Excavation and Watching Brief Report
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Highland Archaeology Services Ltd Bringing the Past and Future Together Kirkmichael, Balblair, Black Isle Excavation and Watching Brief Report Kirkmichael Excavation Report October 2017 Kirkmichael, Balblair, Black Isle Excavation and Watching Brief Report Report No. KML16-1 Site Code KML16 Client Kirkmichael Trust Planning Ref n/a OS Grid Ref NH 70590 65855 Date/ 06/10/2017 revision Author Lynne McKeggie Summary Excavations and a watching brief were conducted by Highland Archaeology Services ltd as part of the redevelopment of Kirkmichael Kirk, Resolis in order to satisfy Scheduled Monument consent. A watching brief was conducted throughout ground-breaking works from August 2016 to August 2017 to enable installation of drains, paths, services and signage. An excavation to lower the floor levels of the Kirk was undertaken in October and November 2016. Excavations within the Kirk revealed an earlier phase of wall and some material that may be related to a building or renovation phase. There was also a considerable depth of modern material, including wooden box-like structures and excess soil from grave digging. Many modern artefacts were recovered including bottles and vases. A scatter of 17th and 18th century coins are thought to have been imported with grave digging material, along with many disarticulated and fragmentary human remains. The human remains have undergone basic analysis and have been reinterred within the graveyard. Twenty monumental grave ledger slabs were recorded during the watching brief of works for the installation of new paths and drains. All the slabs were able to be preserved in-situ. No other artefacts of interest were recovered during the watching brief. Fragmentary disarticulated human remains were recovered, assessed, and reinterred within the graveyard. This report sets out the findings and includes basic analysis of the artefacts and human remains recovered. No further work is recommended. 2 Kirkmichael Excavation Report October 2017 Contents Summary ....................................................................................................................................................... 2 Contents ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 List of Figures ....................................................................................................................................... 3 List of Plates ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Location ........................................................................................................................................................ 5 Legislation and Policy ................................................................................................................................... 7 Background ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Test Pitting ................................................................................................................................................ 7 Excavation..................................................................................................................................................... 8 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Results ....................................................................................................................................................... 9 Trench 1 ................................................................................................................................................ 9 Trench 2 .............................................................................................................................................. 15 Watching Brief ............................................................................................................................................ 16 Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 18 Trench 3 .............................................................................................................................................. 18 Trench 4 .............................................................................................................................................. 19 Trench 5 .............................................................................................................................................. 20 Trench 6 .............................................................................................................................................. 24 Trench 7 .............................................................................................................................................. 24 Trench 8 .............................................................................................................................................. 26 Trench 9 .............................................................................................................................................. 26 Trench 10 ............................................................................................................................................ 27 Mausolea ............................................................................................................................................. 28 Post-excavation Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 29 Human Remains ...................................................................................................................................... 29 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................... 31 Appendices .................................................................................................................................................. 32 Appendix 1 – Human Remains Report ............................................................................................... 32 Appendix 2 - Review of Previous Documentary Research ................................................................ 39 Appendix 3 – Context Register ........................................................................................................... 43 Appendix 4 – Small Finds ................................................................................................................... 48 Appendix 5 – Bulk finds ..................................................................................................................... 50 Appendix 6 – Selected drawings ......................................................................................................... 57 List of Figures Figure 1: Site Location .................................................................................................................................. 5 Figure 2: Site Plan (courtesy of Architect) with initial proposals ................................................................. 6 Figure 3: Trench 1 with phases 1 and 2b .................................................................................................... 10 Figure 4: Bone caches, phase 4 ................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 5: Trench layout ............................................................................................................................... 17 Figure 6: Stones 2 and 3 .............................................................................................................................. 20 Figure 7: Plan of kirkyard showing stone slabs uncovered during watching brief ..................................... 22 Figure 8: Stone 6 - sword stone with inscription ........................................................................................ 23 3 Kirkmichael Excavation Report October 2017 List of Plates Plate 1: Organic floor layer in Test Pit 1 (2013) (50cm scale) ..................................................................... 8 Plate 2: Wooden structures from phase 3 (2m & 1m scales) ...................................................................... 11 Plate 3: Roots tacked to structure 020 (40cm & 20cm scales) .................................................................... 11 Plate 4: Bone cache (context 021) (40cm scales)........................................................................................ 12 Plate 5: Shroud pins .................................................................................................................................... 13 Plate 6: Flint arrowhead (SF4) and ‘gold earrings’ (SF9) ........................................................................... 14 Plate 7: Modern material from phase 5 (2m & 1m scales) ......................................................................... 15 Plate 8: Lower