Inchnadamph with moated site just beyond stone wall: Image: AOC/Historic Assynt
Archaeologists are set to explore an enigmatic moat close to a church in a remote corner of north west Sutherland in Scotland, hoping to find evidence of early Christian practice.
The excavation at Inchnadamph will begin on 18 February. The local community history society, Historic Assynt, hopes that excavation of the ancient moated enclosed area will help to explain the origins of perplexing fragments of a stone crossfound at the site.
Early ecclesiastical foundation?
Graeme Cavers, AOC Archaeology’s project manager for the dig, said:
“The Inchnadamph site is very unusual in western Sutherland, and there are a number of theories as to what the enclosure might be. The best bet is that it dates to the medieval period, as it is most similar to moated sites of the middle ages found across Scotland, but mainly in the south.
The association with the Inchnadamph cross fragments is particularly intriguing, and it is also a possibility that the site is an early ecclesiastical foundation – perhaps one of the first Christian settlements in Assynt. Getting some dating evidence for the construction will be of major significance in helping narrow down the possibilities.”
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