MHG9580 - Cist and Burial, Chealamy
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- CIST (Early Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 1501 BC) + Sci.Date
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
NC 722 502, Cist, Chealamy: A pit dug for a strainer-post during road-widening operations on B871 in February 1981 revealed a flat slab at a depth of 0.70m. Attempts to remove this with a jack-hammer pierced the slab, revealing a stone cist below. The site was immediately excavated, producing in intact N3 beaker accompanying a burial comprising only pelvic and leg bones. It seems likely that this is all that was originally buried. The cist was removed and reconstructed outside the Farr Museum, Bettyhill, with the beaker placed on display inside.
R B Gourlay and E Rudie 1981; Scot Mag 1981.
The find spot of the cist was pointed out on OS 6"map by Mr Gourlay (Wick Museum) at NC 7238 5017.
Visited by OS (N K B) 1 September 1982.
A document of correspondance from the Inverness Museum archive files from 1984 records that they possess the skeletal remains (listed under 1983.153 in the museum catalogue) and Farr Museum at Bettyhill possess the Beaker. Photographs of the beaker and of the cist are also within the museum archive files. <1> <2>
British Museum labs date this at 3630+/- 50 BP (1630- 1730 bc). Date from bone collagen, calibrated on the Pearson &Stuiver 1986 calibration. (info from ADS; DML)
A radiocarbon date for Chealamy was published as part of the Bristish Museum Beaker Dating Programme in 1991. This produced a date of 2140-1885 BC, calibrated at 2 sigma. A copy of the appendix from this publication, and illustration of the beaker was sent to Inverness Museum and is kept within their archive files. <3> <1>
The beaker is on display within Strathnaver Museum. <4>
Sources/Archives (20)
- --- SHG13441 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist : capstone revealed.. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
- --- SHG3524 Text/Publication/Article: Scot Mag. 1981. Scot Mag Aug 1981, p.527. Scot Mag. 527. 527.
- --- SHG428 Text/Publication/Article: Gourlay and Rudie, R B and E. 1981. 'Chealamy, Strathnaver (Farr p) beaker cist', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1981, p.21. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 21. 21.
- --- SHG67 Text/Publication/Article: Gourlay, R B. 1985. 'A short cist beaker inhumation from Chealamy, Strathnaver, Sutherland', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, Vol 114 (1984), pp 567-71. Popular Archaeol.
- --- SHG8007 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist, site from road to SW. Unknown. .
- --- SHG8008 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist, exposure of area of ridge. Unknown. .
- --- SHG8009 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist, ridge to W. Unknown. .
- --- SHG8011 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist, showing overlapping slab slates. Unknown. .
- --- SHG8012 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist, general view of ridge from road. Unknown. .
- --- SHG8013 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist, capstone partially excav.. Unknown. .
- --- SHG8014 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist, capstone from SE. Unknown. .
- --- SHG8015 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist, capstone from SE. Unknown. .
- --- SHG8016 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist, general view of ridge. Unknown. .
- --- SHG8017 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Beaker. Unknown. .
- --- SHG8018 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist, 'slates' removed. Unknown. .
- --- SHG8019 Image/Photograph(s): Chealamy Cist, view from N.. Unknown. .
- <1> SHG28371 Collection: Inverness Museum. 2019. Inverness Museum and Art Gallery Archive Files.
- <2> SHG25836 Collection/Catalogue: Inverness Museum & Art Gallery. Inverness Museum & Art Gallery Accession registers. 1983.153.
- <3> SHG28442 Text/Publication/Article: Kinnes, I. A., Gibson, A. M., Ambers, J., Bowman, S., Leese, M. N. and Boast, R.. 1991. Radiocarbon dating and the British beakers: the British Museum programme. Scottish Archaeological Review Volume 8. 35-68.
- <4> SHG28504 Collection/Finds Collection: 2019. Finds Collection at Strathnaver Museum.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 7238 5016 (4m by 4m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC75SW |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | FARR |
Finds (2)
- BEAKER (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
- HUMAN REMAINS (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/6360 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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