MHG5197 - BA Hoard, Point of Sleat
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
A Late Bronze Age hoard was found in 1849 by a workman cutting peats between the farms of Gillean and Ach-na-Cloich. The objects, which were found together with several oak boards about 2ft long and 1 1/2" thick, consisted of a leaf-shaped sword, two leaf-shaped spearheads, a curved socketed knife and a cup-head pin.
The hoard is Irish and dates from the 7th century BC. It is now in the NMAS.
Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1862; 1871; 1923; J M Coles 1962.
The Misses MacDonald of Achnacloich (who are about 80 years of age) state that they clearly remember their grandfather telling them hoard was found above and to W of Achnacloich, near W bank of burn (below Druim Diomhaim), upon the first fairly level place above the highest old field bank at NG 5923 0949.
Visited by OS (A S P) 21 June 1961.
(Sword of Ewart Park type - Caledonian step 2). Found 6km from Armadale Castle, 1km from the coast, on the N side of the Point of Sleat, between the farms of Gillean and Achnacloich, in 1849. The finder was a workman cutting peat.
Complete sword, length 56.65cm, terminal width 4.65cm, shoulder width 5.1cm, mediam blade width 4.3cm; badly cast; flaws over surface. Patina gone but some black patches near butt; rivets, 1 (+1 bl): (2 bl), none in situ. NMAS DQ 393 (Lord MacDonald of Armadale Castle collection).
C B Burgess and I Colquhoun 1988.
Although the hoard is published as from the Point of Sleat, it was found above the township of Achnacloich, on the Sleat peninsula but not at the Point of Sleat.
The style of the pin and knife is Irish. The knife may have been made from the same mould as a similar one found in a hoard at Cullerne in Moray. None of the objects have been used. The objects may have been made in Ireland, or by an Irish smith working in Scotland. (SCRAN dataset)
SCRAN dataset, with picture at www.scran.ac.uk . SCRAN id 000-100-034-430-C <1>
This hoard is listed in the NMS catalogue under Acc. Nos. DO 9, DQ 393-DQ 396. <2>
Sources/Archives (10)
- --- SHG1475 Text/Publication/Article: Henderson, W. 1938. 'Scottish late Bronze Age axes and Swords', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 72 1937-8, p.150-77. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 150-77. 173.
- --- SHG1476 Text/Publication/Article: Coles, J M. 1962. ''Scottish Late Bronze Age metalwork: typology, distributions and chronology'', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 93 1959-60, p.16-134. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 16-134. 111-12.
- --- SHG1724 Text/Publication/Article: Burgess and Colquhoun, C B and I. 1988. 'The swords of Britain', Prahistoriche Bronzefunde Vol. 4 1988. Prahistoriche Bronzefunde. 100, no. 586.
- --- SHG2173 Text/Publication/Volume: Evans, J. 1881. Ancient bronze implements, weapons and ornaments of Great Britain and Ireland. 289.
- --- SHG3010 Text/Publication/Article: Bedford, C H. 1889. 'Notice of a bronze sword found on the estate of Waternish, Skye', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 23 1888-9, p.258-61. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 258-61. 260.
- --- SHG554 Text/Publication/Article: PSAS. 1871. 'Donations to and purchases for the Museum and Library with exhibits', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 8 186-70, p.10-15,33-4,50-2,67-8,113-17,143-5,173-7,231-9,256-65,302-12,339-42,. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 10-15,33-4,50-2,67-8,113-. 310-11.
- --- SHG563 Text/Publication/Article: PSAS. 1923. 'Donations to and purchases for the Museum and Library', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 57 1922-3, p.10-17, 46-7, 108-111, 170-2, 294-8. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 10-17, 46-7, 108-111, 170. 144, 150.
- --- SHG637 Text/Publication/Article: PSAS. 1862. 'Donations to the museum and library', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 3 1857-60, p.23-5,36-7,68-9,80-1,106-110,122-3,159-60,183-4,201-3,211-2,235-9,245-53. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 23-5,36-7,68-9,80-1,106-1. 101-3.
- <1> SHG25668 Collection/Project Archive: Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH). 2012. Digital site gazetteer and archive for ARCH Community Timeline Project: Broadford. Yes. Digital. Site 35.
- <2> SHG28278 Dataset/Database File: National Museums Scotland. 2019. Highland Finds from the NMS Catalogue. National Museums Scotland. Digital. DO 9, DQ 393- DQ 396.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NG 5923 0948 (4m by 4m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NG50NE |
| Geographical Area | SKYE AND LOCHALSH |
| Civil Parish | SLEAT |
Finds (6)
- HOARD (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- KNIFE (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- PLANK (Bronze Age - 2400 BC? to 551 BC?)
- SWORD (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- SPEARHEAD (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- PIN (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://nms.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-100-034-430-C& (Link to NMS online collections database)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/11414 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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