Print

MHG11733 - Cists - Achinchanter

Summary

Two short cists containing the scant remains of crouched burials and a number of finds.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

(NH 798 902) (OS 6" map annotated by OGS Crawford) Two short cists, set close together but at an angle, were found December 1938 during deep-ploughing by Robert Gunn on Achinchanter farm at north end of a crescentic moraine known as 'Cnoc-na- caorach' - Hill of the sheep. The cists were composed of massive slabs. Little remained of the crouched burials, but one cist contained a food-vessel, a barbed-and-tanged flint arrow-head and a fragment of bronze 0.5" long and about 1/16" in diameter suggestive of part of a pin. Large, rounded stones, apparently not native to moraine, which have been ploughed up to surface indicate that cists have at one time been covered by a cairn. The cists are still in situ, but owing to erosion are only a few inches below surface. <1>

The find spot of these cists at NH 7982 9026 was pointed out by Mr Maclennan (W Maclennan, Level Crossing Cottage, Dornoch) who saw them shortly after discovery. Now no trace of them and no indication of a cairn at site which is regularly ploughed.
Surveyed at 1/2500. Visited by OS (A A) 29 March 1971.

The food vessel, restored, is in Dunrobin Museum (Acc No. 1938.1) Info from TS of Catalogue of Dunrobin Museum, by A S Henshall. It is of Yorkshire Vase type, and the barbed-and-tanged arrowhead, which has serrated edges, is of Conygar type.
H S Green 1980. <2>

During a walkover survey in November 2004 the cists were clearly visible on the surface in a patch of grassland left unploughed by the farmer. One of the covering slabs appeared to have been dragged several metres from its original position. The ridge, or crescent moraine, SW and parallel to the ridge on which the cist burials are placed was covered in bushes at the time making accurate survey difficult. However the proximity and similarity of the two ridges suggests that the obscured ridge could have been used for the same purpose as its neighbour. <3>

The food vessel was catalogued during an inventory of Dunrobin Castle Museum's collection in 2019 by ARCH. Listed under Acc. No. 1938.1. It is on display in case 28, shelf D. The barbed and tanged arrowhead said to be in the Museum was not located, but it may have been mixed in in the display of barbed and tanged arrowheads. <4>

The cists were exposed and recorded by AOC Archaeology Group in 2019 during an archaeological evaluation was carried out at in advance of a proposed residential development. A hand-dug trench was excavated in order to expose the extent of the two cists before the backfill material from the previous excavation was removed. In 1938 Davidson suggested that the two burials were constructed at different times because of differences in construction of the two cists and the fact that they are slightly out of alignment with each other. This interpretation seemed unlikely to the recent excavators. Detailed recording of the structural remains was carried out and all of the slabs were labelled in the event that removal and reconstruction is necessary. It was considered that the cists should be left in situ until the development programme was confirmed and removal deemed necessary. <5>

Sources/Archives (5)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 7982 9024 (10m by 10m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH79SE
Geographical Area	SUTHERLAND
Civil Parish	DORNOCH

Finds (3)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (2)

External Links (1)