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MHG65549 - Possible standing stone - Sandavore, Eigg

Summary

A possible standing stone at Sandavore, Eigg.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

Original location of a possible standing stone at Sandavore, Eigg.

In May 1997 a local team, under the supervision of P Wade-Martin (Norfolk County Archaeologist who happened to be holidaying on the island at the time), undertook the excavation of a recumbent standing stone and another stone lying close to it at Sandavore. The Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust, which took ownership of the island on 12th June, had decided to excvate and move the stone near the pier as a commemorative stone to celebrate the community buy-out of the island. The Highland Regional Archaeologist had advised the Trust that the stone was not in the SMR and that there was no objection to the move provided that it was photographed before and afterwards.

The surfaces of two stones, Stones A and B, lying at right-angles to each other, were visible before work began. The stone moved to the pier was Stone A. The main stone, Stone A, was a basalt column 3.47 metres long lying almost north to south on a bearing of 330° with the wider end to the north. It was assumed that the wider end had originally been in the ground and this width of 70cm corresponded almost exactly to the width of a pit found partly under Stone B.

The smaller stone, Stone B, appeared to be a sandstone very different to the basalt column. It was c.1.90 m. long and it was lying on edge almost at right-angles to the basalt column. There was a small circular hole in its north face, apparently natural. A pile of stones on the north side of Stone B was only examined on its upper surface and was then removed by machine. It was noted that it had a straightish eastern face but no other structural detail was recorded. There were two spreads of charcoal c.5 cm thick in the NE and SW corners of the excavation which was not examined in detail. No artefacts were recovered from the excavation except for a modern broken glass bottle just under the basalt column; this presumably had been pushed down a rabbit hole. <1>

Sources/Archives (1)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NM 4778 8474 (9m by 9m)
Map sheet	NM48SE
Civil Parish	SMALL ISLES
Geographical Area	LOCHABER

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