The Archaeological Landscape of Bute

17 November 2010

RCAHMS new book about the archaeology of Bute – which documents discoveries by dozens of volunteers and local history enthusiasts – is being launched at Rothesay Castle this Saturday by Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.

Teams of volunteers, working alongside an RCAHMS survey team, used handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) units to record over 900 known and new archaeological sites in just 12 weeks of survey work during 2009 and 2010.  Together they identified 185 previously unrecorded archaeological sites on Bute, including a significant burnt mound site near Kilmichael farm on the north west of the island which could have been used to cater for large-scale Bronze Age feasts. Bute’s local history society and local volunteers played a major part in the project, including helping to locate and identify archaeological sites on the island.  Their survey work is part of the Discover Bute Landscape Partnership Scheme (DBLPS), a three-year partnership project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Begun in 2008, its objective is to complete the most detailed-ever survey of the island.

One of the project’s key long term aims is to provide training in archaeological recording techniques for the community, giving them the skills required to continue the work initiated by RCAHMS and DBPLS.

Speaking about the project, Michael Russell MSP said "Getting a community involved in its past produces great benefits for the present and the future.   By understanding where we have come from, we can have an informed discussion about what we want to do next and place in context the difficulties of the present moment.   But it is also great fun to discover the unknown and the unexpected and I am full of praise for the Landscape Partnership and the Royal Commission who have demonstrated wonderfully how local and national can work together for the benefit of both the place and the country."

Written by RCAHMS archaeological investigators George Geddes and Alex Hale, The Archaeological Landscape of Bute draws on the survey results of this unique partnership project to create the most comprehensive ever guide to the island’s sites of historical interest.

Out now priced £7.50

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