Among our finds from the Summerhouse of MacIain were an assemblage of spindle whorls. These are hoop shapes, in this case cast in lead, which were used to spin fibres into thread. These would be used to create textiles from wool as well as other fiberous materials including bog cotton and tree basts.
Two of these spindle whorls were buried above the Glencoe hoard, as part of the ritual closing of the hearth. The third spindle whorl was found nearby the hearth and was likely dropped during the life or abandonment of this structure. These spindle whorls would have been used by the women of the chiefs household to produce textiles and are some of the few artefacts which evidence women within the summerhouse. According to our metal work specialist, Dr Natasha Ferguson, these are of a style which could date from the mid-14th to 17th centuries, and thus could either have been bought during the life of the structure or passed through generations as heirlooms. These spindle whorls are mould cast and bare similarities to examples identified in Medieval Inverness and Perth, and thus could have been purchased during visits to markets in Eastern Scotland.
As part of this project’s interest in how we can communicate the stories we uncover with wider audiences these spindle whorls were digitally modelled using photogrammetry by Cole Juckette, then 3D printed by Robb Ferro. A set of larger-than-life prints were created to allow audiences to explore the decorations on these spindle whorls which would have looked attractive while spinning. A to-scale set have also been created for the purposes of experimental archaeology. We hope to engage with partners in future in order to explore how the different weights, sizes and shapes of these may have impacted how they were used and the threads they could create.
During our 2024 and 2025 seasons we have also uncovered spindle whorls from the settlement of Achnacon from structures dating to the 17th and 18th centuries. Some of these appear to be locally produced while others seem to be similar to those from MacIain’s Summerhouse. We engaged this summer with textile heritage through workshops run on our open day by Nysa Louden, a PhD student at the University of Glasgow, who explored with our students and members of the public cordage production from grasses.
By Dr Edward Stewart
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