Find Spot record 9526 - Swainbost, Ness

Historic Scotland asked GUARD to undertake the evaluation of the find spot of a human burial near Swainbost, Ness, Lewis, as part of the Human Remains Call-off Contract.

The burial was eroding out of a sand face above the high water tide mark. Excavation established the burial was a supine inhumation, orientated north-east to south-west, which had been placed in a grave cut through sand. Only a small proportion of the burial was in-situ and included the left tibia, fibula, the lower part of the right tibia and fibula, tarsals, metatarsals, phalanges, the lower part of the left radius and ulna, and carpals, metacarpals and phalanges.
A trench was excavated, measuring 1.8m north to south by 1.2m east to west, located to the west of the grave. This revealed a significant proportion of the torso of the skeleton had slumped down in a block of sand. An iron ~artefact was located adjacent to the right side of the pelvis.
Sponsor: Historic Scotland
Contractor: GUARD
DES 2001: MacGregor, G 2001, 101

Council for Scottish Archaeology, 2001, Discovery and Escavation in Scotland (Bibliographic reference). SWE41185.

Gavin MacGregor, GUARD, 2001, Swainbost, Ness, Lewis: Human Remains Call-off Contract (Unpublished document). SWE41059.