EHG6221 - Excavation - internal groundworks, Kirkmichael, Balblair

Excavations were undertaken by Highland Archaeology Services in 2016 at Kirkmichael, Balblair, to lower the floor levels of the kirk. The work revealed an earlier phase of wall and some material that may be related to a building or renovation phase. There was also a considerable depth of modern material, including wooden box-like structures and excess soil from grave digging. Many modern artefacts were recovered including bottles and vases. A scatter of 17th- and 18th-century coins are thought to have been imported with grave digging material, along with many disarticulated and fragmentary human remains. An unexpected find was a flint arrowhead, which may have also been imported with gravedigging spoil. The human remains underwent basic analysis and were reinterred within the graveyard. A trench (Trench 10) was excavated in order to reinter the human remains that had been recovered throughout the development works. The location was selected for its lack of monuments and because this area of the kirkyard was thought to be free of burials. The trench was 1.2m square and around 1m deep in order to allow a specially constructed box containing the human remains to be buried. The excavations took place on 4th August with a team of volunteers supervised by a professional Archaeologist. No archaeological deposits, cuts or artefacts were found. <1> A watching brief were also undertaken outside the building during works to install an electricity cable, new drains and paths - see EHG6220.