Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Looking north towards the site (green patch in foreground) with the dwelling Vaila (formerly Aultcraggie), to the right, from Clynelish Moss Road

The Sutherland ‘Oag’ family lair at Clynekirkton Graveyard

A Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief Prepared for Mr Lonie Mackintosh

Planning Application Reference No: 14/00797/PIP

Nick Lindsay B.Sc, Ph.D Tel: 01408 621338 Sunnybrae West Clyne e-mail: [email protected] Brora Sutherland KW9 6NH May 2014 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Contents

1.0 Executive Summary ...... 2 2.0 Introduction ...... 3 2.1 Objectives ...... 3 2.2 Methodology ...... 3 2.3 Limitations ...... 3 2.4 Setting ...... 3 3.0 Results ...... 4 3.1 Desk-Based Assessment ...... 4 3.2 Field Survey ...... 13 4.0 Conclusions ...... 16 5.0 Recommendations ...... 17 References ...... 18 Appendices ...... 19

1 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

1.0 Executive Summary

An archaeological desk-based study and subsequent controlled topsoil strip of an area to the south west of Aultcraggie, in West Clyne in the parish of Clyne, Sutherland, was undertaken in May 2014. The above was required by the Highland Council’s Historic Environment Team as a condition of Planning for Application Reference No 14/00797/PIP, submitted by the developer, Mr Lonie Mackintosh, in order to establish the extent of archaeological remains along the proposed route of an access and the dwelling site.

The survey area comprises the proposed access route from a private track to a dwelling site, around 140m south-south-west of the inhabited dwelling of Vaila, formerly known as Aultcraggie (see cover image). Aultcraggie is situated at the extreme western margin of the scattered settlement of West Clyne, approximately 3km to the north west of the village of Brora in east Sutherland (see Appendix I). The site is accessed from a private track leading from a cul- de-sac public road, off the C1098 Clynelish Distillery - Clynelish Moss Road.

Six minor archaeological features/finds were discovered during the controlled topsoil strip, all of which are considered to be of minor importance.

Please note that this report does not cover the installation of services, as the siting for these is unknown at present.

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2.0 Introduction

2.1 Objectives

The objectives of this survey were to identify and record any features or objects of archaeological importance that could be damaged or destroyed by this development, while minimising any delays or disruption to the development project.

2.2 Methodology

A desk-based study was made of the Highland Council’s Historic Environment Record (HER), in conjunction with many available resources, such as the National Map Library of Scotland, as well as specific and relevant references held locally in Sutherland, in order to identify any known and/or visible archaeology. Google Earth was also consulted prior to the survey to get an overview of any likely archaeology to be encountered.

The subsequent controlled topsoil strip adhered to the principles set out in The Highland Council’s ‘Standards for Archaeological Work’.

2.3 Limitations

The site was found to be vegetated mainly by grass and there were no obvious surface expressions of archaeology. It has to be also borne in mind, however, that archaeology may still lie concealed beneath below the ground surface outwith the area examined.

2.4 Setting

The area identified for this proposal covers the proposed route of an approximately 130m long access track to a dwelling site on gently undulating ground at the top of a grassy field.

The site is below and to the south west of the dwelling of Vaila (formerly Aultcraggie).

Vaila is the only dwelling still habited at Aultcraggie, but map evidence suggests that there has been a long-lived human habitation history in the wider area, from the Bronze/Iron Age to the Post-Clearance era, after which the site would have been improved and used for domestic agriculture.

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3.0 Results

3.1 Desk-Based Assessment

3.1.1 Historic Environment Record/National Monument Record of Scotland

Initial consultation of the Highland Council’s Historic Environment Record (HER) showed that there are no recorded sites within the survey area, although there are many recorded hut circles associated with the Bronze/Iron Age and Medieval township dwellings and associated structures in the wider area.

The dwelling Vaila (Aultcraggie), 100m to the north-north-east of the site, together with a suite of hut circles and associated field systems to the north and west of the site are recorded on the HER (see Appendix III & IV).

The nearest Scheduled Ancient Monument is Clynekirkton, Old Parish Church and churchyard and Bell Tower, 1.5km to the east-north-east and these are also nearest listed buildings.

The presence of the hut circles, together with the other recorded ancient monuments dating back as far as the Neolithic in the surrounding district, show that the area has a long lived and rich history. Early colonisers would have grown subsistence crops on the hill slopes. They would have hunted on the hillsides and fished in the rivers and it clearly shows that several communities would have been able to sustain an existence here.

3.1.2 Maps

The current Ordnance Survey map depicts the site as part of an enclosed field, south of the inhabited dwelling and associated outbuildings of Vaila. Three hut circles are shown around 75m to the west of the site and two more just a little further away to the north west and north.

Investigation into maps of earlier origins sheds more light; William Roy’s ‘Military Survey of Scotland’, of 1747-55 (inset, below), depicts the area as rough ground, then uncultivated and uninhabited, unlike ground surrounding Clyne Kirk and to its south west.

Site

4 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Burnett and Scott’s ‘Map of the County of Sutherland made on the basis of the trigonometrical survey of Scotland in the years 1831, 1832’ (with additional names and corrections by Hector Morrison, Inverness, 1853) clearly shows a settlement at Aultcraggie (inset, below), although it is not named definitively. It lies on the east side of Alt-chraggie and comprises three buildings.

The Ordnance Survey 1:2500 scale 1st Edition map of 1872 (inset, below), shows two roofed buildings at Aultcraggie, with improved ground attached to the north and detached to the south. The site, outlined in red, has no features depicted close to it.

5 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

The Ordnance Survey 1:2500 scale 2nd Edition map of 1904 (inset, below), shows that the building aligned north-south has been demolished. A new building has been constructed to the west of the other building depicted in the previous edition (above).

The new building appears to have the function of a mill, as a new watercourse has been diverted eastwards from the burn, Allt Craggie, flowing into a sluiced reservoir and directed past its west gable, before re-joining the burn to the south west. The improved ground where the site lies has been subdivided into three by boundary walls or fences, but no other features are depicted in the proximity of the site.

3.1.3 Documentary Evidence

Frank MacLennan, in one of his series of articles on place names in Clyne, which appeared in the Northern Times on September 13th, 1957, explains the meaning of Allt Craggie as ‘Craggie is from creag, a rock; the Rocky Burn.’ Apart from being a fairly obvious translation from Gaelic, MacLennan may have referred to Gunn (1897), who had stated the same meaning.

The Ordnance Survey Name Book, accompanying the 1st edition map of 1872 describes Aultcraggie as the ‘name applied to a farm house with offices detached, the dwelling house is slated, the offices thatched, all one story high and in good repair’.

It appears that the township of Rock, immediately to the west of the site (and to which also Aultcraggie was ascribed in the census of 1841), was a resettlement area for people cleared from Strath Brora to make way for the new sheep farm of Kilcalmkill in 1813. Rock was very poor ground, extremely rocky, (hence, probably, the township’s appropriate name) and poor in soil, and there is no reference to it being habited after the 1861 census. Aultcraggie was set on the eastern margin of Rock, on slightly better ground and this allowed its survival after much improvement.

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The name Auldchraggy first appears in documentation with the birth of Elspat Sutherland on June 11th, 1809, the first recorded child of Andrew Sutherland and Katharine (or Janet) MacKay in the Old Parish Register for Clyne Parish. This suggests that this family had already settled there prior to the establishment of the Kilcalmkill sheep farm. A further child, John, is registered born there in August 1813.

The first mention of Oultcraggie in the Sutherland Estate Rentals was in 1819, where Andrew Sutherland is one of three tenants there. Prior to this date, rents from the tenants were not collected directly by the Estate, but by Tacksmen, who held wadsets on the estate, thus Rev Walter Ross was the Tacksman of Clynekirkton and rent for Aultcraggie would have been paid to him.

Andrew Sutherland was born at Killen in c1770 (recorded on his death register entry), a farmstead on the east side of Loch Brora which had previously been set to sheep on a small scale in 1787. When exactly Andrew had left Killen is not known, but he served 12 years in the Sutherland Fencibles and his trade was tailoring (both also recorded on his death register entry). It appears he was the first tenant at what is now Vaila from at least the birth of his daughter, Elspat, in 1809 and probably had to improve his lot from barren ground. It is possible he was allocated this lot after he left military service.

The 1849 Valuation Roll records Andrew Sutherland, ‘Og’, as the tenant at Ault Craggy; this family byname ‘Og’ (or its variants Oag/Oig) gives an insight into the probable location of earlier generations; in 1751, John Oig is one of four tenants at Killen and at Kirlin in 1772 is William Sutherland, possibly Andrew’s grandfather.

Andrew Sutherland died on November 17th 1855 and was buried in the iron railing-enclosed family lair at Clynekirkton Graveyard, where his father, Alexander, and mother, Elizabeth Sutherland, had already been interred in 1810 and 1808 respectively. Andrew, himself, had erected their grey sandstone headstone (presumably at the earliest opportunity he could afford it) in 1836. There is no commemoration to Andrew and his wife, Janet; however, their son, John Sutherland Oag (died October 10th 1893), who took over the croft after his father died in 1855, and his wife, Janet/Jessie MacDonald (died May 19th, 1908) do have a headstone of white marble in the same lair.

A later headstone, also of white marble, placed in the Sutherland ‘Oag’ family lair is of the most unusual nature. It commemorates three spinster daughters of John and Janet (Andrew’s grand- daughters) who all died at Aultcraggie; Lily (died 1901), Jessie (1931) and Andrewina/Dinah (1934). It was placed directly in front of the grey sandstone headstone Andrew had erected to his parents (the sisters’ great-grandparents), almost completely obscuring it (see cover image).

On the death of John in 1893, the croft passed to his wife, Jessie, although she was by then 62 years of age and probably in need of assistance. Her spinster daughters Jessie, Dinah and Lily were also at home on the croft and, by 1901, James MacLean, originally from Badnellan, was staying at Aultcraggie and working on the croft.

The Inland Revenue survey of 1910-11 gives an insight into the condition and content of the croft when it describes Aultcraggie as being a ‘Stone lime & slated house containing on ground floor 2 rooms & closet & on attic floor 2 rooms. Stone lime & slated annexe containing kitchen with attic room over. In fair repair. Stone & corrugated iron cartshed, 6 stalled byre, 3 stalled stable, turnip shed & byre with addition added of wood & corrugated iron. All in fair repair.’

By the time of the 1911 census, Jessie had already died at Aultcraggie in 1908 and her spinster daughter, Lily, had predeceased her in 1901. The spinster daughters, Jessie and Dinah, remained as tenants, but were still receiving assistance on the croft from the boarder, James MacLean. Incidentally, this James MacLean married the ‘girl on the croft next door’ at Aultririe, Flora Bell

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Elphinstone, in 1915. By 1921, he had taken on the tenancy of that croft, which remains to this day a working croft in the MacLean family.

Jessie died in 1931 and Dinah in 1934, both at Aultcraggie and the tenancy of the croft might then normally have passed to their older brother, Roderick, who had married Jessie Ewing of Rogart. However, he was, by then, in gainful employment as a gamekeeper on the Kintradwell Estate, around 3km north of Brora and, therefore, was in no need of the croft. The Valuation Roll of 1935-36 records that his youngest child, William Houston Sutherland, had taken over the tenancy.

Roderick and Jessie had 6 children with them at home at Kintradwell in the 1901 census, the third of which was Jessie, born in 1888. She married David Smith Mackintosh (the developer’s grandfather), a plumber born in Montrose in 1884, whose father was the Mussel Scalp Manager at Inverness in 1891. David was boarding with the grand-parents of his future wife, Jessie, at Greenbank, Brora in the 1911 census. Prior to becoming a plumber, David is recorded in the 1901 census as a Car Driver, boarding with the Trail family (originally also of Montrose) in Paisley.

David married Jessie Sutherland in 1914 and they had 4 Brora-born sons: Roderick Alexander (always known as Roy, born 1915), David Lonie (1919), Duncan Sutherland (always known as Donald, 1921) and Alexander Sutherland (the developer’s father, always known as Alistair, 1928).

William Houston Sutherland, the youngest brother of David Smith Mackintosh’s wife, Jessie, was the tenant of Aultcraggie until his death in 1961 at Greenbank, Brora. The tenancy then passed to Alistair Mackintosh (Lonie Mackintosh, pers com); the connection being through his mother’s family and the 1966-67 Valuation Roll records it thus, although the property was, at that time unoccupied, as it also was in the 1971-72 Roll. The dwelling was being restored to become a habitable property by Alistair and soon after the family moved in to the newly refurbished croft house at Aultcraggie (Lonie Mackintosh, pers com).

The field in which the development is proposed was a potato field; Alistair grew the Kerr’s Pinks variety, which is still very popular in East Sutherland, and used to sell his produce to the local hotels and the local fish and chip shop, at that time managed by the late Nancy Sinclair, who latterly owned the very popular La Mirage tea room and restaurant in Helmsdale (Lonie Mackintosh, pers com). The developer remembers very well having to manure the field with dung on a Christmas Day one year! He also recalls improving the drainage in the same field by laying field drain tiles, locally manufactured at the Brora Brick and Tile works, on ‘slabs’ (the vertical outer cut of a tree trunk), laid with the broad arc facing down into the ground and the flat-bottomed drain tile resting on the flat, upper surface, all then backfilled.

3.1.4 Archaeological Timescales (from Am Baile)

Stone Age – 10,000 to 4,400 Years Ago About 10,000 years ago, Scotland lay under a great sheet of ice. As the climate slowly warmed and the ice retreated, people were already living in the area, hunting, fishing and where possible gathering wild plants and fruits. The retreating glaciers left behind boulders and mud, which would soon be colonised by grasses and shrubs. Trees followed - hazel and birch at first, followed by oak and pine. A rich variety of animals were attracted and the seas and lochs had fish in plenty.

The retreat of the Ice marks the end of the Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age), whose primitive stone tools have been found in southern England. Evidence of Palaeolithic people and the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) is thought to have been lost through ice action in Scotland. This is

8 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland characterised by shell middens - heaps of debris containing many seashells as well as stone and bone tools. Middens have been found in Skye, Argyll, and Wester Ross dating to around 8,000 years ago. A working site, where stone tools were being made, has now been found at Oliclett in Caithness.

From about 6,000 years ago people began to settle and farm the land. This change brings in the Neolithic (New Stone Age), and the creation of the first monuments. Great burial cairns were built overlooking the cultivated land in which the bones of tribal ancestors were collected together. Good examples of chambered cairns can be seen at Camster, Cnoc Freicadain, Yarrows (Caithness), Achcoillenaborgie (Strathnaver), Clava (Inverness), Vatten, Kensaleyre, Rudh' an Dunain and Kilmarie (Skye) and other places. Some of these are round and others are long, but they all have chambers inside to hold the ancestors. At the end of the Neolithic, about 4,400 years ago, great enclosures and stone circles were being built. The magnificent examples at Callanish in Lewis or the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney are well known. In Highland we have the sophisticated Clava Cairns near Inverness where burial cairns are surrounded by stone circles and attached to them by stone rays.

Bronze Age – 4,400 to 2,600 Years Ago From about 4,400 years ago travelling metalworkers introduced ornaments and tools made of copper and then bronze (copper and tin mixture), bringing in the Bronze Age. A bronze-worker's open air workshop has been found on the Island of Eigg and a hoard of buried axe-heads has been found in Lochaber. It is an interesting fact that the nearest sources of copper and tin are many hundreds of miles away from the Highlands. The great monuments of the late Neolithic continue into the middle Bronze Age, around 3,500 years ago, after which there was a change to individual burials of important people only. These are often set in stone boxes or 'cists' and have pottery or other finds buried with them. Sometimes they are found inserted into earlier burial cairns.

Some buried evidence of large communal houses dating to the Neolithic has been found, but from the middle Bronze Age we start to get visible evidence in the landscape of round houses (the overgrown stone footings are known as 'hut circles'). These are often surrounded by groups of stone clearance heaps where land has been used for growing crops. Woodland that had grown up since the end of the Ice Age was now being felled in earnest. The climate had improved to a point that it was warmer than it is today. Many hut circles are in areas that are now too high and cold for cultivation.

Iron Age – 2,600 to 1,500 Years Ago The weather seems to have worsened towards the end of the Bronze Age (about 2,700 years ago), and upland houses and fields became abandoned to the encroaching peat. At the same time we find the first clear evidence of conflict - hillforts with great ramparts to protect people and their animals from attack. Some hillfort ramparts in Highland, especially around the Moray Firth, have been set on fire and burned so fiercely that the stones have fused together. This is known as vitrification and it can be seen at Craig Phadraig, Inverness, or Knockfarrel, Dingwall. It is not known why or how this was done. Recent experiments have failed to establish the answer.

At the same time, iron working was being introduced. This requires much higher temperatures to work than bronze but the result is much harder and more durable. Hut circles continue through the Iron Age, and increasingly we find evidence of field boundary walls as well as groups of clearance heaps.

The Roman Empire never conquered the Highlands but nevertheless there was a sophisticated local culture here which traded with the Romans. Caithness is the heartland of the broch, a uniquely Scottish type of round stone tower with hollow walls dating from about 200 BC to 200 AD. Some of these have been excavated and have produced traded Roman finds. The finest

9 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland brochs to visit in Highland are in Glenelg. At Rubh an Dunain on Skye, there is a broch-like stone wall defending a rocky headland, and a variety of other types of Iron Age fort, many of them called duns, are found. Often these make use of natural defensive features such as sea- cliffs.

Duns and brochs were not just for defence. They also indicated the status of the chief who lived there. Crannogs for example would have had limited defensive potential in an age of boat transport as they were houses built on artificial islands, in lochs. Many of these local centres of power seem to have continued in use well into the medieval period - there are references to crannogs still being occupied in the 16th Century.

Another curious type of site associated with the Iron Age is the souterrain. This is a curved underground tunnel built of stone slabs. There are good examples in Skye, Sutherland, and at Easter Raitts in Badenoch. We do not know what they were built for originally but later they seem to have been used for storage and for hiding from enemies. The entrances to souterrains often seem to lead from the inside of houses.

From the 4th Century AD the people of northern Scotland were being referred to by Roman writers as 'Picti' - painted people. These people produced characteristic symbols which are found carved on stone and also on finds of jewellery from the period. Pictish stones are found all over the Highlands, but there is a concentration in the east. Some of the great Pictish carved cross- slabs such as those in Easter Ross are magnificent works of art dating to the 8th - 10th Centuries AD, with influences from Northumbria, Ireland, and Scandinavia. These combine Pictish and Christian symbolism.

The Medieval Highlands - 1,500 to 500 Years Ago Christianity was introduced into the area from Ireland in the latter half of the 6th Century AD. There are many sites associated with early Christian activity, many of them including the place name elements Cille or Kil and Annat. St Maelrubha founded a monastery at Applecross in 673 AD. His grave is supposed to be marked by the Red Priest's stone in Strathnaver, although this is disputed. The early Tarbat monastery at Portmahomack in Easter Ross has been excavated over the last few years by York University, who have found evidence of a range of craft activities including making parchment for manuscripts.

Viking raids began at the end of the 8th Century, and it seems likely that Tarbat was burned down. The Vikings arrived from Norway by way of Shetland and Orkney, and they soon began to settle many coastal areas. Caithness, the coastal areas of Sutherland and Wester Ross, and the Hebrides all came under Norse control as can be seen from many surviving place names. The Hebrides transferred from the Kingdom of Norway to the Kingdom of Scotland after the battle of Largs in 1266, but Orkney and Shetland did not become part of Scotland for another 200 years. Even today the Caithness dialect shows Scandinavian influences. Dingwall was the Thing-vollr, the local Norse parliament, as survives today in the Isle of Man's Tynwald.

The Highlands lay on the great trading seaway from Scandinavia to Ireland, France and Spain, and at Smoo Cave (Sutherland) boat fittings have been found where ships have put in to refit before or after rounding Cape Wrath. Today however there are few Norse archaeological sites that can be visited in Highland. In Caithness there are the remains of extensive settlements hidden beneath sand dunes, and Old St Peter's Church in Thurso has a runic stone built into its wall. Near Thurso can be seen the remains of the Castle of the Norse Bishops at Scrabster and near Wick is the square stone tower of the Castle of Auld Wick. Many local chiefs seem to have continued to occupy Iron Age forts.

The later middle ages, from about 1200 to about 1550 AD, were dominated by the attempts of the kings of Scotland to establish their power over the highlands, including the Earldom of Orkney in Caithness and Sutherland, and the Lordship of the Isles in the west. The Lords of the

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Isles were the successors to the largely independent kingdom of Man and the Isles. In an attempt to divide and rule, chief was set against chief. The insecurity of the times encouraged the growth of the clan system. There are still many castles surviving from this period built by clan chiefs: on Skye alone there are Duntulm, Dunvegan, Brochel, Knock, Dun Sgathaich and Castle Maol. Anglo-Norman lords such as the De Morays in Sutherland and the St Clairs (Sinclairs) in Caithness were granted estates in the area, and they too established castles. Alexander Stewart, the 'Wolf of Badenoch' had his at Ruthven, where fragments of wall can still be seen beneath the 18th Century barracks. Towns such as Inverness were also established as centres of trade and royal power. These burghs were however confined to the east, around the Moray Firth - there do not seem to have been any foundations in the west.

King James IV repeatedly visited the shrine of St Duthac at Tain in the early 16th century, combining pilgrimage with political expediency. Medieval kings could made use of church organisation to help them establish control in their territories. The bishopric of Ross was established by the 12th Century with its centre initially in Rosemarkie, then later at Fortrose Cathedral.

However in much of the Highlands it was also a time of flourishing Gaelic culture and learning, with extensive links to Ireland, the Isle of Man, and continental Europe. Medical science, music, poetry and art all received patronage from clan chiefs. St Columba's Isle, near Skeabost on Skye was the cathedral of the Bishops of Sodor (i.e. Sudreyar, the Norse Southern Isles) and Man until they moved to Iona in 1499.

Apart from castles and the remains of a few churches, there is little later medieval archaeology that can be seen today. Most houses seem to have been built using wood, peat, and thatch and most household items were also made of organic materials. Everything was recycled. However it seems very likely that many remains of deserted villages dating to the 18th and 19th Centuries are sitting on top of earlier houses and fields: once you have cleared the stones from the land in the Highlands, why move unless you have to?

The 'Post-Medieval' Period - 500 Years Ago to Modern Times In the 17th Century, the Covenanter Wars left battle sites at Auldearn and Carbisdale, and Montrose was imprisoned after his defeat at Ardvreck Castle in Sutherland. Oliver Cromwell established forts to control the Great Glen, including one at Inverness, now almost disappeared except for one corner of the rampart still visible in Lotland Street near the harbour. Cattle droving began to develop as a way of life - Highlanders could raise cattle and sell them on to drovers who took them to markets in central and southern Scotland and on to England. In the early - mid 19th Century many drovers and cattlemen emigrated to become the cowboys of the American West.

In 1688, King James VII (II of England) was ejected by his daughter Mary and son in law (and cousin) William Prince of Orange. There followed a series of uprisings to restore James and his heirs, whose supporters were known as Jacobites (Latin Jacobus - James). Following the rising of 1715, the British Government began a national mapping programme, the Ordnance Survey, and also a programme of military road building to control the Highlands. These roads generally followed droving routes and were to form the basis of the modern road network. Barracks were built at Ruthven in Badenoch and Bernera in Glenelg, and major new Forts were built at Fort William, Fort Augustus, and near Inverness at Fort George at Ardersier. This last is still in active military use, although also open to the public. In 1745 the Jacobite army under James's son Bonnie Prince Charlie used the military road over the Corrieyairack Pass on its way south, and finally assembled at Ruthven Barracks to disband after the defeat at Culloden. Not all Highlanders supported the Jacobites, but all suffered the consequences after the '45, as the British Government made serious attempts to destroy the local culture. The lands of Jacobite clan chiefs were confiscated and given to government supporters or sold.

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However, for over two hundred years successive kings and governments had already been encouraging Highland chiefs to see themselves as landlords rather than leaders of men. Many of them were now living beyond their means and looking for increased income to support their lifestyles. As the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions took off in England and southern Scotland, tenants found themselves evicted to make way for large-scale commercial sheep farming to supply the woollen industry and the new urban markets. Estate owners meanwhile built new houses and monuments. Around the Cromarty Firth, a grain trade developed and girnals (storehouses) were built by the shore like that at Foulis. Attempts to introduce new employment meant the establishment of fishing stations like Ullapool and Pultenytown (Wick), as well as engineering and mining enterprises at Brora. The slate quarries at Ballachulish in Lochaber supplied much of Scotland with roofing, while Caithness flagstones came to pave the streets of towns and cities around the Empire. However for many people there was terrible hardship, especially after a series of famines in the 1840s, and many emigrated, leaving their villages deserted.

At the same time, the mid-19th Century saw the growth of a romantic Highland image promoted by Sir Walter Scott and others, and so admired by Queen Victoria. It also saw a rapid decline in the sheep prices after the end of the Napoleonic War. These both encouraged the development of shooting and fishing estates in the highlands where the wealthy could 'get away from it all' among the hills and moors. Some of these survive, but in other cases they have given way to other forms of land management. They have left shooting butts and lodges and other features in the landscape. Railways encouraged the growth of tourism, and Strathpeffer developed as a spa village where people arrived to take the waters.

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3.2 Field Survey

3.2.1 Controlled Topsoil Strip

The site was visited on May 12th, 2014. The weather was sunny, with occasional clouds and a cool easterly breeze.

The controlled topsoil strip was undertaken by a small 3600 digger fitted with a 1.2m wide flat bladed bucket. The digger scraped away the topsoil in a series of layers, exposing the soil gradually to reveal any archaeology, until natural geology was encountered.

The entire length of the proposed access track (see Plate 14), together with the mound on which the proposed dwelling is to be sited (see Plate 15) was investigated. An isolated 2.5m long x 1.2m wide test pit (see Plate 16) was also excavated underneath a bed of nettles, some 10m to the south of the proposed dwelling site.

The natural geology of boulder clay, comprising orangey-brown sand with gravels and cobbles, was encountered at a maximum depth of 400mm in a low-spot at chainage 71m from the east. The depth of topsoil was at its thinnest (75mm) on the sloping sides of the mound (chainages 124m-129m and 137m-142m), on which the proposed dwelling is to be sited.

3.2.2 Field Report Style

This report contains information on any existing recorded archaeology from a comprehensive desk-based assessment. It also details any archaeological remains discovered during the field survey, which may be affected by the proposed operations.

Included at the start of each feature is:

First Line  Feature/Find Number, unique to this report  Feature/Find Type  Site Name  Possible Age or Period

Second Line  Ordnance Survey National Grid Reference  GPS Reading Accuracy in metres

Third Line  Highland Council HER Reference Number

Fourth Line  Whether Feature Appears on Ordnance Survey Map  Plate No

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3.2.3 Field Results

In total, there were 6 archaeological features/finds, none of which had been previously recorded. All features/findspots are plotted on the Feature Location Aerial Photograph of Appendix IV.

Feature 1. Ceramic Sherd. Aultcraggie. ?19th Century. Grid Reference: 287956 905414 (5m). HER Reference: Not on HER. Not on OS maps. Plates 1 & 2.

A 40mm x 16mm x 4mm thick ceramic sherd rim, white glazed on both sides with a blue fleur- de-lys on its inside convex face was discovered in the spoil, at the same location as Feature 2 (below).

Feature 2. Ceramic Sherd. Aultcraggie. ?19th Century. Grid Reference: 287956 905414 (5m). HER Reference: Not on HER. Not on OS maps. Plates 3, 4 & 5.

A 25mm x 14mm x 4mm thick ceramic rim, pale green glazed on its inside concave face, unglazed red clay on its outside convex face was discovered in the spoil, at the same location as Feature 1 (above).

Feature 3. ?Plough Marks. Aultcraggie. ?19/20th Century. Grid Reference: 287947 905412 (5m). HER Reference: Not on HER. Not on OS maps. Plate 6.

At a depth of 250mm, three parallel light-coloured ‘stripes’ were discovered at the bottom of the trench. They range in size from 25cm wide to 10cm wide and, although they are at a very low angle with the trench and the field boundary immediately to the north, they may possibly be plough marks at the turn of the plough. Incidentally, as visible in Plate 6, there is an old Scotch plough propped against the wall at this location.

Feature 4. Wall Coping Stone. Aultcraggie. ?19th Century. Grid Reference: 287937 905409 (5m). HER Reference: Not on HER. Not on OS maps. Plates 7-10.

At a depth of 220mm, a breccia sandstone block, coarsely carved into a rectanguloid shape, 77cm x 43cm x 26cm in size was discovered at the bottom of the trench. It was discovered fractured in two unequal sections, the fracture passing vertically through a 9cm deep, 5cm square hole carved into its upper face, set around a third in from the narrow end of the block. At the base of the hole, a lead plug remained in situ.

On a corner of the block, at the end nearest the hole, half of a 25mm diameter cylindrically drilled hole remained. This is the tell-tale mark of pre-splitting quarrying, where a hole is drilled into a rock face or large boulder, using a ‘jumper’ – an iron chisel held by one man and another man hitting it with a drill hammer. After each strike with the hammer, the jumper is rotated slightly and the hole, when eventually formed, would then either be filled with a small charge to blast the rock apart or a wedge to force it apart. This technique was widely used in the 19th

14 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Century (Dr M Bangor-Jones, pers com). The author has seen examples of this technique lying on the hillside on the southern slopes of Killen Rock, 1km to the west, and it is thought that this is where the block may have been quarried.

The stone would have rested at the top of a stone dyke and carried an iron fence post, sealed into the stone with lead, supporting strands of wire to form a post and rail fence on top of the dyke, for extra height, probably to keep out deer. It is possible that this block was rejected and abandoned as it split into two pieces on taking the iron post.

There was no similar stone set atop the adjacent dry stone field dyke immediately to the north, or any sign of iron posts or wire rail.

Feature 5. Glass Sherd. Aultcraggie. ?19th Century. Grid Reference: 287933 905407 (5m). HER Reference: Not on HER. Not on OS maps. Plate 11 & 12.

A 30mm x 19mm x 6mm thick, very pale green glass sherd was discovered in the spoil. It is slightly concavo-convex, indicating it may have been a piece of a large bottle.

Feature 6. Tiled Field Drain. Aultcraggie. ?20th Century. Grid Reference: 287930 905406 (5m). HER Reference: Not on HER. Not on OS maps. Plates 13 & 14.

At a depth of 220mm, a functioning tiled field drain, orientated north-south, was discovered at the bottom of the trench. The tiles were 15cm wide and were likely locally manufactured at the Brora Brick and Tile works.

15 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

4.0 Conclusions

The aim of this desk-based study and subsequent controlled topsoil strip was to determine whether there was any archaeology within the proposed development area and to record and survey anything discovered in detail.

This aim was achieved with 6 archaeological features/finds being recorded, none of which had previously been recorded in the field.

Nothing present, previously recorded or newly discovered during the survey, could be regarded as being of National or Regional significance as per Scottish Planning Policy or Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP). Indeed, the recorded archaeology is regarded as being only of very minor importance, interesting though it is in the evolution of an early 19th Century croft.

16 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

5.0 Recommendations

Care should be taken during the development phase that none of the archaeology adjacent to the route of the access or the dwelling site itself is affected by any machinery/plant associated with the construction phase of the project.

Should any archaeological features be discovered during any planting operations, the Highland Council’s Historic Environment Team should be contacted immediately.

In summary:

 Be mindful of known archaeology outwith survey area during any construction operations

 In the event of any discovery of archaeological remains, immediate contact must be made with Highland Council’s Archaeology Unit for advice

17 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

References

Adam, R. J. 1972. Papers on Sutherland Estate Management.

Am Baile website: http://www.ambaile.org.uk/smr/

Gray, James. 1922. Sutherland and Caithness in Saga-time.

Gunn, Rev. Adam. 1897. Sutherland and the Reay Country.

Loch, James. 1834. Memoir of the First Duke of Sutherland.

MacBain, Alexander. 1926. Place Names of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

MacKay, Rev. George, 1840. Parish of Clyne. The New Statistical Account of Scotland.

National Archives for Scotland.

National Library of Scotland website: http://www.nls.uk/maps

Northern Times newspaper articles - various.

Nicolaisen, William F. H., 2001. Scottish Place Names.

Omand, Donald. 1982. The Sutherland Book.

Ordnance Survey maps – various.

Ross, Rev. Walter, 1791-99. Parish of Clyne. Old Statistical Account of Scotland.

Valuation Rolls; Parish of Clyne.

Watson, William J. 1926. The History of Celtic Place Names of Scotland.

18 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Appendices

Appendix I Site Location Maps

Appendix II Summary Table of Features

Appendix III Existing Historic Environment Record Sites

Appendix IV Feature Location Map & Aerial Photograph

Appendix V Highland Council’s Archaeological Planning Conditions

Appendix VI Archaeological Project Design

Appendix VII Plates

19 Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Appendix I – Site Location Maps

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

N

10km

Regional Location Map

Site

N

1km Site Location Map

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Appendix II – Summary Table of Features

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Feature No Easting Northing Type Age HER Ref 1 287956 905414 Ceramic Sherd ?19th Century Not on HER 2 287956 905414 Ceramic Sherd ?19th Century Not on HER 3 287947 905412 ?Plough Marks ?19/20th Century Not on HER 4 287937 905409 Wall Coping Stone ?19th Century Not on HER 5 287933 905407 Glass Sherd ?19th Century Not on HER 6 287930 905406 Tiled Field Drain ?20th Century Not on HER

(see details in section 3.2 - Field Survey)

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Appendix III – Existing Historic Environment Record Sites (All adjacent to the site)

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland ID: MHG19087 Type of record: Monument Name: Aultcraggie

Grid Reference: NC 8790 0540 Map Sheet: NC80NE Civil Parish: CLYNE Geographical Area: SUTHERLAND

Monument Types  FARMSTEAD (Post Medieval - 1560 AD to 1900 AD)

Other References/Statuses  Historic Environment Record: MHG19087  NMRS NUMLINK Reference: 91158  NMRS Record Details: NC80NE46 AULTCRAGGIE  Old SMR Reference Number: NC80NE0063

Full description A farmstead comprising two roofed and two unroofed buildings and three enclosures, and a partly enclosed field are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Sutherland 1879, sheet xcviii). Two roofed buildings, two enclosures and some field walls are shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10560 map (1964).

Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 25 October 1995

******************

ID: MHG10809 Type of record: Monument Name: Aultririe

Grid Reference: NC 8780 0559 Map Sheet: NC80NE Civil Parish: CLYNE Geographical Area: SUTHERLAND

Monument Types  HUT CIRCLE (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)

Other References/Statuses  Historic Environment Record: MHG10809  NMRS NUMLINK Reference: 6479  NMRS Record Details: NC80NE33 AULTCRAGGIE  Old SMR Reference Number: NC80NE0033

Full description An isolated hut circle situated within an associated field system.

The hut measures 8.0m in diameter between the centres of a wall obscured by peat growth. The entrance is in the E arc. The field system, occupying the lower SE slopes of a hill, comprises stone clearance heaps with occasional lynchets visible.

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland A burial cairn with remains of a short cist is prominently situated on the N edge of the field system, see NC80NE 29.

Surveyed at 1:2500.

Visited by OS (N K B) 4 December 1975.

******************

ID: MHG10944 Type of record: Monument Name: Aultcraggie

Grid Reference: NC 8770 0530 Map Sheet: NC80NE Civil Parish: CLYNE Geographical Area: SUTHERLAND

Monument Types  HUT CIRCLE (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)

Other References/Statuses  Historic Environment Record: MHG10944  NMRS NUMLINK Reference: 6457  NMRS Record Details: NC80NE15 AULTCRAGGIE  Non-Statutory Register (C)  Old SMR Reference Number: NC80NE0015

Full description Settlement and Field System (NR) (4 huts shown 'A'-'D'. OS 25" map, (1971)

Enclosures (NR) OS 6" map, (1964)

A settlement of four huts ('A'-'D') situated within a well-preserved associated field system discovered during field investigation and surveyed at 1:2500 in 1961.

All huts are obscured by peat growth with their entrance in the E or SE arc. Measurements in each case are between wall centres.

'A' is 9.0m in diameter, 'B' and 'C' are 13.0m in diameter and 'D' is oval, 10.0m E-W by 8.0m N- S.

The cultivation plots of the field system are delineated mainly by stone clearance heaps with occasional field walks and lynchets.

Revised at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (E G C) 17 July 1961 and (J B) 4 December 1975.

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Appendix IV – Feature Location Map & Aerial Photograph

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

MHG10809

MHG19087

MHG10944

Highland Council’s Historic Environment Record Map of the area surrounding the site

Approximate 1 & 2 site boundary 4 3 6 5 25m

Location of Features/Finds discovered during this survey

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Appendix V – Highland Council’s Archaeological Planning Conditions

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland 14/00797/PIP – Erection of house at Land 115m SW of Vaila, West Clyne, Brora

The application lies within an area where prehistoric remains are recorded. Specifically, the remains of prehistoric settlement are located a short distance (c.100m) to the west, north-west and south-west of the application site. There remains the potential for associated archaeological features or finds to be directly affected by the development. While the risk is not such as to warrant a full archaeological excavation, it is important that the nature and extent of any archaeological features should be identified and recorded before destruction. Site clearance work, the construction of an access road and the digging of services should be done under archaeological supervision so that if necessary any recording can be done without causing undue delay or inconvenience for the development.

Please therefore attach the following condition (ARC 4) to any consent issued.

Prior to the commencement of development, proposals for an archaeological watching brief, in accordance with the attached specification, to be carried out on site clearance and excavation works shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the Planning Authority. No site clearance or excavation works shall take place until such proposals are agreed. The agreed proposals shall be implemented. Reason: In order to protect the archaeological interest of the site.

A controlled topsoil strip will ensure that that any features uncovered will be adequately recorded, while causing minimum delay to the development. Please supply the attached specification for the archaeological work to the applicant. This represents the minimum standard of work necessary in this case. The applicant will need to engage the services of a professional archaeologist.

The archaeological work will result in a report by the archaeologist appointed which will be lodged in the Highland Historic Environment Record (HER), where it may be consulted for research. Archaeological contractors are asked to send copies of such reports direct to us. We will advise you of receipt and confirm that they form a satisfactory record.

Please let me know if you need anything further at this stage.

Regards

Kirsty

Kirsty Cameron|Archaeologist|Historic Environment Team

Highland Council|Environment|Development & Infrastructure|Glenurquhart Road, Inverness.

IV3 5NX|T: 01463 702250

HER|Historic Environment Record|http://her.highland.gov.uk

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT TEAM, PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT SERVICE SPECIFICATION FOR A CONTROLLED STRIP

Erection of house at Land 115m SW of Vaila, West Clyne, Brora 14/00797/PIP

1) Summary This specification details the work required to fulfil the archaeological condition of this planning consent. It represents the minimum standard of work necessary to meet the needs of this condition and should be supplied to tendering archaeological contractors.

This project may impact on valuable features of historic and archaeological importance. In view of the archaeological potential/sensitivity of the site, HET advised that archaeological mitigation is required. The implementation of this brief will meet the concerns raised.

This brief is for a controlled strip which will enable any discoveries to be recorded quickly and efficiently as they appear with minimum delay or disruption to the development. If significant deposits are encountered, recommendations for further measures necessary to mitigate the impact of the development must be made.

This specification has been produced for the applicant who will be responsible for the work and costs, including any tendering and contractual arrangements. This brief must be read with reference to the Highland Council Standards for Archaeological Work document that sets out in detail who is responsible for what, as well as the terms of reference, objectives, method, monitoring and reporting arrangements.

The Standards for Archaeological Work is available on our webpage at http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourenvironment/conservation/archaeology/developmentguidance

2) Archaeological Background The application lies within an area where prehistoric remains are recorded, including the remains of prehistoric settlement c.100m to the west, north-west and south-west of the development area. There is potential that further unrecorded buried remains survive within the application site and will be impacted by the proposed development.

3) Objectives To identify and record any features or objects of archaeological importance that could be damaged or destroyed by this development, while minimising any delays or disruption to the development project.

4) Methodology Baseline information should be gathered through desk assessment of existing cultural heritage records and sources of information in advance of the start of works.

Controlled Strip Following any required felling works, archaeological monitoring is required during all site groundworks for this application, including all site clearance work, access roads and service arrangements. Topsoil stripping (using a smooth-bladed bucket) of the entire application site must be monitored and guided by an archaeologist so that any buried archaeological features can be identified, recorded and/or appropriate mitigation put in place to ensure their preservation.

All recovered artefacts and ecofacts must be subject to a programme of postexcavation analysis and the results incorporated into a final report.

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland The Historic Environment Practitioner must refer to the minimum standard requirements as laid out in the HC Standards for Archaeological Work. This specification itself is not comprehensive or definitive - tendering Historic Environment Practitioners will need to determine for themselves the methodology that will deliver the required product. This should be laid down in a Project Design and agreed with HET in advance of the start of site works. The project design should be submitted at least one week before work onsite is due to start. The start of archaeological work will be subject to the submission and approval of this document.

5) Schedule & Monitoring The Historic Environment Practitioner is responsible for agreeing arrangements for monitoring with HET staff. We will monitor projects as necessary to ensure that minimum standards are met. Prior notice of fieldwork starting dates, with contact names, telephone numbers and arrangements for access must be given to HET in advance of the start of works.

The Historic Environment Practitioner must make a short progress report (by telephone) to HET for every week of fieldwork undertaken. Any unexpectedly significant or complex discoveries, or other unexpected occurrences which might significantly affect the archaeological work and/or the development must be notified by the Historic Environment Practitioner immediately to the applicant and HET. The finds or features must be left in situ until arrangements have been agreed for safeguarding or recording them. In the meantime work may continue on other areas of the site.

6) Products Following completion of the fieldwork, an archive and report will be produced and disseminated according to the standards set out in the HC Standards for Archaeological Work. The report should describe the nature of the field work undertaken; the conditions and limitations within which the work was carried-out; the results that were obtained and recommendations for mitigation and/or further work, as appropriate. Further work may include additional fieldwork, postexcavation analysis, specialist studies and publication.

All work will be undertaken according to the Code of Conduct, Standards and Guidance of the Institute for Archaeologists.

The brief has been produced specifically for this scheme based on documents supplied at the time it was issued. It is valid for one year from the date of issue. Where work is not carried out in full within that time, a revised specification may be issued.

This brief has been produced by the Historic Environment Team, to whom any enquiries should be addressed. No one else has authority to vary its terms.

Highland Council Historic Environment Team Tuesday, 8 April 2014 www.highland.gov.uk/yourenvironment/conservation/archaeology

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Appendix VI – Archaeological Project Design

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland 14/00797/PIP – Erection of house at Land 115m SW of Vaila, West Clyne, Brora

Archaeological Project Design

Client: Mr Lonie Mackintosh Archaeological Contractor: Dr Nick Lindsay

Introduction

The developer intends to erect a dwelling and construct an access road from an existing private road leading to the dwelling Vaila (formerly Aultcraggie), West Clyne, Brora.

As a statutory consultee in the planning application process, the Highland Council’s Historic Environment Team (HET) applied a condition for an archaeological watching brief be carried out during site operations.

HET Condition

Prior to the commencement of development, proposals for an archaeological watching brief, in accordance with the attached specification, to be carried out on site clearance and excavation works shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the Planning Authority. No site clearance or excavation works shall take place until such proposals are agreed. The agreed proposals shall be implemented.

Method

Prior to any field investigation, a Desk Based Assessment will be carried out using readily available cultural heritage resources.

Once this project design statement is agreed (or modified) by the HET, a controlled strip of the topsoil along the line of the access track and of the dwelling site itself will be made by the client in his own excavator using a flat, 1m wide bucket. All controlled stripping will be done under the supervision of the archaeological contractor and as per HET Specification

Any archaeological features discovered will be recorded; if deemed major, they will be reported to the HET and all site works will cease.

Reporting of Results

Upon completion of site works, a final report will be submitted to the HET, as per HET Specification.

Nick Lindsay 5th May, 2014

8

Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Appendix VII – Plates

Note: the orange and yellow tape measure used as a scale in the following plates is 1.0m long, unless a close-up.

Plate 1: Feature 1 – White glazed ceramic sherd with blue fleur-de-lys. Plate 2: Feature 1 – White glazed ceramic sherd (edge).

Plate 3: Feature 2 – Pale green glazed ceramic sherd (inside). Plate 4: Feature 2 – Unglazed red clay ceramic sherd (outside). Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Plate 5: Feature 2 – Pale green glazed ceramic sherd (edge). Plate 6: Feature 3 – Possible plough marks (from SW) – note plough to rear.

Plate 7: Feature 4 – Wall coping stone with hole in situ (from SE). Plate 8: Feature 4 – Wall coping stone with hole in, after removal. Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Plate 9: Feature 4 – Hole in upper face of wall coping stone for inserting iron post. Plate 10: Feature 4 – 25mm diameter drilled hole in corner of wall coping stone.

Plate 11: Feature 5 – Glass sherd (convex, outer side). Plate 12: Feature 5 – Glass sherd (edge). Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland

Plate 13: Feature 6 – Functioning tiled field drain. Plate 14: General view of trench along proposed access road (from E).

Plate 15: General view of mound at proposed dwelling site (from W). Plate 16: View of trench under nettle bed below mound of Plate 15 (from SW). Aultcraggie, Clyne, Sutherland