Islay, Knockangle Point
Inhumation (Early Medieval), Long Cist (Early Medieval)
Site Name Islay, Knockangle Point
Classification Inhumation (Early Medieval), Long Cist (Early Medieval)
Alternative Name(s) Cnoc Aingil
Canmore ID 37671
Site Number NR35SW 2
NGR NR 3183 5117
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/37671
- Council Argyll And Bute
- Parish Kildalton And Oa
- Former Region Strathclyde
- Former District Argyll And Bute
- Former County Argyll
NR35SW 2 3183 5117.
(NR 3183 5117) (information from RCAHMS). A long cist in the sandhills on Knockangle Point was first reported in 1960 (Hodkinson 1960) when "bones, a piece of flint, and a worked, rounded piece of slate" were removed from it. When excavated in 1972, about a third of the cist had been destroyed but enough remained to show its complex structure; it had been inserted into the highest point of Cnoc Aingil, a sand dune, built up on a rock outcrop. The cist structure was covered by a rough capping of stones and earth. Two horizontal levels were present in the cist structure, the upper level was filled with sand. The remains of an inhumation, probably buried in a flexed position were found in the lowest level of the cist; the few remaining bones were donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS). The surviving length of the cist was about 1.4m. A possible date in the middle centuries of the first millenium AD is suggested.
J N G Ritchie and A Ritchie 1977; R Hodkinson 1960; NMAS 1975; RCAHMS 1972.
NR 3184 5117 The cist, destroyed by the excavation (information from RCAHMS), was situated near the summit of a sand dune on Konckangle Point. Four schist slabs from the cist lie scattered around the site.
Visited by OS (TRG) 19 June 1978.
Excavation (September 1972)
NR 318 511. A long cist, situated near the summit of a rock outcrop in the sand-hills at Knockangle Point, was first reported in 1960, when 'bones, a piece of flint, and a worked, rounded piece of slate' were taken from the open end' (Hodgkinson 1960). The cist was excavated by the Commission's officers in 1972 - and by this time about one-third of it had been destroyed by erosion - and the following account is a summary of the published report (Ritchie and Ritchie 1977). The cist, which was aligned E and W and was covered by a rough capping of stones and earth, was made up of two main structural elements: the burial compartment itself, which measured about 1.4m in surviving length and 0.5m in breadth, was constructed of overlapping side-slabs and a series of capstones and contained the scant remains of a flexed inhumation; the upper part of the cist comprised further uprights and cover slabs and was filled with sand, but there were no Finds to suggest the purpose of this feature. Although there is no indication of date other than the structure and alignment of this long cist, it is likely that it belongs to the Early Christian Period.
RCAHMS 1984, visited September 1972
Measured Survey (September 1972)
The cist at Knockangle Point was surveyed at 1:20 during its excavation by RCAHMS. The plans and sections were redrawn in ink and published at a reduced scale (Ritchie and Ritchie 1977; RCAHMS 1984, fig. 59A)
Measured Survey (1979)
RCAHMS surveyed the dun at Cnoc Grianail in 1979 at 1:400 using plane-table and self-reducing alidade. The plan was redrawn in ink and published at a reduced size (RCAHMS 1984, fig. 108A).
