Dr Nyree Finlay FSAScot and Dr Paul Duffy FSAScot found the support of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland vital in revisiting unpublished excavations by celebrated Argyll author Marion Campbell.

Along with her partner Mary Sandeman, Marion Campbell FSAScot (1919-2000) undertook the first archaeological survey of Argyll reported in the Proceedings in 1962 and her excavations at St Columba’s Cave were the focus of attention for Chris Tolan-Smith in his 2001 monograph The caves of Mid Argyll: an archaeology of human use.

Digging at Clachbreck, Loch Caolisport in Argyll identified an earlier Bronze Age cist cemetery, a palisaded enclosure and later bloomery activity in an early example of community-led rescue archaeology involving local people and school children. Since 1972, the Clachbreck assemblage has been part of Alex Morrison’s unpublished archive with some additional material transferred from Glasgow Museums collections ten years ago to reunite the collection. Staff, early career researchers and students are working towards publication and onward museum divestment, using legacy projects like this one to maximise learning and engagement opportunities for students, contributing to both national and regional research agendas, and realising their social and civic potential. For recent outputs on another Morrison legacy excavation see Kirkcaldy cists.

Tooth container from Clachbreck cist D © University of Glasgow

While aspects of the archaeology of the regionally important prehistoric burial site at Clachbreck have been in the public domain since 1988 and reported in the RCHAMS Argyll volume, it has never been comprehensively studied. Ongoing research aims to address this by realising full site publication and modern assemblage re-evaluation. Two of the complete food vessels from the excavations were conserved by Kilmartin Museum and now form part of the new displays. Prior to this, the ceramic assemblage was subject to detailed analysis by Marta Innes, funded by the Society in 2022. New studies are ongoing on other elements of the site assemblage.

In total ten cists were excavated and five food vessels recovered. Funding from the Society in 2024-5 has enabled new osteological studies of the human remains by Paul Duffy. Surviving bone preservation is poor with many treated with carbowax and little evidence of pathologies. However, the presence of at least 10 individuals can be determined from the inhumations recovered from the site, whilst the cremated remains indicate at least four further people. The cremation deposits indicate well-tended pyres and suggest bodies that were partially fleshed and probably articulated. Adults, children, male and female individuals are all represented and three of the cists contained the remains of more than one individual, with children found together with adults.

Bone container from Clachbreck cist I © University of Glasgow

This new analysis has been accompanied by aDNA sampling of five suitable individuals as part of the ‘aGB: A Thousand Ancient Genomes from Great Britain’ project led by Pontus Skoglund at The Francis Crick Institute. This will assess pathogen aDNA survival that has the potential to inform wider understandings of cultural change and mobility given the recent identification of plague elsewhere in Bronze Age Britain (Swali et al 2023). To date, initial results of the analysis are starting to yield new information on the sexing of several individuals from Clachbreck which mitigates some of the interpretative constraints of poor bone preservation. Radiocarbon dating of three of these individuals is in train and further teeth isotope work planned if funding can be secured to explore aspects of lifetime mobility.

In addition, the site archive contains items pertinent for rewriting the ‘herstories’ of Scottish archaeology and material with which to evaluate Marion Campbell as an excavator and examine in detail her avocational archaeological work practices that were undertaken with Mary from home. The archive includes correspondence about the site, plans and letters to Jack Scott. A large assemblage of original finds containers and packaging evidences the reuse of domestic items among them oatcake and biscuit tins, typewriter ribbon containers and chocolate boxes, a Sandeman sherry box and the repurposing of used matchboxes and cigarette packets. Local butcher’s labels and cut-up pieces of Christmas cards and personal letters were used as finds labels. All are being recorded as an integral part of the site archive and as an illustration of archaeological housework and curation practice.

Any Fellows who have stories to share of Marion and Mary or memories of the Clachbreck dig itself are encouraged to contact project lead Nyree Finlay (Nyree.Finlay@glasgow.ac.uk) as part of wider research informing planned future exhibition and other events to celebrate the legacies of these archaeological women and their endeavours to better understand ancestral Argyll.

References

Innes, M. (2022). Back to the Bronze Age. https://www.onfife.com/blog/back-to-the-bronze-age/

RCAHMS. (1988). Argyll: an inventory of the monuments volume 6: Mid-Argyll and Cowal, prehistoric and early historic monuments. Edinburgh: RCAHMS.

Swali, P., Schulting, R., Gilardet, A. et al. (2023). ‘Yersinia pestis genomes reveal plague in Britain 4000 years ago.’ Nat Commun 14: 29-30. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38393-w

Tolan-Smith, C. (2001). The caves of Mid Argyll: an archaeology of human use. Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph 20.