Fios - The North Lewis Weekly : 31 March 2000
Preparations being made to dig into history of the Clan Morrison

Preparations are well underway for a detailed archaeological survey of Dun Eistean during the spring and summer months. The former island fortress, which is located near the village of Knockaird, is considered by the Clan Morrison to be their ancestral home.  Comhairle archaeologist Dr Mary MacLeod made a visit to the site last week with Dr Steve Driscoll from Glasgow University�s Department of Archaeology, who will have overall responsibility for the survey. Also accompanying them were Joan Morrison from Comunn Eachdraidh Nis and Chris Barrowman.  Archaeologists Mr Barrowman and his wife Rachael will both be actively involved in the actual excavation once it commences. Mr Barrowman is currently completing the final part of his PhD at Glasgow and the couple will be settling in their home in Eorodale once he completes his studies later this year.

Also visiting Dun Eistean last week was Lt Col Crawford Stoddart, the Commanding Officer of the Royal Artillery range in Uist. He had been approached by the late Viscount Dunrossil in the hope that the Army might possibly help with bridge building and the logistics of getting people safely to and from the island site.

Speaking to Fios earlier this week, Col. Stoddart said that he was very interested in helping the project wherever possible. However, as the officer humorously put it, his "area of expertise is knocking down bridges, not building them." Therefore, it is unlikely that his regiment would play an active part in the proposed work.  In support of the proposals, Col. Stoddart said that he would be getting in touch with the General Officer Commanding the Army in Scotland, based in Edinburgh, and would outline what was required in order to see if the Army was in a position to assist.  The Royal Engineers, which is currently serving in Bosnia and Kosovo, is normally the regiment that specialises in this type of work, though other units such as the local TA could also be of invaluable help in improving access facilities.

It is envisaged that the archaeological work on Dun Eistean will commence in April when a group, that will include archaeologist, students and local volunteers, will carry out a topographical examination and map the area in detail. In May, a geophysics team will then arrive and use specialist equipment to build up a picture of structures that may be hidden underground.  After the survey details have been recorded and examined by the archaeologists they will be better able to plan the excavation itself, which is scheduled to take place in September.

The first meeting of the project�s management committee took place in February. The question of site access and the administration of the �20,000 fund that had been raised over the past year by the American branch of the Clan Morrison were some of the issues discussed by the group.

The new committee includes Morrison Clan Chief Dr Iain Morrison, Katie Mary MacKenzie and Joan Morrison from Ness, Simon Fraser and archaeologist Mary MacLeod.  The recent death of the Committee Chairman, Lord Dunrossil, will be a severe setback to the project. As well as being a cousin of Dr Morrison and a major link between the Clan and the survey team, the 73 year old Uist based Morrison was also an enthusiastic participant in the Dun Eistean project.

The medieval fort on the island is classed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and it is anticipated that the survey will reveal new evidence.  The area of coastline near Dun Eistean is rich in archaeology and, during a walkover survey last September, participants observed various features that suggested valuable historical material still remained undiscovered under the soil.

Mary MacLeod, who led this expedition, said that the sites found near Dun Eistean were not easily dateable without the more comprehensive survey that is being proposed for this year. However, she suggested that the grassy mounds that they found were the result of building and rebuilding on the same site over the centuries. Given their proximity to the Dun, Dr MacLeod believes that these sub-soil structures also date to medieval times.

NOTE:

Lord Lyon recorded the current official Morrison clan tartan in 1968. The pattern was based on a piece of cloth that was found with an old Morrison family bible that was rescued during the demolition of a Lewis blackhouse in 1935. The old bible contained a hand-written reference to the tartan and was dated 1747, a year after the wearing of Highland dress was forbidden by the Crown. Given the evidence, Lord Lyon believed that it represented the most authentic pattern of what the Morrisons would have worn during the 18th century and he based the new tartan on the material found on Lewis.