Archaeology breakthrough as tale of Glencoe massacre discovered after 332 years

A team of archaeologists and students have uncovered knowledge and artefacts from the site of a medieval Scottish massacre.

The team from the University of Glasgow have conducted an excavation at the abandoned township of Achnacon, the site of the brutal Glencoe massacre of 1692.

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

The team have found a wealth of artefacts and musket ball fragments, providing them with a new glimpse into the massacre site and life in the area in the 17^th and 18^th century more generally.

Dr Edward Stewart, Excavations Co-Director, who has just finished his PhD at the University of Glasgow, says that these humble artefacts provide a poignant glimpse into the human stories behind grand historical events.

He explained: “By exploring these dwellings and the archaeology of Glencoe, we are able to build a richer understanding, not only of the tragic events of the 1692 Massacre, but also the everyday lives of those who lived and worked in Glencoe in the 17th and 18th centuries.”

The massacre happened on the night of February 13, 1692 when the Clan Chief’s cousin, MacDonald of Achnacon, was hosting a party with guests including his brother MacDonald of Achtriochtan.

They drank and gambled into the early hours, until the party was interrupted at 5am when a volley of shots from government troops tore through the windows and doors, killing many inside.

MacDonald of Achnacon, unlike his brother, survived. He was taken outside to be shot by the government soldiers but, as they prepared to fire, he tore off his plaid cloak, threw it over his attackers and fled into the winter morning darkness.

The excavations have uncovered turfed walls from MacDonald of Achnacon’s house as well as musket ball fragments that they believe were fired at him as he fled.

The team’s landscape surveys have helped to paint a picture of the generations-long relationship between the inhabitants of Achnacon and their environment.

This connection to the land gives further weight to the devastating impact the massacre and subsequent clearances would have had on the local community.

Professor Michael Given, Professor of Landscape Archaeology and Co-Director of the University of Glasgow’s archaeological project in Glencoe, said: “It’s abundantly clear that the people of Achnacon were totally dependent on this land.

“Understanding that relationship allows us to empathise more fully with the trauma they endured when their world was so violently upended.”

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

He added: “The better-preserved historic sites lie further into the glen, away from the modern village at the lochside. Achnacon township displays the remains of four or five buildings, a kailyard or small kitchen garden, and traces of rig cultivation.

“It lies within sight of the replica turf house constructed a few years ago at the National Trust for Scotland visitor centre and can be reached along the length of a newly built walking and cycle track, the Glencoe Greenway.”