Find Spot record MHG29586 - Balmacara House

A polished stone axe was found in 1999 in the grounds of Lochalsh House. The axe measures 144mm long, is 70mm wide at the blade end and 33mm wide at the butt end. It is made of a course granite-like stone which has been ground and polished. The axe is currently with the Treasure Trove Advisory Panel in Edinburgh. A small exploratory excavation was carried out by M Wildgoose at the find spot to determine the context of the find and to establish if an ancient site survived beneath the turf of the garden. No evidence was found relating to an ancient site. There are at least four possible ways that this axe could have arrived at the find spot: an ancient loss; a relic from an ancient site destroyed when the gardens were landscaped; cast out or lost from the house; any of the previous and then unwittingly used as packing for the drain. <1>