Bulletin
6, 2000
Interpretation, 2000
It seems justifiable to claim that the site at Portmahomack began in the late 6th century, the radiocarbon date for one of the earliest cist burials in the cemetery under St Colman's church. There should have been a church at this time, which may be represented by the extant east wall of the crypt (see Bulletin No 3).
The workshop area at they level we are currently working is 8th century and should represent the monastery at a time when contact with Northumbrian establishments was likely.
The buildings and sculpture that stood near the church were subjected to major disruption some time between the 9th century (the latest date for the sculpture) and the 11th century (the earliest date for the foundations of the church which incorporated some of the sculptural pieces. Over the workshop area the disruption is marked by an extensive layer of burnt wood, nails and broken sculpture.
South of this monastic centre lay a mill and a farm neither of which is yet well-defined or dated. Near the enclosure ditches are extensive traces of 9-10th century glass-working and at least one large bag-shaped building bow-ended into the east wind. The inner enclosure ditch had been backfilled before the glass-working episode so may belong to an early phase of the monastery, perhaps in the 6th century. The origins of the outer enclosure ditch are uncertain, but the radiocarbon date given by a stake driven into its edge implies that it was in use soon after the beginning of the 8th century. The outer enclosure ditch might therefore belong to a second phase of the monastery in the 8th century. The outer enclosure ditch had stood open for some years before it was re-filled with tree-stumps and branches, in a clearing operation which may prove to belong to the later middle ages; after this clearance the filled-in ditch was over-run with ridges and furrow.
Last year's model (Bulletin 5) has therefore held out well, except that the time span of the settlement has lengthened to a period from the late 6th century to the 10th. During this time the settlement was a monastery which looked in various circumstances to Iona and to Northumbria. If it ended its monastic role in the 9th century itnevertheless continued as a farming establishment to the 10th century. It is not excluded that this last phase and the bag-shaped building will prove to be Norse in cultural affiliation.
Interpretation Table
| PERIOD | On the hill | North of the valley | In the valley | South of the valley |
| 1:c565-700
Monastery 1 |
Timber church (Church 0, hypothetical) and Cist graves of middle aged men (monks) Early grave markers |
? | ? | Cultivation by ard rotary querns Inner enclosure ditch |
2:c700-780 Monastery 2 |
Stone church (Church 1) constructed Cist graves and head suuport graves of monks Grave markers, sarcophagus, architectural sculpture, Latin inscription |
Stone monastic buildings Bath-house Metal-working Leather-working |
Mill ? |
Farm Outer enclosure ditch Inner enclosure ditch backfilled |
| 3:c780-1000
Monastery 3 |
Monumental grave slabs, here and at Nigg, Shandwick and Hilton |
Paved road ? |
Dam, Mill and Ford |
Bag shaped building Glass work-shops |
| 4:c1000-1100
Abandoned |
Sculpture broken up |
Monastic buildings burnt down Workshops burnt down; metal-working soon returns Paved road |
? |
Site overgrown |
| 5:c1000-1200 | New stone church (Church 2) constructed incorporating pieces of sculpture (TR20,21,22) Burials of local people men, women and children in the church |
Road Metal-working |
Hard core crossing site of mill and pond |
Land cleared and tree stumps backfilled into Outer enclosure ditch Farmland with rig and furrow |
| 6: 13th - 15th
century |
Nave of church lengthened, crypt added to give Church 3 Burials of local people in the church |
Road Smithy |
Crofts shell middens |
Farmland |
| 7: 16th-17th
century |
Church 4 : north aisle added, barrel vault added to crypt. TR20 incorporated in crypt |
Glebe field under cultivation |
Glebe field under cultivation |
Farmland |
| 8: 18th
century |
Church reconstructed (Church 5) TR13 and TR40 incorporated in Manse garden wall and stable bloc |
Glebe |
Glebe |
Farmland |
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Last updated 10 October, 2003.
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