EHG1069 - HS Human Remains Call Off and Archaeological Survey - Ackergill, Wick

AOC Archaeology Group undertook an archaeological survey at Ackergill, near Wick, on the east coast of Caithness (ND 3487 5497) under the terms of the Historic Scotland Human Remains Call-off Contract. The work was conducted between the 22nd and 23rd December 2003 after finds of human remains were reported to the Wick Police. The finds appear to have been made after the quarrying of sand from the site of a known linear inhumation cemetery cut into a natural sand mound, which was partially excavated by Arthur J. H. Edwards in the 1920s. The cemetery has been attributed to the early medieval period. Inspection of the site and conversations with the local people enabled nine findspot of human and animal bone to be identified. Some of the bone was still lying in situ on spoil heaps while some had been removed and handed to the Wick Police and Highland Council Archaeology Unit. In addition to the bone, parts of stone structures were also visible across the mound where it had been extensively damaged by rabbit warrens. An intrument survey was employed to record the extent of the mound, the disturbance to it and the locations of the findspots and stone structures. The human remains were gathered together at AOC Archaeology Group's offices and comprised two skull fragments, a mandible fragment, two femurs, one radius, one ulna, one tibia, five ribs and one vertebrae. None of the bone was recovered from primary archaeological contexts but are thought to have derived from one or more disburbed graves. <1> DSR has not been scanned, paper copy available only. GW 17/03/20 See EHG1111 for further work by AOC at the site. The human remains from AOC's work at the site, likely from this survey and the 2004 work, were submitted to Treasure Trove (TT 15/09) and allocated to Dunbeath Heritage Museum. <2> <3> Dunbeath Heritage Museum have not received the human remains. <4>