Site Event/Activity record EHG725 - Excavation - Tarradale, Cropmark Site near Muir of Ord

Location

Location Tarradale, Beauly Firth
Grid reference Centred NH 5472 4905 (135m by 183m)
Map sheet NH54NW
Geographical Area ROSS AND CROMARTY
Operational Area ROSS SKYE AND LOCHABER
Civil Parish KILLEARNAN

Technique(s)

Organisation

Unaffiliated

Date

1991-1993

Map

Description

In 1986 aerial reconnaissance by the Moral Aerial Survey was extended west from the Moray littoral in order to edxamine the archaeological potential of the coast between the Beauly and Cromarty Firths. One significantresult was the recognition of an extensive cropmark complex located at Tarradale, close to thehead of the Beauly Firth, south of Muir of Ord. These cropmark sites are distributed along an elongated spur of Boyndie Series sands, which is defined on its eastern side by a small stream, while closer to the estuary a former channel of the River Beauly has cut a sharp scarp along its southern edge. Some 180m north-west of this agglomeration of archaeological sites, the sand spur rises to form a prominent saddle,w hich commands extensive vistas over the Firth. It was on this saddle that a further cropmark appeared, on several occasions, during the course of aerial reconnaissance over the Black Isle. This fragmentary mark suggests the presence of a substantial enclosure, the boundary of which was visible as an arc, or corner, following the north-easterly contours of the hill. It therefore appears likely that this boundary may have enclosed a substantial area, possibly up to c. 1.3 hectares. During the early 1990s G D B Jones of the University of Manchester undertook a series of test excavations on this putative enclosure to ascertain its possible date and function. There were three seasons of excavation, before insurmountable changes in the present agricultural regime brought a halt to the research programme. <1>

Sources/Archives (2)

  • --- Text/Publication/Article: R A Gregory, G D B Jones. 2001. Survey and excavation at Tarradale, Highland. Proc Soc Antiq Scot Volume 131. 241-266. Digital.
  • <1> Text/Publication/Article: Jones G D B. Tarradale, Cropmark Site near Muir of Ord. . .

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Record last edited

Jun 14 2016 3:06PM

Comments and Feedback

Do you have any more information about this record? Please feel free to comment with information and photographs, or ask any questions, using the "Disqus" tool below. Comments are moderated, and we aim to respond/publish as soon as possible.