Survey and excavations investigating shieling and other upland practices in Gleann Leac-na-Muidhe, Glencoe

Abstract

Recent investigations in Gleann Leac-na-Muidhe, Glencoe, have provided an insight into the practising of transhumance and related industries in these uplands in the post-medieval period. Survey has identified a number of new features within this landscape, allowing us to build a nuanced picture of how this landscape was being used and managed for both grazing and fuel. The interaction of the chiefly settlement of Gleann Leac-na-Muidhe with the associated shieling grounds provides an opportunity to explore the expression of power and protection by local elites upon the upland landscape during periods of civil strife. Excavations carried out within the glen provide an insight into some of the practices associated with these structures, from the domestic rituals of daily life to acts of resistance, including illicit whisky stilling, through which the exercise of social and economic control of the uplands can be read.