MHG11803 - Midden, 200yds W of Muckle Ferry, Evelix Cottage
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- MIDDEN (Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age - 8000 BC? to 551 BC?)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
NH78NW 20 7280 8700
Midden, exposed in section of low cliff c200 yards W of landing place at Muckle Ferry, Sutherland, contained shells, split bones and teeth showing action of fire and remains of deer, ox, horse, pig and goat or sheep as well as flakes & knife or scraper of sandstone.
(Muckle Ferry presumably means Meikle Ferry (cf Jamieson) in which case midden lies c NH 727 871)
J Jamieson 1818; S Laing 1870 <1><2>
NH 7280 8700. Exposed on an eroded cliff of sand and shingle for a distance of 5m are two bands of midden material, respectively 4.5m and 5.5m above HWM, upper band 1.5m from cliff top. Each layer is about 0.1m thick, sandwiched between bands of dark sandy soil. The upper midden comprises cockle and mussel shells and some traces of charcoal; lower level contains cockle, mussel and limpet shells, and one piece of unidentifiable bone.
Visited by OS (N K B) 5 December 1980
Desk assessment area.
J Wordsworth, SSSIs, Scottish Natural Heritage, 1993
Nothing visible during field survey. May have eroded away. <3>
Intermittent marine shell (look like dog whelks) and dark stained sandy deposits visible in eroding face of sand dune.
Visited by Scotland's Coastal Heritage at Risk (SCHARP) 15 Jan 2014
See link below for site Scotland's Coastal Heritage at Risk Site entry.
The NMS contains a mostly complete skull (Acc.No. ET 68), which is labelled as coming from Meikle Ferry and was donated by Hugh Miller in 1890. Beyond this, the circumstances and location of the discovery of these human remains are unknown. It is possibly from one of the middens in the area. Another incomplete skull from the collections may be associated it, given its close Acc. No. (ET 69). Both came into the NMS pre-1898 but are not recorded in the 1892 catalogue, so they may have come in anytime from c.1890 onwards. <4> <5>
Sources/Archives (5)
- <1> SHG2364 Text/Publication/Volume: Jamieson, J. 1818. An etymological dictionary of the Scottish language: in which the words are explained in their different senses authorised by the names of thee writers by whom they are used ... and deduced from their originals.
- <2> SHG1321 Text/Publication/Article: Laing, S. 1870. 'On the age of the burgs or "Brochs", and some other pre-historic remains of Orkney and Caithness', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 7 1866-8, p.56-79. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 56-79. 77-8.
- <3> SHG24912 Text/Report/Fieldwork Report: Sneddon, D, Gheorghiou, D, Hansom, J and Shearer, I. 03/2010. East Sutherland Coastal Zone Assessment survey: Data Structure Report. Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD). 12/9/10. Digital. Site 58.
- <4> SHG28455 Dataset/Database File: 2020. Database of Human Remains in Museum Collections from Highland Area. NMS, IMAG & Marishal College. Digital.
- <5> SHG28462 Text/Correspondence: 2020. Correspondance with Matthew Knight Regarding Human Remains in NMS Collections.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 7280 8699 (14m by 14m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH78NW |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | DORNOCH |
Finds (4)
- ANIMAL REMAINS (Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age - 8000 BC? to 551 BC?)
- FLAKE (Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age - 8000 BC? to 551 BC?)
- BLADE (Mesolithic to Late Bronze Age - 8000 BC? to 551 BC?)
- HUMAN REMAINS? (Undated)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (1)
External Links (2)
- http://scharp.co.uk/sites-at-risk/11744/ (Link to online Scotland's Coastal Heritage at Risk site record)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/14654 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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