Iar-mheadhan-aoiseach

Post-medieval – modern c AD 1500 – present

More than 2000 sites across the Outer Hebrides are clearly identifiable as post-medieval. This is more than three times as many sites as all the other archaeological periods combined. Moreover, this is likely to be a gross underestimate of the true extent of the post-medieval archaeological dataset. Certainly, many post-medieval sites across the Outer Hebrides still remain unrecorded, with further unidentified sites of this period amongst the huge number of known, but currently undated, archaeological features. Despite this sizable dataset, very few archaeological research projects or research excavations have specifically targeted post-medieval sites or remains across the region. This is the case across most of Scotland but is arguably a heightened scenario for the Outer Hebrides. Parts of South Uist and Barra’s post-medieval landscapes have been fairly comprehensively recorded as part of the SEARCH project in the 1990s and 2000s (Branigan 2004, Parker Pearson 2010).

Steòrnabhagh (Stornoway) is another area in which the post-medieval period has been reasonably well-researched, largely as an outcome of development control measures across the modern town which have brought to light remarkable discoveries for this period, such as the location of the Cromwellian fort at Eilean na Gobhail (Goat Island, AOC 2019). Continuity between post-medieval and contemporary settlements and townships in many areas of the Outer Hebrides, such as Steòrnabhagh (Stornoway), means that developer-funded archaeology, specifically relating to urban infrastructure developments, is likely to continue providing key archaeological evidence for this period. However, further research, interpretation and synthesis is needed to bring this evidence into wider post-medieval narratives.

Across the Outer Hebrides the rural landscapes across the Outer Hebrides are characterised by the emergence of nucleated settlements, which come to define the overall structure of much of the islands from at least the 18th century onwards. The excavation of a 16th through to 17th century settlement at Druim nan Dearcag, North Uist, makes an important contribution to our understanding of post-medieval settlement patterns, suggesting the presence of dispersed farmsteads at this point and supporting the view that nucleated settlements were a relatively late post-medieval development (Armit 1997c). However, there is clearly more to understand about the development and ancestry of the Hebridean baile, nucleated settlements, and the wider structure of the landscape throughout this period.

Dykes, sheilings, enclosures and lazy beds represent more than half of the known site data for the post-medieval period. Together, these archaeological features have the potential to contribute substantially to our understanding of changing land management and ownership, agricultural, pastoral and transhumance practices, and impacts of forced eviction, elective emigration and relocation on the rural landscape. Surveys undertaken by community groups have vastly expanded and enhanced this dataset in many areas. What is still lacking, however, is reliable dating, a sense of overall chronology, synthesis, critical analysis and interpretation of this existing dataset and its incorporation into meaningful narratives. How post-medieval settlements articulate with earlier and later settlements and landscape structures also requires further consideration.

Alongside distinct settlement patterns and land management practices, the post-medieval period is also defined by episodes of settlement clearance, directly and in-directly forced emigration and population flux caused in part by a series of economic boom and bust industries. Thus, alongside continuity with modern towns and townships, the post-medieval dataset is also characterised by abandoned settlements, clearance villages and the remains of temporary structures and early industrial infrastructure. The excavation of the temporary dwellings at Rubha Ardvule, for example, highlighted the impoverished living conditions of kelp workers living in South Uist during the early 20th Century (Parker Pearson et al 2004, Grant 2019).

Other post-medieval and 20th century industries represented by archaeological remains include mills and kilns of various kinds, fish processing sites and even a whaling station at Bunavoneader in Harris. Archaeological approaches have a lot to contribute to our understanding of the industrialisation of the islands from the post-medieval into the early modern period. Archaeological material also has the potential to provide alternative perspectives on the lives of working and disenfranchised communities that are often missing from historical sources.

The evacuation of the remaining residents of St Kilda in the early 20th century is perhaps the most-well known example of Scottish island emigration, even though in many ways the narrative here was atypical for the islands as a whole. The enduring allure of the St Kilda story, as well the unique preservation conditions post-evacuation, has meant that the post medieval and early 20th century archaeological remains across St Kilda have been unusually well-researched in comparison with other parts of the Outer Hebrides (SIRFA Case Study: St Kilda). The challenge for archaeologists is not only to better integrate St Kilda’s archaeological material into broader Hebridean narratives, but also to use this existing research as an inspiration for wider Hebridean studies of a similar nature. There have been several archaeological research projects across the Highland region in recent years that focus specifically on using archaeological methods for understanding the impacts of The Clearances at a site specific and wider landscape level, including excavations and surveys of Clearance settlements. Since the completion of the SEARCH project, however, no comparable research has been attempted across the Outer Hebrides. There is clearly immense potential for this type of research to provide alternative perspectives and essential detail, texture and balance for this important period of the islands’ past.

Similar to the medieval period, key opportunities for archaeological research relate to the everyday domestic lives of Hebridean communities, with little significant work addressing this broad topic since the late 1990s (Branigan 1990, Smith 1996, Armit and Campbell 1998, Symonds, 1999, 2000, 2011). From at least the mid-19th century, the local housing vernacular across the Outer Hebrides is defined by thick-walled, drystone-built thatched structures, albeit with regional variations, associated with the term ‘blackhouse’. For some island communities this term is regarded as a pejorative, with Taigh Tughaidh (‘Thatched house’) suggested as more accurate and appropriate terminology. Although a number of these types of building have been investigated archaeologically they remain poorly understood (Branigan and Merrony 2000, Raven and Reynolds 2004, Parker Pearson 2010, Nesbitt et al 2013). Under explored topics include the dating and overall chronology of post-medieval and early modern domestic architecture, the origins of distinctive Hebridean domestic vernaculars and their development over time. Just over 250 ‘blackhouses’ are recorded in the local and national HER, which is certainly a very small fraction of the true number of surviving 20th and 21th century traditional thatched houses across the islands. Thatched buildings of this type are known to have been inhabited into the 1970s. What is less clear is when this distinct vernacular first appeared, how it developed, and what these buildings tell us about the lives of island communities, about domestic dwellings and the use of space, and how domestic life changed throughout this period (Walker and MacGregor 1996, Branigan and Merrony 2000).

The Outer Hebrides were important to wider political events throughout 17th and 18th centuries that resulted in shifting national identities and allegiances across Scotland. There is still scope, however, for improving our archaeological understanding of the effects of these wider events on island communities and the impact on people’s everyday lives across the archipelago. Changing economic markets and international trade at a national and international level also had important impacts regionally and archaeology has the potential to contribute substantially to these discussions. For example, our understanding of the range and extent of trade links across the region has been enhanced by developer funded survey at Caisteal Leòdhais (Lews Castle) in Steòrnabhagh (Stornoway), which identified the reuse of imported Baltic roof timbers from an earlier building on the site – the late 17th century-built Seaforth Lodge (Addyman Archaeology 2019). The impact of disease epidemics and environmental changes for island communities also require greater attention. The islands’ military history during this period is also well established historically but has similarly received little attention from archaeological researchers. The archaeology of changing religious identity and presence throughout the post-medieval and modern period is another area where the archaeological material has a potential role (Thacker 2013a, Barrowman 2020).

The almost complete lack of 20th and 21th century archaeological research across the Outer Hebrides stands out compared with other areas of Scotland, where contemporary archaeology has grown substantially as a thriving sub-discipline over the last decade. The strategic significance of the Outer Hebrides during World Wars I and II, and more pertinently the Cold War, is ripe for investigation. The restructuring of much of the settled landscapes around Baile a’ Mhanaich (Balivanich) and Steòrnabhagh (Stornoway), for example, during and post-Cold War is crucial for understanding contemporary island communities and how these have developed and changed. There are exciting opportunities for expanding our understanding of the islands’ recent past, and alongside that the complexity of modern island identities, through existing and new archaeological practices.

The Outer Hebrides’ post-medieval and modern periods represent key archaeological research gaps that deserve focused research attention going forward. SIRFA encourages further data collection, collation and analysis relating to all sites and materials of this period. There is a wealth of recorded oral history material for this period, as well as maps, estate records, historical accounts and photographs to complement prospective archaeological research. It is therefore essential that multi-disciplinary approaches, specifically oral histories, ethnographic and historic sources, continue to play a key role in better understanding this period of the Outer Hebrides’ past. There is also scope for more collaborative, international research.

Communities across the Outer Hebrides have a particular interest and connection with the archaeology of the region’s post-medieval period. Community-focused research practices and wider dissemination of results and findings are therefore encouraged. Developer-funded research has a significant role to play in expanding post-medieval datasets and understanding of this period. The research significance and wider value of post-medieval archaeological remains needs to be emphasised. Accurate and thorough recording of post-medieval structures and material culture needs to be prioritised, alongside dating and post-excavation work where appropriate.

You can download the datasheet for more information on the post-medieval sites and c14 dates from the Outer Hebrides.

Outer Hebrides Post-Medieval Research Questions

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