Condition

1
METAL WORKING SITE
Medieval
4430
MWE4430
Na h-Eileanan Siar

Description

Same as site 3750 The remains of an iron-working complex are visible in an erosion hollow, including furnace bases, walling and midden material. The southwest end of the base of a curving wall is exposed in an erosion hollow of c. 4m square in the dunes at Traigh Shuaineboist at Suainebost (Swainbost). A further stone structure abuts the west side of the wall. All the walls continue northwards into the section. The wall is associated with a lightly compacted layer of friable very dark brown/black organic sand containing charcoal and ash. It could be a former ground surface. The whole area is covered with shells and frequent pottery, bone, and iron slag, with occasional copper slag, and iron and copper fragments. The black deposits and archaeological material extend across the area enclosed by the walling and spreads southwards outside and beyond the wall until it peters out in the grass covered dune. A compacted black layer associated with frequent shell can be seen in the dune section for at least 10m west of the site. It is probably the same layer. Finds recovered from the site include: iron slag and pottery of medieval to post-medieval date, animal bone, heat-cracked stone, quartz flakes, burnt flint, a stone pot lid, iron objects, shells, metal working debris, copper sheeting and a possible saddle quern. In May/June 2017 an evaluation of the site was carried out by MacLeod Archaeology. The results have been interpretated as an early modern iron and copper working smithy and Viking Age settlement mound.
June 2021 There has been significant erosion of the site since the previous update - due to wind, animals and humans. It is more extensive than previously thought spanning much of the southern eroding edge of a large settlement? mound adjacent to the stream. A c. 12m long stretch of walling, 3-4 courses high oriented e-w, is eroding out of the north sand dune side of the small stream. This is associated with thick layers of peat? charcoal and frequent large fish bone (cod?) as well as frequent butchered animal bone - mainly sheep. To the north and higher up the mound more of the walling previously recorded is exposed. This is associated with frequent iron working debris, hearth bases, slag etc. and frequent pottery and marine shell. The relationship between the mound of fire-cracked stone just to the west is not clear. Despite plenty of evidence of burnt fuel at the 'smithy' site, fire-cracked stone is rare and the sites may not be related.

Location

150584.00
963760.00
27700
58.4904480
-6.2816229

Submitted photographs

Image Date Caption User
Mound of fire-cracked stone with metal working site in background. 03/07/2021 Mound of fire-cracked stone with metal working site in background. joannahambly
Mound of fire-cracked stone with metal working site in background.
Eroding walling in section with D-shaped \'smithy\' wall above on the surface, looking north, June 2021 03/07/2021 Eroding walling in section with D-shaped \'smithy\' wall above on the surface, looking north, June 2021 joannahambly
Eroding walling in section with D-shaped \'smithy\' wall above on the surface, looking north, June 2021
Detail of wall and what looks like peat charcoal. Visible bone is nearly all large fishbone. 03/07/2021 Detail of wall and what looks like peat charcoal. Visible bone is nearly all large fishbone. joannahambly
Detail of wall and what looks like peat charcoal. Visible bone is nearly all large fishbone.
Newly exposed Drystone walling in section. 03/07/2021 Newly exposed Drystone walling in section. joannahambly
Newly exposed Drystone walling in section.
Looking northeast June 2021 03/07/2021 Looking northeast June 2021 joannahambly
Looking northeast June 2021
Looking west June 2021 03/07/2021 Looking west June 2021 joannahambly
Looking west June 2021
Looking north, June 2021. 03/07/2021 Looking north, June 2021. joannahambly
Looking north, June 2021.
General view across site, May 2016 17/03/2013 General view across site, May 2016 training1
General view across site, May 2016
Detail of representative industrial residue from ironworking site 17/03/2013 Detail of representative industrial residue from ironworking site training1
Detail of representative industrial residue from ironworking site
Site looking NE, April 2015 17/03/2013 Site looking NE, April 2015 jann
Site looking NE, April 2015
Closer view of top of section above metalworking site 17/03/2013 Closer view of top of section above metalworking site jann
Closer view of top of section above metalworking site
Fe obj on site 25/03/2013 Fe obj on site jann
Fe obj on site
Slag or furnace bases in section 25/03/2013 Slag or furnace bases in section jann
Slag or furnace bases in section
Site looking East, Sept 2014 17/03/2013 Site looking East, Sept 2014 training1
Site looking East, Sept 2014
View to show relationship between the stream; mound of fire-cracked stone (New Site 12477) in the foreground; burnt layers and midden material exposed in the section and with the site just visible in the background. 25/03/2013 View to show relationship between the stream; mound of fire-cracked stone (New Site 12477) in the foreground; burnt layers and midden material exposed in the section and with the site just visible in the background. training1
View to show relationship between the stream; mound of fire-cracked stone (New Site 12477) in the foreground; burnt layers and midden material exposed in the section and with the site just visible in the background.
Closer view of section deposits. Fire-cracked stone in the foreground. 25/03/2013 Closer view of section deposits. Fire-cracked stone in the foreground. training1
Closer view of section deposits. Fire-cracked stone in the foreground.
Black layers visible in section extending eastwards from the site which is visible in the background. Looking S. 25/03/2013 Black layers visible in section extending eastwards from the site which is visible in the background. Looking S. training1
Black layers visible in section extending eastwards from the site which is visible in the background. Looking S.
Site looking South. Note fire-cracked stone in the foreground. 25/03/2013 Site looking South. Note fire-cracked stone in the foreground. training1
Site looking South. Note fire-cracked stone in the foreground.
The site looking South 25/03/2013 The site looking South training1
The site looking South
General view looking NW 25/03/2013 General view looking NW training1
General view looking NW
General view of site looking NE 25/03/2013 General view of site looking NE training1
General view of site looking NE

Submitted updates

Update id Date User
3535 03/07/2021 joannahambly
Coastally eroding? active wind erosion (in dunes only)
Other threats People, animals
Access easily accessible - no restrictions
Description June 2021 There has been significant erosion of the site since the previous update - due to wind, animals and humans. It is more extensive than previously thought spanning much of the southern eroding edge of a large settlement? mound adjacent to the stream. A c. 12m long stretch of walling, 3-4 courses high oriented e-w, is eroding out of the north sand dune side of the small stream. This is associated with thick layers of peat ? Charcoal and frequent large fish bone (cod?) as well as frequent butchered animal bone - mainly sheep. To the north and higher up the mound more of the walling previously recorded is exposed. This is associated with frequent iron working debris, hearth bases, slag etc. and frequent pottery and marine shell. The relationship between the mound of fire-cracked stone just to the west is not clear. Despite plenty of evidence of burnt fuel at the 'smithy' site, fire-cracked stone is rare and the sites may not be related.
The survival of this site is in danger from natural, visitor and animal erosion. Following the limited evaluation undertaken in 2017, a programme of excavation to investigate this important and gravely threatened site is recommended.
Comments A drone survey of the site was carried out by SCAPE in June 2021.
848 17/03/2013 training1
Tidal state Mid
Site located? Yes
Proximity to coast edge Coast edge
Coastally eroding? active wind erosion (in dunes only)
Threats water erosion (e.g. stream, etc)
Visibility above ground Highly visible (substantial remains)
Visibility in section Clearly visible in section
Access easily accessible - no restrictions
Local knowledge is well known
Description The southwest end of the base of a curving wall is exposed in an erosion hollow of c. 4m square in the dunes at Traigh Shuaineboist at Suainebost (Swainbost. A further stone structure abuts the west side of the wall. All the walls continue northwards into the section. The wall is associated with a lightly compacted layer of friable very dark brown/black organic sand containing charcoal and ash. It could be a former ground surface. The whole area is covered with shells and frequent pottery, bone, and iron slag, with occasional copper slag, and iron and copper fragments. The black deposits and archaeological material extend across the area enclosed by the walling and spreads southwards outside and beyond the wall until it peters out in the grass covered dune. A compacted black layer associated with frequent shell can be seen in the dune section for at least 10m west of the site. It is probably the same layer.
Limited geophysics and survey have been carried out on the site as part of the Ness Archaeological Survey, Guard 2007 (Guard Report no. 2378) and material has been collected from it as part of a Young Roots HLF project in 2007. The site is highly vulnerable to wind erosion and damage by grazing cattle and visitor damage. Piles of finds on the site show that people know about it. A possible burnt mound (New Site 12477) is located around 20m west of the metalworking site. This is clearly a very interesting and potentially important archaeological area and would benefit from more detailed survey and evaluation excavation to characterise it properly.
Comments The site location on Canmore (4430)and the Western Isles HER (467) is wrong.

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