Arnish Moor Man clothing

Groundwater, Anna

Arnish Moor Man clothing

Resource type

Exhibition-related event

Creator (Person)

Groundwater, Anna

ORCID

Abstract

Objects recovered from a mysterious 250-year-old burial on Arnish Moor on the Isle of Lewis, star in a new exhibition, opening today. The exceptionally well-preserved knitted bonnet and personal belongings of a young man, on loan from National Museums Scotland, are displayed for the first time in a generation at Kinloch Historical Society. In 1964, the body of a young man was discovered on Arnish Moor, south of Stornoway. Forensic analysis at the time revealed that he was around 20 to 25 years old and identified a fracture on the back of his head that indicates he may have been murdered. The young man’s identity remains unknown, but his clothing and personal belongings provide a rare insight into life in the Outer Hebrides in the early 1700s. The knitted bonnet is now a brownish green colour, but analysis has revealed traces of indigo typical of the traditional blue bonnets worn in the Scottish Highlands and Islands in the 18th century. It is displayed alongside other personal items that were found with him, including a wooden comb and quills. These suggest he was educated and was perhaps a scholar or an apprentice clerk. The young man’s clothing, including a stylish but well-worn jacket covered in intricate hand-stitched repairs, is too fragile to be displayed. Although the young man’s remains were not discovered until the 1960s, stories of a murder on the moor have been passed down through generations, becoming part of the lore and identity of the local community.