Suspected Crime Scene Revealed as Burial Site from Scotland's Iron Age

Applecross (Scottish Gaelic: A' Chomraich) is a peninsula north-west of Kyle of Lochalsh in the council area of Highland, Scotland. In July 2015, during renovation work on a property in Applecross skeletal remains were found under a kitchen floor. At first there was a suspicion that it was an 18th Century murder scene. An archaeologist, Cathy Dagg and a colleague were joined by Applecross Archeological Society to carry out the excavation of the site. As work continued more bones were uncovered and it became clear that it was a multiple burial site. A considerable amount of painstaking work was undertaken to match the bone fragments to each skeleton. It was eventually determined that the bones had belonged to a total of six different people. The Applecross Estate then paid for carbon dating to be completed which led to the discovery that the bones dated to Scotland's Iron Age. In Scotland, this period began around 800BC. 

The find was significant, because it is the first Iron Age burial site to be found in this area of the west Highland coast. This is because of the acidic soil where remains would not have survived. Although burials had been found north and south of Applecross, preserved in the soils of sandy coastal meadows known as machair. The reason the Applecross bones survived was because the bodies were buried in an area of "storm beach", comprising cobbled stones which had helped to keep the remains dry. Further helped by being protected from the elements after the building of the property over the site in the early 19th Century. Archaeologist Cathy Dagg will be giving a talk on the latest findings on the discovery at Applecross Heritage Centre in Applecross Hall on Tuesday 28 February.  "Skeletons Under the Floorboards: A Tale of Skuldugerry in Applecross" will take place at the community hall at 7.30pm.