MHG6346 - Midden, Castle Craig
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- SHELL MIDDEN (Early Medieval - 561 AD to 1057 AD)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
NH86NW 5 801 692.
(Area: NH 799 690) Kitchen-midden discovered June 1886 by Prof Duns. "The position of heap faces SSW and is not far from bottom of incline which stretches from farm of Castle Craig (Dunskeath) to wide area of undulating sand heaps which lie behind Nigg and Cromarty Ferry Inn." In addition to shellfish remains, midden contained bones of mammals, birds and fish, including those of roe and red deer (Duns 1887). A shell-mound was discovered prior to 1863 near Ferry at Nigg, opposite Cromarty. It was several feet above sea and from it the ground slopes steeply upward. The shells were covered with 2' - 4' of sand and stones. In addition to shells (mainly winkles and oysters) a few fragments of bone and an ox tooth were found. The Rev G Gordon, visiting site, came across end of a double fine tooth-comb (unornamented) but no other implements have been discovered. The site was visited by Lubbock c. 1863. (Lubbock 1863).
J Duns 1887; J Lubbock 1863.
It is uncertain whether Duns and Lubbock are referring to same midden. There is no trace of a midden in this area of sand dunes, but according to Mr Fraser (Balnabruaich, Nigg) a shell midden was discovered by him during First World War at approximately NH 801 692. This could be midden described by Duns (1887)
Visited by OS (I S S) 25 August 1972.
Sources/Archives (3)
- --- SHG1197 Text/Publication/Article: Duns, J. 1887. 'Notes on Easter Ross', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 21 1886-7, p.165-9. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 165-9. 165-9.
- --- SHG2670 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1979. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of Easter Ross, Ross and Cromarty District, Highland Region. . 36, No. 337.
- --- SHG75 Text/Publication/Article: Lubbock, J. 1863. 'A visit to the ancient shell-mounds of Scotland', Natur Hist Rev, Vol 3 (1863), pp 415-22.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 8010 6919 (14m by 14m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH86NW |
| Geographical Area | ROSS AND CROMARTY |
| Civil Parish | NIGG |
Finds (2)
- ANIMAL REMAINS (Undated)
- COMB (Undated)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/15239 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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