Yes / This interim report covers archaeological work undertaken at two Neolithic islet sites or crannogs, Loch Bhorgastail and Loch Langabhat, on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, from 15-29 July 2017 (Figure 1). Fieldwork in 2017 included photogrammetric survey of both stone-built islets (under and above water), palaeoenvironmental coring of both loch beds, excavation at Loch Langabhat and vegetation clearance at Loch Bhorgastail. This work followed on directly from fieldwork carried out in 2016; the present report should therefore be read in conjunction with that report (Garrow, Sturt & Copper 2017). Our main results for fieldwork in 2017 included: • Construction of detailed 3D photogrammetric models of both sites • A better understanding of the construction techniques used in the creation of both islets • Recovery of c. 0.60m of core material from each loch for palaeoenvironmental assessment • The identification and excavation of occupation deposits and a small structure at Loch Langabhat / Leverhume Trust; British Academy; Honor Frost Foundation

Yes / An interim report on pottery recovered from three loch islet sites in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, during fieldwork in 2016. / British Academy, Leverhume Trust, Honor Frost Foundation

Yes / An interim report on pottery excavated at the Neolithic islet of Loch Bhorgastail, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, in 2021. / Leverhume Trust, British Academy, Honor Frost Foundation

Yes / An interim report on pottery recovered during underwater surveys undertaken around a series of artificial islets on the islands of North and South Uist in 2022. / Leverhume Trust, British Academy, Honor Frost Foundation

No description available.

No description available.

No / Recent analysis of the ceramic assemblage from the Neolithic loch islet settlement of Eilean Dòmhnuill, North Uist, in the Western Isles of Scotland has highlighted the intense conservatism of the potting traditions over a period of more than 800 years. Hebridean Neolithic pottery exhibits clear relationships with pottery from Argyll, Arran, and Bute, as well as Orkney and the north-east mainland of Scotland. It appears to have developed a distinctive, often decoratively elaborate regional form very soon after its initial appearance, which subsequently appears to have undergone little or no significant change until the introduction of Grooved Ware in the early 3rd millennium BC. An association exists between large assemblages of elaborately decorated Hebridean pottery and a number of artificial islets in freshwater lochs, some very small and producing little or no evidence for domestic activities. This might be explained by the importance of commensality in mediating relations between small communities in the Western Isles at such sites following the introduction of agriculture in the 2nd quarter of the 4th millennium BC. The conservatism and stasis evident at Eilean Dòmhnuill, in the face of environmental decline, raises wider issues around the adaptive capabilities of the first farming communities prior to significant social changes in the earlier 3rd millennium BC. / University of Bradford

The machair is a coastal grassland system found only in parts of northern and western Scotland and Ireland. Despite its limited geographic distribution, machair landscapes have high ecological, geomorphological, and cultural significance, as recognised by numerous conservation designations and legislation. In January 2005 a severe storm caused extensive damage in the Outer Hebrides, drawing attention to the sensitivity of the machair coast to erosion. The aim of this research was to investigate variations and trends in the sensitivity of three field sites within the South Uist machair to soil and coastal erosion, and to interpret measured change alongside analysis of historic climate data. Two of the sites selected, Cille Pheadair and Staoinebrig, experienced some of the most dramatic geomorphological changes associated with the 2005 storm, while the third site, Milton, appeared to be more resistant to change. A combination of fieldwork, laboratory tests, and archive work was used to obtain and analyse information about sediment budgets, shoreline indicator change, and sediment erodibility, along with contextual climatic information. A key result of this work is the provision of a detailed framework of short-medium term cyclical changes and fluctuations in the coastal change, which provides a context for interpreting and responding to longer term trends in erosion and/or accretion. Results indicated high spatial and temporal variability in the erodibility of machair soils and landforms, with no clear relationship between climatic factors and rates of erosion. Considerable short-term variations in beach volume and the position of dynamic shoreline indicators caution against the relaibility of using ‘snap-shot’ historic datasets to infer long-term rates of change. It is proposed that the machair landscape currently functions in a state of highly dynamic equilibrium, which has been maintained over the last ~130 years. While storm events such as the January 2005 storm have locally dramatic consequences, they do not appear to have disrupted the overally physical and ecological functions of the system. This contribution is particularly timely given current concerns for the future of the machair landscape under predicted sea-level and climate change scenarios, and the potential for inappropriate hard-engineering responses to the perceived risk.

The study is an oral history of the work of district nurses in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland from 1940-1974. The main themes that emerged from the study were, the wide scope of the nurses' practice, their significant relationships, and the unique nature of their role. Within the themes were concepts of self sacrifice, resilience and autonomy. The challenges the nurses faced in their daily lives from their surrounding environment and the urgent needs of patients were physically and mentally taxing. There was evidence of their resilience and strength of character when they did not flinch in difficult situations. Yet they described being 'happy at work' and relied on their faith. The study suggests that the service these women provided could be regarded as 'heroic'. The thesis offers an insight into the daily lives of district nurses in a remote part of Scotland which has never been studied before. Most nurses were trained Queen's Nurses which was evidently influential and to some a prestigious qualification.

No