EHG5152 - Excavation - Land 155m SW of Sibmister Farm, Murkle, Thurso

Archaeological fieldwork was carried out ahead of the erection of a single dwelling on land 155m SW of Sibmister Farm, Murkle, Thurso. The work involved the supervision of topsoil stripping across the whole of the area of development ground work. Probable Iron Age pottery and slag were recovered from an apparently natural feature or hollow. These finds have undergone basic analysis are thought to represent a hearth base from a bloomery furnace with evidence of very limited bloom-smithing abandoned before refinement and ceramics from a small number of vessels with possible decoration. All the finds recovered are consistent with an Iron Age or early Historic date. No further work is recommended. <1>