MHG1708 - Cemetery, Ha' of Duncansby
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- CEMETERY (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2401 BC)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
Flint Axe found 1856 (NAT) OS 1:10,000 map, (1976)
'A great many skulls' and a flint axe were dug up from the subsoil when this site was first brought into cultivation 'about 16 years ago' (ie. About 1857). It is locally supposed to have been a Norse burial ground or the site of a battle. (See ND37SE 9 for flint-working site to N.) Name Book 1873. <1>
Locally the tradition of the site being that of a battle was confirmed, otherwise no further information. The site is in an arable field. Visited by OS (J B) 6 May 1982.
'Human Remains and Flint Axe found here A.D.1856' marked on 1st edition Ordnance Survey mapping. <2>
No further information is available on the find of a 'brooch' attached to this record. <3>
The findspot of the human remains and flint axehead may be inaccurate, given that they were found so long ago and the gap between their discovery and their being record in the OS Name Book. It seems likely that the human remains actually relate to the burial ground discovered in 1989 less than 100m to the north west (MHG39354). This area is depicted on the 1st edition OS map as a one single field and the exact findspot from within this field could therefore easily have been wrongly reported. In addition, geophysical survey and trial trenching around the early findspot location by AOC in 2011 found nothing of archaeological significance, further supporting the likihood that the findspot of the human remains was further to the north. GW 18/01/19
Sources/Archives (4)
- --- SHG3470 Text/Publication/Volume: Watson, G.. 1991. Caithness Chapel Sites.
- <1> SHG3350 Text/Publication/Volume: Name Book (County). Object Name Books of the Ordnance Survey. Book No. 2, 87.
- <2> SHG23892 Image/Map: Ordnance Survey. 1876-77. Ordnance Survey 1st edition 6 inch map: Caithness (surveyed 1870-73). Digital.
- <3> SHG24799 Verbal Communication: Carey, G. 2010-2011. Comment by Giles Carey, HER Officer.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 3794 7316 (20m by 20m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND37SE |
| Civil Parish | CANISBAY |
| Geographical Area | CAITHNESS |
Finds (1)
- BROOCH? (Undated)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/9402 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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