Monument record 830 - EOCHAR, SOUTH UIST

NF74NE 13 centred 77 46.

Two LBA leaf shaped bronze swords found 'lately' (prior to 1864) at the bottom of 10' - 12' of peat at Iochar in the NW end of S Uist. The findspot was within 100 yards of an arm of the sea on the east side of the main road leading into S Uist. One house was near the place.
One sword, 27" long (NMAS Acc. No. D.L. 3 erroneously reported length 39") was donated to the museum in 1865 by John Gordon of Cluny. The other sword, 24" long, was retained by a Mr MacRory who informed Thomas of the find. A leather sheath was destroyed. Coles describes one sword as a 'Minch' type probably dated about 550 BC.
F W L Thomas 1868; J Anderson 1879; J M Coles 1962.

579 (Ewart Oark type - Caledonian step 1)
Complete sword, L.68.40cm; Term.w.3.95cm; Sh.w. 5.82cm; M.b.w. 4.65cm; pitted surface, especially near hilt, slight black patina; rivets, 2:2. Edinburgh, NMA (DL 3, John Gordon of Cluny Collection).
C B Burgess and I Colquhoun 1988.

461. (Ewart Park type - Northern step 1)
Provenance unknown, probably Scottish Highlands. - Complete sword, with grip outline visible, L. 59.20cm; Term.w. 3.85cm; Sh.w. 4.75cm; M.b.w. 4.00cm; well cast, repair on hilt, patches of black patina; rivets, 2:2, none in situ - Fort William Mus.; part of a collection made by Alexander Carmichael of Lismore, while travelling through the highlands and islands between 1850 and 1910, collecting information for a book on Gaelic Folklore.
C B Burgess and I Colquhoun 1988.

The 'lost' sword has been identified with that held in the West Highland Museum, Fort William, and noted by Colquhoun and Burgess (no. 461).
Both swords are of Ewart Park type, the larger being of the 'Minch' or 'Caledonian' variant, and these finds (along with others in the Western Highlands) appear to repreesent deliberate votive deposition. Information from Mr T Cowie (NMS), 27 January 1994 (MS 735/16).

F W L Thomas, 1864-6, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 252-3, 271 (Bibliographic reference). SWE7731.

J Anderson, 1878-9c, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 327-8 (Bibliographic reference). SWE596.

J Evans, 1881, Ancient bronze implements, weapons and ornaments of Great Britain and Ireland, 289 (Bibliographic reference). SWE9404.

W Henderson, 1937-8, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 173 (Bibliographic reference). SWE3226.

J M Coles, 1959-60a, Proc Soc Antiq Scot, 45, 84, 111 (Bibliographic reference). SWE1435.

C B and I Burgess and Colquhou, 1988, Prahistoriche Bronzefunde, 99-100, no. 579 (Bibliographic reference). SWE15125.