Archaeology breakthrough as new secret of Glencoe massacre revealed after 332 years

The findings overgarment a caller representation of the massacre and beingness successful medieval Scotland (Image: National Trust of Scotland)

A squad of archaeologists and students person uncovered cognition and artefacts from the tract of a medieval Scottish massacre.

The squad from the University of Glasgow person conducted an excavation astatine the abandoned township of Achnacon, the tract of the brutal Glencoe massacre of 1692.

The massacre saw implicit 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe killed by Scottish authorities forces for failing to pledge allegiance to the caller monarchs, William III and Mary II.

The squad person recovered a wealthiness of artefacts and musket shot fragments, providing them with a caller glimpse into the massacre tract and beingness successful the country successful the 17^th and 18^th period much generally.

Dr Edward Stewart, Excavations Co-Director, who has conscionable finished his PhD astatine the University of Glasgow, says that these humble artefacts supply a poignant glimpse into the quality stories down expansive humanities events.

The findings springiness a caller position connected beingness successful the country successful the mediate ages (Image: Aris Palyvos/NTS)

He explained: “By exploring these dwellings and the archaeology of Glencoe, we are capable to physique a richer understanding, not lone of the tragic events of the 1692 Massacre, but besides the mundane lives of those who lived and worked successful Glencoe successful the 17th and 18th centuries.”

The massacre happened connected the nighttime of February 13, 1692 erstwhile the Clan Chief’s cousin, MacDonald of Achnacon, was hosting a enactment with guests including his member MacDonald of Achtriochtan.

They drank and gambled into the aboriginal hours, until the enactment was interrupted astatine 5am erstwhile a volley of shots from authorities troops tore done the windows and doors, sidesplitting galore inside.

MacDonald of Achnacon, dissimilar his brother, survived. He was taken extracurricular to beryllium changeable by the authorities soldiers but, arsenic they prepared to fire, helium tore disconnected his plaid cloak, threw it implicit his attackers and fled into the wintertime greeting darkness.

The excavations person uncovered turfed walls from MacDonald of Achnacon’s location arsenic good arsenic musket shot fragments that they judge were fired astatine him arsenic helium fled.

The squad excavated a wealthiness of artefacts (Image: Derek Alexander/NTS)

The team’s scenery surveys person helped to overgarment a representation of the generations-long narration betwixt the inhabitants of Achnacon and their environment.

This transportation to the onshore gives further value to the devastating interaction the massacre and consequent clearances would person had connected the section community.

Professor Michael Given, Professor of Landscape Archaeology and Co-Director of the University of Glasgow’s archaeological task successful Glencoe, said: “It’s abundantly wide that the radical of Achnacon were wholly babelike connected this land.

“Understanding that narration allows america to empathise much afloat with the trauma they endured erstwhile their satellite was truthful violently upended.”

The findings shed airy connected the circumstances of the massacre (Image: Derek Alexander/NTS)

According to Derek Alexander, Head of Archaeology astatine the National Trust for Scotland, the remains of the 17th- and 18th-century townships successful Glencoe are often subtle, with materials perchance recycled for aboriginal buildings, dykes and sheepfolds.

He added: “The better-preserved historical sites prevarication further into the glen, distant from the modern colony astatine the lochside. Achnacon township displays the remains of 4 oregon 5 buildings, a kailyard oregon tiny room garden, and traces of rig cultivation.

“It lies wrong show of the replica turf location constructed a fewer years agone astatine the National Trust for Scotland visitant centre and tin beryllium reached on the magnitude of a recently built walking and rhythm track, the Glencoe Greenway.”