MHG10900 - Short Cist - Dunrobin Park
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- SHORT CIST (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
(NC 8465 0070) Cist (NR) OS 25"map, (1967)
A short cist which was exposed during gravel-digging in a moraine hummock on 24th March 1880, and contained a crouched skeleton, a beaker, 118 shale beads, 18 quartzose beach-rolled pebbles and three flints.
The cist, unpaved, measures 4ft by 2ft 4ins by 2ft 3ins deep internally and lies at a depth of 2ft 2ins. The E end-slab has been removed.
The skeleton, of a brachycephalic young woman, lay on its right side with the beaker (Clarke's No 1784: N/NR Group), 7ins high, behind the head and the three flints, one a scraper, another pointed and the third with a sharp cutting edge, near the breast (Joass 1885). The beads, only six of which are perforated, are described as being about 1/3 inch in diameter, and the size and thickness of a threepenny bit' (Joass 1885), and appear to comprise o'a partially complete, single-string necklace (Callander 1916). They lay at the heels of the skeleton with the pebbles, 2ins long, nearby.
The beaker is in Dunrobin Museum (Acc No: 1880.2) as are 'shale objects' which were found 'near trial holes on the cist mound at Dunrobin Park' (Information from TS of Catalogue of Dunrobin Museum by A S Henshall), probably in 1882 (Acc No: 1882.2-9).
Cist surveyed at 1:2500 (OS {E G C} 7 April 1962).
J M Joass 1885; 1904; J Abercromby 1904; 1912; RCAHMS 1911, visited 1909; J G Callander 1916; D L Clarke 1970; Information contained in letter from J M Joass to J Abercromby 1904. <1> <2> <3> <4> <5> <6>
The cist, as described, is still exposed in the face of the old quarry into the gravel mound, which is now afforested. The beaker and twelve 'shale objects' are on display in Dunrobin Museum.
Visited by OS (N K B) 15 June 1976.
Photographs of the cist were submitted to the HER by a participant in a Community Timelines course, run by ARCH, in 2010. A photograph of the beaker, now on display in Dunrobin Museum, was also submitted. <7>
The beaker was catalogued during an inventory of Dunrobin Castle Museum's collection in 2019 by ARCH. Listed under Acc. No. 1880.2. It is on display in case 28, shelf C. The 'shale objects' described above were also noted, listed under Acc. No. 1882.2-9 and on display in case 22 shelf D. <8>
Sources/Archives (10)
- --- SHG1479 Text/Publication/Article: Davis and Sheridan, M and A. 1993. 'Scottish prehistoric 'jet' jewellery: some new work', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 123 1993, p.455-6. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 455-6. 456.
- --- SHG1862 Text/Publication/Volume: Abercromby, J. 1912. A study of the Bronze Age pottery of Great Britain and Ireland and its associated grave-goods. 43, 91; illust.
- <1> SHG464 Text/Publication/Article: Joass, J M. 1885. 'Contents of a cist at Dunrobin', Trans Inverness Sci Soc Fld Club Vol. 1 1875-80, p.314-15. Trans Inverness Sci Soc Fld Club. 314-15. 314-15.
- <2> SHG3526 Text/Publication/Article: Joass, J M. 1904. Reliquary Illust Archaeol Vol. 10 1904, p.338. Reliquary Illust Archaeol. 338. 61-2; illust..
- <3> SHG59 Text/Publication/Article: Abercromby, J. 1904. 'A proposed chronological arrangement of the drinking cup or beaker class of fictilia in Britain', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, Vol 38 (1903-04), pp 323-410. p 338.
- <4> SHG2657 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1911. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Second report and inventory of monuments and constructions in the county of Sutherland. . 99, No. 290.
- <5> SHG1244 Text/Publication/Article: Callander, J G. 1916. 'Notice of a jet necklace found in a cist in a Bronze Age cemetery, discovered on Burgie Lodge Farm, Morayshire, with notes on Scottish prehistoric jet ornaments', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 50 1915-16, p.201-40. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 201-40. 238.
- <6> SHG2051 Text/Publication/Volume: Clarke, D L. 1970. Beaker pottery of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. 2, 522.
- <7> SHG24858 Image/Photograph(s): Private individuals. 2010. Photographs submitted by participants in ARCH Community Timeline course in Evanton and Golspie. Colour digital. Yes. Digital. Shirley Sutherland.
- <8> SHG28514 Collection/Finds Collection: Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH). 2019. Finds Collection At Dunrobin Castle Museum. 1880.2, 1882.2-9.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 8465 0070 (4m by 4m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC80SW |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | GOLSPIE |
Finds (8)
- UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- SCRAPER (TOOL) (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- BEAKER (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- LITHIC IMPLEMENT (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- HUMAN REMAINS (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- RING (Bronze Age - 2400 BC? to 551 BC?)
- DISC (Bronze Age - 2400 BC? to 551 BC?)
- BEAD (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/6590 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
Comments and Feedback
Do you have any more information about this record? Please feel free to comment with information and photographs, or ask any questions, using the "Disqus" tool below. Comments are moderated, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible.