Archaeology At Yarrows
Mesolithic

Yarrows Broch
9 Sept 2000

Other Sites Around Yarrows
Railway Remains
Dam and waterways to mill
Railway Houses
Water Culverts
Early Lime Kiln
Ruined cairn - burial?
Cairn of Get - horned?
Chambered cairn - unexcavated
Bronze Age cist
Garrywhin Fort - Cattle Stockade?
Hut Circles (Stone Age)
Cairn (Bronze Age)
Standing Stones - part of Stockade?
Cairn and stone rows - fan shaped
Two cists in cairn
Cairn and Stone Rows - also fan shaped
Hut Circles (Iron Age)
Dun (Bronze Age)
Lime kiln - recent
Broch
Pictish cist
Chambered Cairn - ruin
Hut Circle (Bronze Age)
Pre - clearance Settlement
Quarry with possible pier for loading rafts
Clearance Settlement

St Andrews Night 5 October 2002
30 November 2002
St. Andrew's night concert on 30th Nov. for the benefit of the Trust, featuring Elspeth Smellie playing the Clarsach and singing.  Some local artistes also featured.  More announcements later.........

Mesolithic Dig At Oliclett - Open Days 30 June 2002
A chance to see the oldest known sites of man's occupation in Caithness and talk to the archaeologists working on the site.  Between 2 and 4 p.m. Park at Marl Loch (T-junction at top of Yarrows road).  13th, 20th and 27th July.  Waterproof footwear required.  The dig is about 10 minutes walk from the Marl (Brickigoe) Loch, and will be sign-posted.   No dogs allowed.

Minutes of Meeting 3 April 2002 22 April 2002

Report of Meeting 10 April 2002 11 April 2002

Evidence Of Prehistoric Man At Oliclett -7 April 2002
Wednesday 10 April 2002  - 7.30pm - Thrumster Village Hall
Meli Pannet who has been back in Caithness following up her earlier work out at Thrumster following the Mesolithic discovery last year will give a talk on the evidence uncovered so far.  All welcome.
Meli Pannet led a team last summer investigating the discoveries at Oliclett.  She has been in the county periodically over the last couple of years as she completes her studies at Cardiff university.

Minutes Of Meeting 6 March 2002 - 21 March 2002
A flurry of activity is now underway.  Finances being sorted out and activity at the sites.  Donations made and offers from the Wick Society.......................more

19 February 2002
Confirmation Of Early Man In Caithness 7770 Years Ago
News from Dr. Richard Tipping on Carbon 14 results from round the Yarrows Mesolithic site. They have a date of 7770 year BP.(5700 BC) Pollen will therefore be contemporaneous with the archaeology we have found. This takes us back to about the time that Britain became separated from mainland Europe. We      may be looking for a little extra funding from any interested groups, to do the necessary research on the surrounding vegetation, climate and topography of the time of our earliest known Caithness inhabitants.

Yarrows Group To Be Known As "Yarrows Heritage Trust" 5 February 2002
Minutes of Meeting 29 January 2002
This meeting got down to the basics of setting everything in place from appointing office bearers, looking at potential funding and project plans

Yarrows Trust Moving Swiftly Into Existence 2 December 2001
Iain Sutherland of the Wick Heritage Soc., and John Inkster of Thrumster, having drafted a specimen trust deed, their prototype for the Yarrows Trust was produced and discussed at our meeting on Thurs. this week, and a number of people have indicated a willingness to serve as trustees. We have all gone home with a copy of the deed for a final consideration, and will be meeting next Thursday ((6th) at 7:30 p.m. at Thrumster School, when we shall decide formally to adopt what is agreed at that meeting. All welcome to attend 

Notes of Meeting 15 November 2001

2 November 2001
All interested individuals and groups are invited to attend a meeting being organised by Islay MacLeod to discuss the setting up of an archaeological trust to develop and promote the unique heritage of the Yarrows area.   The meeting will take place in Thrumster School on 15 November at 7.00pm

Much of this area is located on the Thrumster estate where the recent work was carried out on the first Mesolithic site ever found in the far north.  But that is only the latest in a vast range of archaeological sites in this one of the richest  places in Scotland.  Recognised by many academics to be one of the best places in the north and indeed the whole country for its diversity of features and time periods it is little known outside Caithness by the general public.

In order to help bring together the necessary funding and expertise to develop and promote this asset in the county the proposal is to form a new trust that would move forward plans and encourage the development for further academic work and the enrichment of local knowledge and the potential for economic development.

The development of another trust at the same time as the Caithness Archaeological Trust may seem like overkill but they would be tackling different aspects.  This new trust would exclusively deal with Yarrows and surrounding area and work with the Caithness Trust to ensure that full advantage was taken of available funding and get access to the expertise available throughout the county and beyond.  A structure is required to move forward proposals and like the proposed steering group for the Caithness Trust a new steering group may be set up to get the necessary preliminary work done. 

This is an exciting new development that has long been talked of " why cannot Caithness take advantage o of its unique heritage and landscape?"  Well this new trust may be one way of beginning that process.  If you are interested you are invited to attend on 15th November, 7.00pm at Thrumster School.  And in a few years we may all be looking back to the days when these new trusts were set up saying why could it not have happened sooner