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MHG57173 - 17th-century peat burial - Clayton Hill, Keiss

Summary

A woollen doublet found on a virtually complete skeleton was unearthed in peat cutting at Clayton Hill, Keiss, Caithness, in 1975, and proved to belong to a young man of about 17.

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A woollen doublet found on a virtually complete skeleton was unearthed in peat cutting at Clayton Hill, Keiss, Caithness, in 1975, and proved to belong to a young man of about 17.

At about 1.30pm on Saturday 24 May 1975, whilst two men were cutting peats on the peat bank at Clayton Hill, Keiss, Caithness, they uncovered a human skeleton in the moss. They reported the find to the police, who removed the body for analysis. The police report states that the skeleton was lying about 3ft deep in the moss with the head towards the east and the feet towards the west. Particles of flesh on the face and body appeared to be in a semi-preserved state as a result of the action of the moss. The skeleton had been wrapped, as pieces of cloth were still visible. Along the length of the body lay a 'simmons'. Two large slabs and three smaller stones had originally been laid on top of the body. It is also stated that the body was in the one corner of a slight mound. <1>

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Location

Grid reference	Centred ND 3319 6339 (2m by 2m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	ND36SW
Civil Parish	WICK
Geographical Area	CAITHNESS

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