holes in rock in Crete. 1994. EG’ -
Saddle quern
A saddle quern used as a coping stone in Fang a’ Bhàird ‘the sheepfold of the poet’ on Ben Hynish. A nearby cobble has been placed in it as a rubbing stone. These are prehistoric and are evidence that there was cereal grains were processed nearby. A number of saddle querns were found prominently in the sheepfold in Happy Valley. There may have been some superstition behind this.
See Joanna Close-Brooks (1983) Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 113, pp. 282–289:
‘Not much can be said about early prehistoric querns in Scotland since so few are published. There is no well-defined typology; some flat querns can readily be classified as saddle querns, and some deep ones as trough querns, but others hover between the two extremes. One must assume that early Neolithic querns were flattish saddle querns, and that later on trough querns came into fashion. These apparently flourished in the Bronze Age especially in northern Scotland. There are now radiocarbon dates of 1564 be ± 120 (BM-441) and 1760 be ± 55 (GrN-6168) from carbonized barley associated with part of a trough quern in the wall of a house at Ness of Grating, Shetland (Calder 1956, 353; Barcham 1980). In the Iron Age flat saddle querns reappear. This change is demonstrated at Jarlshof (Hamilton 1957, 49, 50), and Clickhimin (Hamilton 1968, 30, 64, 78), though the exact date at which it happens is not altogether clear. The preponderance of flat saddle querns on Iron Age sites is also shown by old excavations such as Duntroon, Argyll (Caulfield 1978, pi 8a). There seems to be a general, though not exclusive, tendency for earlier saddle querns to be a shallow scoop with a rim round the grinding area on some or all sides (fig 1, 2; fig 2, 4), whereas Iron Age querns are almost flat and worn right out to all edges, as can be seen in the photograph of the Duntroon querns mentioned above. This is also true of the large collections of saddle querns recently excavated at Broxmouth, East Lothian, and at Douglas- muir, Angus. On this basis the quern from Kilcoy III (fig 3) is likely to be of Iron Age date. The geographical extent of trough querns is unclear at present. Curie (1934, 301) coined the term ‘trough quern’ for the deep querns he found at Jarlshof. Though this type of quern is best known in Shetland, the type is also common in northern mainland Scotland, and a number of trough querns from Ross-shire and Inverness-shire are noted below. Beyond this, trough querns may occur even in southern Scotland.’ -
Trough quern
This trough quern was dug up in an old stackyard from the foundations of a shed in The Sliabh, Balephuil in 2010. It was broken when it was found. It was put as a coping stone in a drystone wall. It was made from a block of gneiss.
NL 97060 40793
Dimensions of stone: L50 x W50 x D24cm
Trough: L 40 x W 20 x D13 cm
It is prehistoric in date and was used for grinding grain.
See See Joanna Close-Brooks (1983) Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 113, pp. 282–289:
‘Not much can be said about early prehistoric querns in Scotland since so few are published. There is no well-defined typology; some flat querns can readily be classified as saddle querns, and some deep ones as trough querns, but others hover between the two extremes. One must assume that early Neolithic querns were flattish saddle querns, and that later on trough querns came into fashion. These apparently flourished in the Bronze Age especially in northern Scotland. There are now radiocarbon dates of 1564 be ± 120 (BM-441) and 1760 be ± 55 (GrN-6168) from carbonized barley associated with part of a trough quern in the wall of a house at Ness of Grating, Shetland (Calder 1956, 353; Barcham 1980). In the Iron Age flat saddle querns reappear. This change is demonstrated at Jarlshof (Hamilton 1957, 49, 50), and Clickhimin (Hamilton 1968, 30, 64, 78), though the exact date at which it happens is not altogether clear. The preponderance of flat saddle querns on Iron Age sites is also shown by old excavations such as Duntroon, Argyll (Caulfield 1978, pi 8a). There seems to be a general, though not exclusive, tendency for earlier saddle querns to be a shallow scoop with a rim round the grinding area on some or all sides (fig 1, 2; fig 2, 4), whereas Iron Age querns are almost flat and worn right out to all edges, as can be seen in the photograph of the Duntroon querns mentioned above. This is also true of the large collections of saddle querns recently excavated at Broxmouth, East Lothian, and at Douglas- muir, Angus. On this basis the quern from Kilcoy III (fig 3) is likely to be of Iron Age date. The geographical extent of trough querns is unclear at present. Curie (1934, 301) coined the term ‘trough quern’ for the deep querns he found at Jarlshof. Though this type of quern is best known in Shetland, the type is also common in northern mainland Scotland, and a number of trough querns from Ross-shire and Inverness-shire are noted below. Beyond this, trough querns may occur even in southern Scotland.’