The Big Dig 2021 — Update 2

The good news is that we have started to raise the funding needed for the analyses of the many finds from the September dig.  The MacDougall Clan Society of America has generously provided a grant of £1500 specially for work on the bone samples.  This will allow Angela Boyle  to complete the cleaning of the bones, to start her evaluation and, we hope, to select Petrous bones to be sent to the Crick Institute for full DNA analysis under the “One Thousand Ancient British Genomes” scheme.  It’s an exciting thought that we could soon know a lot more about the people who lived on the island in the medieval period..

Meanwhile, applications have been submitted to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, The Hunter Trust, the Royal Archaeological Institute and the Society for Medieval Archaeology.  We hope that we will be successful in securing funds for the evaluation of all the other finds:  pottery, metal objects, coins, metal working slag, wood and carved stone, as well as radiocarbon dating.

There is still unfinished business in the glebe.  Donny MacCormick has allowed us to leave the “roundhouse” trench open, covered with a membrane and secured with a covering of old tyres.   We need to get back to the trench for another week to finish the work on the floor levels of the two buildings to allow dating – are they prehistoric, Early Church or later medieval?   In the coming week, we’ll restart Crowdfunding to pay for a final week in the glebe, probably in May.   Depending on the weather, we may need to keep pumping the trench!   All hands will be welcome for a very intensive dig.