North Uist, Balranald
Cist (Early Bronze Age)(Possible), Inhumation (Early Bronze Age), Midden (Bronze Age), Beaker (Pottery)(Bronze Age), Unidentified Pottery (Bronze Age)
Site Name North Uist, Balranald
Classification Cist (Early Bronze Age)(Possible), Inhumation (Early Bronze Age), Midden (Bronze Age), Beaker (Pottery)(Bronze Age), Unidentified Pottery (Bronze Age)
Canmore ID 9998
Site Number NF76NW 9
NGR NF 7161 6823
NGR Description Centred on NF 7161 6823
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/9998
- Council Western Isles
- Parish North Uist
- Former Region Western Isles Islands Area
- Former District Western Isles
- Former County Inverness-shire
NF76NW 9 centred on 7161 6823
NF 716 682 Beaker pottery found here in 1976.
Information from Miss M Harman to Ordnance Survey, 1976.
Sherds of pottery and quartz flakes from this site were donated to NMAS by Miss M Harman.
Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1979.
On north shore of inlet to Loch Paible, at the base of exposed machair edge, a length of midden is visible over a maximum distance of 100m; in one area it is 0.95m thick but generally is 0.6m thick. It is underlaid by a possible old ground surface which is visible in section for c 200m. Several sherds of cord-decorated beaker, quartz pieces and animal bone have been recovered from this exposure.
I Shepherd, A Shepherd and C Maclean 1978.
A small Beaker midden is visible in the shore face of the tidal channel dividing Balranald from Paiblesgarry. Sherds were retrieved per Mr Alex MacAulay, Paiblesgarry and deposited at the NMAS. Probably the same site as above.
I Crawford 1978.
Field Visit (April 2008)
NF 7161 6823 During the course of a field visit by members of the Society in April 2008 it was noted that two small stone settings were eroding out of the sandy cliff face within 5m of the NGR for previously reported Beaker pottery (DES 1978, 35, 36). The settings were about 2m apart and appeared to have been constructed in the same strata of sand. Each consisted of two on edge slabs set approximately at right-angles to each
other, between which was a dark layer covered by a layer of rounded quartz pebbles. Given that Beaker pottery was found close by, it seems possible that these represent the largely eroded remains of cists, although other interpretations are possible.
Funder: BEVARS
Mick Miles (BEVARS), 2008
Excavation (9 April 2009)
NF 7161 6824 Following a report to Western Isles Council that a burial was eroding out of the beach at Balranald a small excavation was undertaken to recover the archaeological remains before further erosion occurred. The project fell in the remit of the Historic Scotland human remains call-off contract. The burial had already been partly excavated and backfilled but had previously suffered from the effects of erosion. A skeleton was exposed but had been disturbed by erosion and many of the bones were not in their original
position. The remains were recorded and removed to Glasgow for temporary storage on the 9 April 2009. A small sherd of possible Beaker pottery was also recovered.
Funder: Historic Scotland
Robert Will – GUARD
Field Visit (31 May 2012)
The area of sand-dune excavated in 2008 appears to have been back-filled and the vegetation has since stabilised. No evidence of midden, stonework or other features was seen on the date of visit.
Visited by RCAHMS (AGCH, IP) 31 May 2012.
Note (2020)
Balranald
This burial site in Western Isles was a focus for funerary practices in the Bronze Age period, between 2200 BC and 1501 BC.
Prehistoric Grave Goods project site ID: 60044
CANMORE ID: 9998
Total no. graves with grave goods: 1
Total no. people with grave goods: 1
Total no. grave goods: 2
Prehistoric Grave Goods project Grave ID: 72321
Grave type: Cist
Burial type(s): Inhumation
Grave good: Pebble
Materials used: Quartz/Quartzite
Current museum location: Unknown
Grave good: Pot
Materials used: Pottery
Current museum location: Unknown
Further details, the full project database and downloads of project publications can be found here: https://doi.org/10.5284/1052206
An accessible visualisation of the database can be found here: http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/grave-goods/map/
