Archaeology Notes

Event ID 778710

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/778710

NF73SW 12 7362 3004

NF 7362 3004 A group of four small trenches were excavated in February 1995 to ascertain whether the site of Bornish House was the location of the medieval and post-medieval settlement of Upper Bornish. Large quantities of 19th-20th century refuse were found in three of the four trenches but only one trench (Trench 3), located immediately N of the present farmhouse, produced evidence for earlier activity. This consisted of a single small sherd of medieval/prehistoric pottery and several small sherds of probable early post-medieval pottery. In the light of these results it appears that the concentration of pre-clearance settlement at Bornish House, as shown on the Bold Map of 1805, is in error. The ruins of many houses S of the road, between the church and the hall, probably constitute this pre-clearance settlement. Whether its medieval precursor was a dispersed or nucleated settlement (Dodgson 1993) is unknown. A medieval building has been discovered at Dun Vulan; other possible locatoins for medieval settlement are the dun in Upper Loch Bornish and the site of the 19th century tacksman's house between Bornish House and Bornish Church.

M Parker Pearson and T Roper 1995.