MHG10894 - Cist burials - Golspie School
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- CIST (Late Bronze Age - 1250 BC to 551 BC) + Sci.Date
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
NC80SW 18 8344 0030.
Short Cist found AD 1956 (NAT) OS 6"map, (1969)
September 1956 during sand quarrying, an unusual cist containing an unburnt contracted skeleton was found. The cist was pear-shaped, measuring 4ft by 2.5ft, with sides built of five or six courses of flat slabs and covered with a single slab.
Shortly afterwards a second cist was discovered 6ft from first. This was more rectangular in shape, built of slabs on edge and the top levelled with up to two courses of flat slabs. Two flat slabs covered this cist which also measured 4ft by 2.5ft. The contents comprised an unburnt contracted skeleton, a deposit of charcoal mixed with burnt bone, some of which at least is animal, two pieces of unburnt animal bone, one of which has been twice cut with a knife, a pumice pendant, and some fragments of a small clay mould or moulds.
The skeleton from the first cist was removed by Professor R D Lockhart and taken to Marischal College, Aberdeen. The second cist was excavated by Dr I D Pennie of Golspie, the skeleton sent to Professor Lockhart and other finds to National Museum of Antiquities. Woodham visited site at end of October and examined the area for further burials without success.
A A Woodham 1956; A A Woodham and J Mackenzie 1959.
The findspot of two cists was pointed by Dr I D Pennie (Main
Street, Golspie), the excavator.
Site surveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (R B) 19 February 1966.
Four fragments of clay moulds and a perforated pumice rubber were donated to NMAS by Duke of Sutherland (Acc Nos: EQ 624-8).
Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1963.
The clay moulds are presumably of Iron Age or Dark Age date.
J Close-Brooks et al 1980.
A radiocarbon date of 970-840 BC (calibrated to 1 sigma) was obtained for the human skeletal material from cist 2 and published in 2006 as part of the Beaker People Project: Scottish Samples. This date demonstrates the continuing use of short cists and the practise of inhumation into the Late Bronze Age. <1>
Sources/Archives (7)
- --- SHG1393 Text/Publication/Article: Close-Brooks, J et al. 1980. 'Recent work on Coll and Skye (ii) Notes on prehistoric and later artefacts from Coll', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 109 1977-8, p.85-99. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 85-99. 97.
- --- SHG1769 Text/Publication/Article: Woodham, A.A. and Mackenzie, J.. 1959. Two cists at Golspie, Sutherland. Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 90. 234-8. 234-8.
- --- SHG28278 Dataset/Database File: National Museums Scotland. 2019. Highland Finds from the NMS Catalogue. National Museums Scotland. Digital. EQ 624- EQ 628.
- --- SHG3156 Text/Publication/Article: Bruce, M F. 1986. Short cist human skeletal material housed in the Anthropolgical Museum and the Department of Anatomy, University of Aberdeen. SHG23463. 36-8. 37.
- --- SHG586 Text/Publication/Article: PSAS. 1963. 'Donations to and purchases for the Museum and Library', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 94 1960-1, p.327-35. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 327-35. 327.
- --- SHG874 Text/Publication/Article: Woodham, A A. 1956. 'Golspie', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1956, p.29-30. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 29-30. 29-30.
- <1> SHG27893 Text/Publication/Article: Sheridan. A, et al. 2006. Radiocarbon Dating Results from the Beaker People Project: Scottish Samples. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 2006. 198- 201. Paper (Copy). 201.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 8343 0029 (4m by 4m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC80SW |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | GOLSPIE |
Finds (2)
- MOULD (Late Bronze Age - 1250 BC to 551 BC)
- HUMAN REMAINS (Late Bronze Age - 1250 BC to 551 BC)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/6569 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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