North Kessock, Bellfield

NH 64 48 Late Bronze Age clay metalworking moulds, including fragments of sickle moulds, unique within the UK, were discovered in 2008 – 10 prior to housing development at Bellfield (DES 2010, 98). A consequent multi-phase ‘Feats of Clay’ community project to raise public awareness of the significance of the finds was commenced in 2013 – part of which was a research study to determine the most likely source of local clay and to compile a catalogue of all known Bronze Age metalworking finds from Easter Ross, Cromarty, East Inverness and Nairn.

Clay samples, obtained from seven possible Black Isle sources near to N Kessock, were fired into briquettes and thin-sectioned at NMS. They were microscopically examined in Stockholm University for matrix ‘fabric’ and mineral lithic content. These were compared with thin sections made from the mould finds. The ‘best match’ was with clay sourced from Munlochy Bay. A catalogue has been produced which contains details of 162 reported finds (61 EBA, 21 MBA, 76 LBA, 4 unspecified BA), including 4 copper and 10 gold items. A set of five maps show the geographic distribution of the finds, 64 of which were associated with 14 hoards.

The individual finds comprised: 108 tools (88 axeheads, 7 knives, 5 awls, 3 razors, 2 gouges, 1 sickle, 1 hammer, 1 anvil); 24 weapons (12 spearheads, 3 swords; 4 daggers, 3 halberds, 2 dirks); 18 ornaments (7 bracelets, 3 necklaces, 3 fasteners, 2 pins, 2 rings, 1 torc); 5 miscellaneous items (1 set of bracer rivets, 1 band, 3 debris); 7 moulds (3 stone, 4 clay).

Catalogue entries, where possible, also include a digital image, either taken by members of the research team, or kindly provided by the holding museum, individuals or commercial archaeological companies. Of the 162 finds, 21 are now ‘lost’. For 17 of the ‘lost’ finds there are no known images. Of those items whose location is known, 128 are currently held in Scotland (59 in NMS Edinburgh, 49 in Inverness Museum and Art Gallery), 9 in England (6 in the BM London), 2 in Wales, 1 in Berlin and 1 privately.

Report: The clay mould microscopic studies and the catalogue are contained within the book: Feats of Clay: Bronze Age metalworking around the Moray Firth published by North Kessock and District Local History Society

Funder: HLF, Highland Council Ward Discretionary Fund, and UHI (STEMnet)

Graham Clark (North Kessock and District Local History Society), Trevor Cowie (National Museums Scotland) and Susan Kruse (Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands)

(Source: DES Volume 19)