Killeonan

NR61NE 13 684 188.

For bronze sword from 'Argyll', see also NM82NW 21.

(Area NR 684 188) Two important deposits of Late Bronze Age objects, which were found on the farm of Killeonan on two separate occasions about 1884 and 1908 respectively, may have originally belonged to a single hoard. The earlier find comprised five swords, a chape, a spearhead and eleven flint flakes, while the second consisted of the bronze prongs and butt of a flesh-fork and a fragmentary sword. The swords, chape,spearhead and flesh-fork, the last of which is the only Scottish example of its class, all date to the late 8th century BC.

The first group was found during ploughing and the second in clearing a drain (RCAHMS 1971), both by the same man, Duncan MacShannon (Information from D Colville to OS, 1960).

All are now preserved in Inveraray Castle.

RCAHMS 1971; J M Coles 1962.

537. (Ewart Park type - Northern unclassified). Sword hilt and shoulder. Length 40.3mm, shoulder width 4.9cm, maximum blade width 3.3cm: dark khaki patins, some corrosion; rivets, ?:4, none in situ.

580. (Ewart Park type - Caledonian step 1). Sword in two pieces, length 64.9cm (together), terminal width 3.5cm, shoulder width 5.6cm, maximum blade width 4.9cm; patina, dark khaki to black, rather shiny and well cast; in good condition. Rivets, 1 (+1 bl): 2, none in situ.

581. (Ewart Park type - Caledonian step 2). Complete sword, length 55cm, terminal width 4cm, shoulder width 4.9cm, maximum blade width 4.3cm. Edge slightly battered and eroded towards ricasso. Patchy dark khaki patina; much of original surface showing. Rivets 2:2, none in situ.

582. (Ewart Park type - Caledonian step 1). Complete sword, length 60.2cm (together), terminal width 4.3cm, shoulder width 5.2cm, maximum blade width 4.8cm; edge battered and eaten by corrosion toawrd hilt. Shiny dark khaki patina, original surface showing on most of blade. Rivets, 2 (+1 bl): 2, none in situ.

588. (Ewart Park type - Caledonian step 2). Sword, length 64.4cm, terminal width 3.8cm, shoulder width 4.9cm, maximum blade width 4.7cm. Rivets, 2 (+ 2 bl): 2 (+ 4 bl), none in situ.

597. (Ewart Park type - Caledonian unclassified). Sword blade, length 43.6cm, maximum blade width 4.6cm. Khaki patina.

These swords were reported in association with a spearhead, a chape fragment and about 15 flint flakes. The earliest account (PSAS 19) mentions the complete hord comprising five swords, all drawn by Lady Campbell. A later description (Palace of History) assigns two further swords to the hoard, as correlated below. Palace of History no. 2 is described as 'found in Argyllshire' but correlates exactly with no. 6 in PSAS 19, so that this provenance appears unlikely. The one sword (no. 16) in the Palace of History list which certainly does not belong to the Killeonan I hoard does not appear in the Killeonan II list either. Both RCAHMS and the PSAS list describe only five swords, and the description in Palace of History of one sword 'found in Argyll' (plus a label in the case wrongly attributing 'Argyllshire' to a hilt fragment which fits a sword blade) may indicate that we have a sword somewhere which does not belong to the hoard; it is suggested that this is Palace of History 16, our no. 1 (NM82NW 21).

All are now preserved in Inveraray Castle.

Concordance PSAS 19 Palace of History

1 (NM82NW 21) - 16 (Schmidt and Burgess no. 464)

2 3 17

3 2 19

4 4 3

5 6 2

6 - 10 (Schmidt and Burgess no. 537)

7 5 24

P K Schmidt and C B Burgess 1981.