Five of Renfrewshire’s Best Archaeological Sites and Discoveries
Travel from the Neolithic to the 19th century in Renfrewshire, ‘the birthplace of kings, earls, generals and world-building architects’.
Neolithic Stone Axe from Weaver’s Cottage
The National Trust for Scotland’s Weaver’s Cottage in Kilbarchan takes visitors back to 1723, ‘a time when the village of Kilbarchan was at the heart of Scotland’s thriving weaving industry’. However, digs run by their archaeology team ‘have revealed a far deeper history’.
In 2002, a stone axe made over 4,500 years ago was uncovered in a trench in the back garden of the cottage. Neolithic stone axes were used as tools to cut down forests and shape timber, although some finely made axes crafted from imported materials may have been used as badges of status or for trade and exchange.
The archaeologists also unearthed a human skull dated to AD 1480-1670 (around 350 to 550 years ago), which was likely to have come from the churchyard next door according to the Scottish Archaeological Research Framework (coordinated by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland).
In the Trove entry, Derek Alexander, the Trust’s Head of Archaeology and author of Renfrewshire: A Scottish County’s Hidden Past, notes that ‘the axe and the skull may have been antiquities perhaps collected in the 19th century that were eventually thrown away.’ He added that ‘archaeology lends itself to the study of the everyday. We find what’s been broken and thrown away, and it’s from those findings that we learn about real life.’
Weaver’s Cottage, Kilbarchan (Image credit) Billy McCrorie, CC BY-SA 2.0 httpscreativecommons.orglicensesby-sa2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Bronze Age Gavel Moss Hoard
In 1790, a collection of beautiful bronze artefacts was recovered during ploughing at Gavel Moss Farm near Lochwinnoch.
According to Glasgow Museums, the items – one dagger blade and two axeheads – are Early Bronze Age, and date to around 1750-1550 BC (some 3,500 to 3,700 years ago). In a 1953 article in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, the author J G Scott described the blade as ‘unquestionably the finest found in Scotland’ and ‘a formidable weapon’.
Glasgow Museums notes that the Gavel Moss Hoard is ‘best interpreted as a ritual or religious offering’, where these prestigious objects were deliberately taken out of use and deposited in the ground.
A Hoard of Bronze Weapons from Gavel Moss Farm, Near Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire. (1953). Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 85, 134-138. https://doi.org/10.9750/PSAS.085.134.138
Iron Age Fort on Walls Hill
On the summit of a steep-sided plateau near Lochwinnoch lie the remains of one of the largest hillforts in Scotland.
According to Prehistoric Renfrewshire, edited by Derek Alexander and supported by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (who also coordinate Dig It!), Walls Hill consists of a large plateau surrounded by steep crags which would’ve been defended by a rampart (wall) around the perimeter.
In 1956, the first modern excavation within the county was undertaken at the fort by amateur archaeologist Frank Newall FSAScot. In addition to uncovering evidence of circular houses at the site, his work revealed that the residents may have also built a palisade (a barrier made of wooden stakes) to add to the defences.
If you visit the site, you can still spot the turf and earth bank (around 1m high) along the north and south-west sides of the hill and try to imagine what life was like at this fortress over 1,600 years ago.
Walls Hill fort from the air (Image credit: Thomas Nugent, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Renfrew’s Medieval Coin Hoard
In 1964, a green-glazed jug containing a ‘truly remarkable’ medieval hoard of 674 Scottish, English and Irish silver coins (and one Continental sterling) was uncovered in Renfrew.
According to the Trove entry, ‘the hoard lay only a few inches below the surface and was found by a labourer digging a trench for an electric cable. A few of the coins may have been dispersed before the discovery was reported’ (a good reminder of why modern developer-led archaeology is so important).
In their 1966 British Numismatic Journal article, Peter Woodhead and Ian Stewart noted that the authorities were notified of the discovery and it was declared Treasure Trove, with a substantial reward paid to the finder. The coins were then given to the National Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh (a collection which was formed by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and is now cared for by National Museums Scotland) and other museums such as Paisley Museum.
Deposited around 1321, the hoard contained coins of the late 13th and early 14th centuries, representing the reigns of several kings. Peter and Ian note that ‘perhaps the most important feature of this hoard is the evidence it provides for the date of the coinage of Robert Bruce, whose reign extended nominally from 1306 to 1329’, as his coins are ‘comparatively rare’.
They believe that the most likely explanation for the hoard is that it was largely completed in late 1299 or early 1300 as a savings hoard, before a final bit of cash was added immediately before being buried. It could have, for example, been kept for 20 years as a nest egg by a tradesman or merchant, who then added a few more coins before burying it in an emergency.
Some of the medieval coins in Paisley Museum (Image credit: John Pressly, Paisley Museum)
Boat Graveyard on the River Clyde
The boat graveyard on the River Clyde at Newshot Island is home to a collection of vessels – including possibly the earliest diving support vessel – which helped open up Glasgow to international trade and shipbuilding.
According to the SCAPE team, these wooden rectangular barges carried away the excavated mud to deepen the river and transform the Clyde from meandering shallows. Of the original fleet of hundreds, only about 50 now survive, disintegrating at Newshot (as seen on this zoomable drone image).
Built in 1852, the diving support vessel is a unique survivor. Workmen were sent down in a diving bell (an open-bottomed metal box) to manually excavate the toughest areas of the riverbed, or even lay explosives to blast stubborn areas of rock – dirty and dangerous work.
In recognition of the importance of the vessels, they’ve been legally protected as Scheduled Monuments. Although this won’t physically protect the site from further natural deterioration, it will save it from human disturbance and inadvertent damage as a result of development.
Recording mud punts in Newshot (Image credit: SCAPE)
Want to keep reading? Dig into our other guides to unmissable sites and discoveries by region.
Header Image: Possibly the earliest diving support vessel (Image credit: SCAPE)
