Part of the SEARCH project, which has incorporated teams from the Universities of Sheffield, Cardiff and Bournemouth amongst others, looking at South Uist and Barra. This study aims to fill the gap of understanding that lies between the Norse and fourteenth century settlements at Cille Pheadair (by Sheffield) and Bornais (by Cardiff) and the largely eighteenth century township of Baile a’ Mhuilinn (by ARCUS).

The landscape of South Uist has presented a rare opportunity to look at a wide and encompassing variety of site types and issues regarding Medieval and later settlement and landscapes. By taking a four pronged approach to the varying environmental zones and forms of remains, it is hoped to gain a rounded understanding of Medieval and later society in South Uist.

A wide strip of sandy machair runs up the west coast of the island, this has covered and preserved whole, multi-period settlements. Due to the fragility of the machair, settlements were often constructed in a foundation of midden. This presents an opportunity to investigate economical activity as well as morphological and distributional patterns. A program of geophysical survey and keyhole trenches has been employed to confirm, locate and date buildings and recover midden material.

A number of crannogs, or artificial islands, as well as natural islands were also occupied in this period. The form of occupation varies from well-constructed houses, to houses built inside Iron Age duns and mortared towers. Most appear to have been lived in by the social elite. Nearly every loch in the lowland zone has been surveyed, and remains studied above and below the water line (in co-operation with Matthew Shelley, University of Edinburgh).

A number of churches were also built on these islands, these have been surveyed. The ruins of a group of churches at Tobha Mor/Howmore were furthered surveyed (in co-operation with King Alfred’s College), and the structural phasing and dating of the site have been re-interpreted. It is hoped that this program of research will be widened to incorporate ecclesiastic sites across the Uists.

The results will be submitted to the RCAMHS and form part of a PhD at the University of Glasgow.

Contact John A. Raven on johna@ednet.co.uk