Creag A' Bhodaich
Findspot (20th Century), Hoard (Bronze)(Bronze Age), Palstave(S) (Bronze)(Bronze Age)
Site Name Creag A' Bhodaich
Classification Findspot (20th Century), Hoard (Bronze)(Bronze Age), Palstave(S) (Bronze)(Bronze Age)
Alternative Name(s) Craig-a-bhodaich
Canmore ID 6418
Site Number NC76SW 22
NGR NC 7199 6196
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/6418
- Council Highland
- Parish Farr
- Former Region Highland
- Former District Sutherland
- Former County Sutherland
NC76SW 22 7199 6196.
(Area: NC 720 621) A MBA hoard consisting of two bronze palstaves was found by Patrick MacKay, Swordly, in 1906 while he was repairing the dyke which encloses the hill pasture of the parish minister.
'The spot where the implements were discovered is about 140 yards above the confluence of the Crask streamlet with the Burn of Farr (NC 7193 6205), and near the base of a rock about 7 yards from the east bank of said burn. The place has all the appearance of having been a rock- shelter or lean-to, for the rock, which is about 12 feet in height, overhangs a little, and would be very suitable for a lean-to house.'
The palstaves lay side by side on a small shelf near the base of the rock, in such a way that they could noo have been hafted when deposited and they still bore pronounced marks of casting. They had probably been deposited not earlier than 1100 BC. The larger of the two is 6 7/8" long by 1 3/4" in maximum width, the other 6" long by 1 7/8" in maximum width. They were purchased for the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland [NMAS] in 1909 (DC.90+91).
A Mackay 1909; J M Coles 1966.
An outcropping rock at NC 7199 6196, about 80.0m SE of the stream junction, fits the description of the find spot.
Surveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (J L D) 28 April 1960 and (R L) 7 July 1971.
Hoard found 1906 by P Mackay of Swordly near the confluence of the Crask and the farr, at the base of a rock. The findspot was about 7' from the E bank of the Farr at the foot of Craig a' Bhodaich. The axes lay side by side on a small shelf in a rock shelter.
846. (Bronze palstave; midribbed variant of Shelf type). Palstave, rough, porous, brown, thick butt, untrimmed casting seam (?); length 175mm, butt 24mm, stop-height 13mm, cutting edge 42mm, weight 510 gms. NMAS DC 90.
878. (Bronze palstave; trident variant of Shelf type). Palstave, rough, brown, casting flaws near the stop, trimmed casting seam; length 151mm, butt 22mm, stop-height 13mm, cutting edge 49mm, weight 410 gms> NMAS DC 91.
A mould for spearheads was found in the immediate neighbourhood in 1906.
P K Schmidt and C B Burgess 1981.
