Photographic copy of a watercolour of four wooden vessels recovered from Loch Hempriggs and later presented to the National Museums of Scotland by relatives of Sir Francis Tress barry.

Description Photographic copy of a watercolour of four wooden vessels recovered from Loch Hempriggs and later presented to the National Museums of Scotland by relatives of Sir Francis Tress barry.

Date c. 1895 to 1920

Collection Papers of John Nicolson, antiquarian, Keiss, Caithness, Scotland

Catalogue Number E 49317 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 875778

Scope and Content Watercolour of wooden dishes from Loch Hempriggs, Caithness, Highland Caithness, the most northerly county in mainland Britain, is incredibly rich in prehistoric and historic monuments and landscapes. As well as producing important finds from excavated sites, numerous objects have been found in the landscape, often during peat-cutting. This watercolour by John Nicolson (1843-1934) shows four oval wooden dishes from a moss near Loch Hempriggs, Wick, Caithness. The dishes may have been used for preparing and serving food or as water containers. Alternatively, they may have been mixing vessels associated with some craft process. The dishes were donated to the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh, by representatives of the late Sir Francis Tress Barry (1825-1907) in 1908. Barry was an important figure in 19th-century Caithness archaeology, excavating a number of sites. He also collected objects. As well as painting the objects Nicolson helped Barry excavate many sites. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

External Reference PPD 17

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