Digging into Auchindrain’s hidden past

AUCHINDRAIN got the Time Team treatment as archaeologists and youthful volunteers revealed more about a history overgrown for generations. Last Saturday’s Fyne Food, Fyne Ales and Fyne Music open day had an archaeological dig as its centrepiece. A dozen young people with disabilities or from disadvantaged backgrounds took part in the excavation of two ruined buildings, professionally supervised by experts from Glasgow-based GUARD Archaeology under lead archaeologist Maureen Kilpatrick. Among the young diggers were four from France, Campbeltown Grammar School pupil James Ives and Lochgilphead High School’s Ewan McGregor. Together they cleared away decades of undergrowth and peaty mud from two ruins close to the Auchindrain visitor centre. A cobbled floor was revealed, along with what appeared to be a place for keeping livestock complete with ‘grip’ or channel for excrement. But there are tantalising clues that the buildings may once have been family homes. Excitement grew as trowels turned up colourful broken crockery, glass galore, pill bottles, earthenware jars and other remains of everyday life a century or more ago – domestic rubbish, in effect. Bob Clark, Auchindrain’s curator and director, explained a little about what is known about the history of the buildings being excavated. ‘The 1789 plan of Auchindrain shows a group of buildings in the area of the excavationbut by 1921 this byre was in ruins,’ he said. ‘What I believe happened was that as families grew in the early 19th century, they built new houses just a few scores of yards away, and the remains of these can be seen today. The older buildings eventually fell out of use as houses and were re-purposed by the people as byres.’ Mr Clark added: ‘The young people we have had here this week have had a great time. This initiative has offered them the chance to experience things they would never have had the chance to otherwise, and we hope it might spark something in them for the future.’ The excavation was made possible by £10,000 of funding from the National Lottery and £3,500 from Museums Galleries Scotland. The project is the result of a partnership between Auchindrain, Xchange Scotland and Dig It! 2017.

06_a32Auchindrain03 Florida from Brittany, Emilie from the French Indian Ocean island of Réunion and Campbeltown Grammar pupil James Ives get stuck in with trowel and shovel.

06_a32Auchindrain01 The uncovered remains of a 19th-century byre ‘grip’ or excrement channel.

06_a32Auchindrain02 Archaeologist Johnnie Gallacher of GUARD Archaeology records the site.

06_a32Auchindrain05 Broken bottles, earthenware and domestic crockery were found, as well as various items of metalwork.