MHG355 - Battle Site - Cul Na Croise
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- BATTLE SITE (Undated)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
Centred 62 69.
Traditionally, the bays between Gortenfern (NM 608 689) and Sgeir a' Chaolais (NM 623 702) have been the sites of at least two battles. One is said to have involved the Vikings, while the other, because of the large number of spears, daggers, brooch, etc, datable to the late 13th century, and coin of Edward I, all found in Cul na Croise (NM622 698), may have been fought in 1297 between the forces of Edward I and Roderick of Bute and Lachlan MacRuari of Garmoran.
A coin of Charles II, musket balls, etc, found at Cul na Croise, may possibly indicate a later skirmish.
Large numbers of Viking nails and rivets from a ship burial (Information from V Hodzon, director, West Highland Museum to OS) at Cul na Crois were also found, in 1924, some relics being given to the West Highland Museum at Fort William by Lethbridge. Numerous other finds are owned by Mr Sandy Cameron of Gortenfern.
T C Lethbridge 1925; S Greig 1940.
There is now no local knowledge regarding the sites of the finds, nor of the location of the ship burial. The land between Gortenfern and Sgeir a' Chaolais is an area of shifting sands. The tradition of a battle is still known. Mr Sandy Cameron is now deceased and his collection has passed to his nephew Mr R Cameron, Kentra, Argyll.
Visited by OS (R L) 18 May 1970.
The 'boat-burial' identification (supra) cannot be confirmed.
RCAHMS 1980.
Iron nail, said to be of Viking type, from Gorten Bay, Ardnamurchan are listed in the Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Museum catalogue under Acc. No. 1924.1326. These are likely to be related to the alleged ship burial found in 1924 described above.
Several other finds are also listed from Cul Na Croise: 1 button, 11 beads, brass pin and an Argyllshire Volunteers badge (Z 20846 A) and 12 iron arrowheads, fragment of iron knife and other metal objects (Z 20846 B). Some of these may relate to the possible battle and skirmish sites described above. <1>
Sources/Archives (4)
- --- SHG2295 Text/Publication/Volume: Grieg, S. 1940. Viking antiquities in Scotland. 15.
- --- SHG260 Text/Publication/Article: Lethbridge, T C. 1925. 'Battle site in Gorten Bay, Kentra, Ardnamurchan', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 59 1924-5, p.105-8. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 105-8. 105-8; illust..
- --- SHG2660 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1980. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Argyll: an inventory of the monuments volume 3: Mull, Tiree, Coll and Northern Argyll (excluding the early medieval and later monuments of Iona). . 29.
- <1> SHG28513 Text/Record Form/Project Recording Form: Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH). 2020. Finds Collection from Highland Area in Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. 1924.1326, Z 20846 A-B.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NM 6200 6899 (50m by 50m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NM66NW |
| Civil Parish | ARDNAMURCHAN |
| Geographical Area | LOCHABER |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/22495 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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