The Swartigill Burn, the Black Hole Burn in old Norse has a story to tell. Like all good stories the burn has a beginning, a middle and an end. Let's start at the middle, a wide flat floodplain contained between two high banks. On the north side the burn runs along the edge of the floodplain, below a medieval farmstead. It was not always so, and probably took a route on the opposite side, which also has along abandoned farmstead.
Where we started
Members of the Yarrows Trust had spotted some stonework eroding
out of the burn, and decided to investigate, as the burn in spate
had dislodged some stone.
On cleaning back a small area, we unexpectedly recovered a large
assemblage of pottery from Early to Late Iron Age in date. Some of
the rim shards were everted using the thumb impressions of the
potter, A human touch across two millennia.
ORCA (Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology) and UHI
(University of the Highlands and Islands have contributed much
time and resources to the project.
We have received funding from local funds including:
Lybster and Tannach Informal Learning Fund,
Foundation Scotland through the local Camster and the
Tannach and District Funds.
Year 2 2015 Excavation
A small scale study was undertaken over 5 days, to inform
future,more expansive work on the site. This very modest exercise produced more decorated pottery, a quern rubber,
a hammer stone,and a possible item of personal adornment
made of copper alloy.
Structural remains suggested by the Geophys were
confirmed as wall faces.
Year 3 2016 Excavation
Further work to reveal the supposed sub-rectangular
building suggested by the Geophys. During the course
of this, a large drain feature was exposed, skirting the
outside of the wall face. It would seem to indicate
water management beyond that required for normal
domestic purposes.
Year 5 2018 Excavation
Further investigation of the site, now considerably
enlarged, comprising 3 major structures, labelled A,
a passage feature, B , a large sub-rectangular building
and C, partially revealed to the south of Structure B.
Another structure, through which the burn now cuts
will be separately study.
Year 6 2019 Excavation
It now appears that structure C may be the earliest
structure on the site. Structure B appears to have
been modified throughout its life. Traces of a further
structure, D, are beginning to appear in the SW corner
of the trench. 2 very fine hone stones,
of prehistoric date were recovered
Year 7 2021 Excavation
It now appears that structure C may be the earliest
structure on the site. Structure B appears to have
been modified throughout its life. Traces of a further
structure, D, are beginning to appear in the SW corner
of the trench. 2 very fine hone stones,
of prehistoric date were recovered