Monument record 11867 - HOWMORE

NF32NE 36 centred on NF 7653 3655

Assessed as part of the Sheffield Environmental and Archaeological Research Campaign in the Hebrides (SEARCH), this early 20th century farmstead was abandoned only relatively recently. The aim of the research was to characterise the site formation processes on a traditional Hebridean farm and test particular methods of analyses.
Consultation with the previous occupiers revealed the date of construction and the very limited settlement history of the area. (A late 19th early 20th century date for the croft is confirmed by its absence from the OS 1st edition map (Hebrides, South Uist (Inverness-shire), Sheet L, 1881), whereas it is depicted as a roofed building on the 2nd edition map (op cit, 1904).
Different functional areas of the farmstead were selected for excavation and sampling: the byre, kiln, midden, vegetable plot and a stack base.
Subsequent geoarchaeological and paleoenvironmental analyses revealed distinct patterns of resource procurement, use and disposal. The characterisation of such deposits has provided the type of information necessary for modelling the site formation processes of a number of traditional activities and demonstrated the potential of a range of analytical methods in a relatively well-understood context. The success of the methodology suggests that it could be applied to prehistoric sites with a reasonable degree of confidence.

Information from Smith, H. 1996 in Gilbertson et al. 1996

REPORT DATE: 21/01/2003