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Lewis, Swainbost
Furnace(S) (Period Unassigned), Midden (Period Unassigned), Wall (Period Unassigned), Slag
Site Name Lewis, Swainbost
Classification Furnace(S) (Period Unassigned), Midden (Period Unassigned), Wall (Period Unassigned), Slag
Canmore ID 4430
Site Number NB56SW 14
NGR NB 50584 63760
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/4430
- Council Western Isles
- Parish Barvas
- Former Region Western Isles Islands Area
- Former District Western Isles
- Former County Ross And Cromarty
NB56SW 14 505 637.
In erosion hollow, slag and bowl furnace bottoms. Walling and midden material are also being exposed.
M MacRae 1983.
NB 5054 6373 A number of artefacts were found during an archaeology walk undertaken by the local Young Roots Youth Group, accompanied by a local archaeologist, as part of an investigation into local archaeology sites. They were all recovered from one site (NB56SW 14). The material is eroding from a windblown sand dune and lies as a spread measuring approximately 4 x 6m. Part of a stone wall is eroding from the same dune.
The finds consist of: 52 body sherds and three rim sherds of local hand-made pottery; eight fragments of stone pot-boilers; assorted mammal bones, including sheep and cow (two sheep bones show butchery marks); four quartz flakes; a triangular piece of shaped Gneiss; a stone pot lid; a fragment of burnt flint; some undiagnostic corroded iron objects, including possible nails; seven pieces of slag, and one furnace lining; several limpet and whelk shells; two small square pieces of copper sheeting (c 7 x 7mm ), one with a hole punched through it; and a possible saddle quernstone (large beach pebble with pecked hollow in surface).
Sponsors: HLF, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
G Cunningham 2004
Soil Sampling (4 March 2003 - 12 March 2003)
AOC Archaeology were grant aided by Historic Scotland for a second successive season of fieldwork related to a partnership project to assist a PhD studentship investigating the Marine Reservoir Effect, as well as a further project which includes analyses of Plaggan Soils. A total of 25 potential sites were visited to ascertain their potential for sample retrieval relating to the two projects described above.
None of the ecofactual or artefactual material noted at any of the sites visited could be described as being in secure contexts. The material was either within what appeared to be deposits interpreted as topsoil, in unstratified spreads, which were eroding out of the overlying eroding windblown sands, or in the case of Galston within deposits which appeared to have slumped down from above. In light of this no samples were taken for the PhD studentship concerned with the Marine Resevoir Effect. Some soil micromorphological samples were, however, taken in the connection with the study into Plaggan soils. These samples will be reported on at a later date.
AOC Archaeology - Alan Duffy (2003)
Field Visit (17 March 2013)
Concentration of abundant fire-cracked cobbles and layers of peat ash and charcoal exposed in the SW eroding face of a dune. The site is adjacent to a fresh water spring. Pottery, bone and occasional fragments of slag are present. The site is located c. 20 west of a recorded metalworking site number 3750 (NB56SW 14).
Visited by Scotland's Coastal Heritage at Risk (SCHARP) 17th March 2013
Field Visit (11 April 2015)
Many more substantial areas of charcoal apparent along with fallen edges of dunes exposing further possible stone structures in situ and fallen into lower sand bank.
Visited by Scotland's Coastal Heritage at Risk (SCHARP) 11 April 2015
