MHG4432 - Pictish barrow site - Kinrara Farm (Croftgowan)
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (3)
- BATTLE SITE (Undated)
- HUMAN REMAINS (Undated)
- BARROW CEMETERY (Pictish - 300 AD? to 900 AD)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
(NH 8625 0849; NH 8627 0848; NH 8628 0852; NH 8629 0843 NH 8633 0858; NH 8635 0856) Tumuli (NR) (sites of)
OS 1:10,000 map, (1972)
Human remains, together with pieces of sword blades, buckles etc were discovered about 1800 when several earthen mounds were investigated prior to cultivation of the field. According to tradition, a battle was fought in the vicinity at some unknown date. <1>
No further information; no extant remains.
Visited by OS (N K B) 28 November 1966.
Aerial photography by the RCAHMS (Visible on RCAHMS air photographs IN 3011, IN 3020-1.), has revealed a cemetery of round and square barrows. <2>
The site is included in a broad discussion of Pictish cemeteries in Inverness-shire, Moray and Aberdeenshire. The cemetery at Croftgowan comprises a linear setting of around 27 circular and square barrows located on the slope of Tor Alvie. Areas of deeper soil may obscure more examples. <3>
The site was investigated as part of The Badenoch Great Place Project (BGPP) under the supervision of archaeologists from the University of Aberdeen directed by G Noble in 2021. Five barrows were selected for excavation – three round barrows and two conjoined square barrows. All of the barrows were found to be highly truncated with only very shallow boundary ditches surviving. In the largest trench, the round barrow was shown to be later than the conjoined square barrows. Poorly preserved human remains were found in three barrows and comprised parts of a human skull and enamel caps. The human remains and charcoal from barrow ditches and grave-fills were sampled for dating. The human remains have also been sampled for isotopic research on diet and mobility. <4>
Sources/Archives (4)
- <1> SHG3372 Text/Publication/Volume: Name Book (County). Object Name Books of the Ordnance Survey. Book No. 4, 14.
- <2> SHG116 Text/Publication/Article: Maxwell, G S. 1978. 'Air photography and the works of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland', Aerial Archaeol Vol. 2 1978, p.37-44. Aerial Archaeol. 37-44. 43; pl. xxii.
- <3> SHG29168 Text/Publication/Article: Mitchell, J. & Noble, G.. 2017. The Monumental Cemeteries of Northern Pictland (Med Arch Vol. 61/1). Medieval Archaeology Vol. 61/1. Digital. p.8 & fig.8.
- <4> SHG29640 Text/Publication: Noble, G. & Evans, N.. 2022. Picts Scourge of Rome Rulers of the North. Paper (Copy). p.204.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 8630 0851 (124m by 169m) (7 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH80NE |
| Civil Parish | ALVIE |
| Geographical Area | BADENOCH AND STRATHSPEY |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/14890 (View HES Canmore entry for this site)
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00766097.2017.1296031 (View Pictish cemeteries article online)
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