Lewis Coastal Chapel-Sites Survey: Topographic Survey 2005

This report describes the results of topographic surveys undertaken for the second year of the Lewis Coastal Chapel-sites Survey (LCCS) on four chapel-sites on the Isle of Lewis in 2005. Desktop study undertaken in the first year (2004) of the LCCS identified thirty-seven recorded and five potential chapel-sites in Lewis and its outlying islands, and this was followed up with walkover survey of sixteen sites and plane table survey of three sites. However, further, more detailed topographic survey was recommended for eight sites, and this prompted the work in 2005. In February detailed topographic survey of three sites was undertaken: Teampall Pheadair, Suainebost (Site no 4), Teampall Mhealastadh, Uig (Site no 20) and Tigh na Cailleachan Dubha, Uig (Site no 21). In May - June 2005 topographic survey of the chapel-site of St Mary’s on Eilean an Tighe, Shiant Islands (formerly known as Eilean na Cille) on the Shiant Islands (Site no 32) was also undertaken with joint funding from the Shiants Island Project (SHIP)

Chapel-sites on the Isle of Lewis: Results of the Lewis Coastal Chapel-sites Survey

The Lewis Coastal Chapel-sites Survey undertook research and fieldwork, the latter between 2004 and 2008, to explore and record the known chapel-sites on the Isle of Lewis in the Western Isles of Scotland. There is a scarcity of surviving contemporary historical documentation relating to Lewis in the medieval period, but archaeology has great potential to further investigate these fascinating and diverse sites. Research linked together previous antiquarian and local historical research, with walkover survey and description of each site on the ground. This was followed by targeted topographic and geophysical surveys of particular sites. At the end of the project it was possible to assess the cultural and research potential of this remarkable group of sites, and to identify gaps where further work was needed. More than 40 sites were identified and the remains recorded at each site were varied, some associated with old settlements, or traditionally linked with other chapel-sites nearby, others alone and isolated. The chapels themselves ranged from upstanding buildings still used for worship, to low grassy banks only just discernible beneath the turf or unlocated and kept alive only in oral tradition. This publication reports on the results of the survey work with a brief conclusion of the main findings

Loyalty, ‘localness’ and local identity in the archaeological record, with reference to work in the Isle of Lewis

Abstract not currently available

Effects of prenatal exercise on fetal heart rate, umbilical and uterine blood flow: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the influence of acute and chronic prenatal exercise on fetal heart rate (FHR) and umbilical and uterine blood flow metrics. Design Systematic review with random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression. Data sources Online databases were searched up to 6 January 2017. Study eligibility criteria Studies of all designs were included (except case studies) if published in English, Spanish or French, and contained information on the population (pregnant women without contraindication to exercise), intervention (subjective or objective measures of frequency, intensity, duration, volume or type of exercise, alone [“exercise-only”] or in combination with other intervention components [eg, dietary; “exercise + co-intervention”]), comparator (no exercise or different frequency, intensity, duration, volume and type of exercise) and outcomes (FHR, beats per minute (bpm); uterine and umbilical blood flow metrics (systolic:diastolic (S/D) ratio; Pulsatility Index (PI); Resistance Index (RI); blood flow, mL/min; and blood velocity, cm/s)). Results ‘Very low’ to ‘moderate’ quality evidence from 91 unique studies (n=4641 women) were included. Overall, FHR increased during (mean difference (MD)=6.35bpm; 95% CI 2.30 to 10.41, I2=95%, p=0.002) and following acute exercise (MD=4.05; 95% CI 2.98 to 5.12, I2=83%, p\u3c0.00001). The incidence of fetal bradycardia was low at rest and unchanged with acute exercise. There were no significant changes in umbilical or uterine S/D, PI, RI, blood flow or blood velocity during or following acute exercise sessions. Chronic exercise decreased resting FHR and the umbilical artery S/D, PI and RI at rest. Conclusion Acute and chronic prenatal exercise do not adversely impact FHR or uteroplacental blood flow metrics

“A Cultural Backwater”: the “Localness” of Dùn Èistean, Ness and its place in the wider maritime world of Northwest Scotland

This paper is an updated version of that given at the Maritime Communities conference in 2013, which reported on and discussed aspects of the findings of the Dùn Èistean project excavations. Dùn Èistean remains one of only a few late to post-medieval settlements to have been excavated in the Hebrides, and this work has since been published. The following paper provides a resumé of the results of the excavations and then focuses on one particular aspect of the site—that of the strong local identity evidenced in the archaeological record, and how this fits with the location of the stronghold in the wider maritime world of the northwest Highlands and Islands

'Culture-organising': Joe Heenan and the Beginnings of State Patronage of the Arts

'Culture-organising': Joe Heenan and the Beginnings of State Patronage of the Art

Lewis Coastal Chapel-Sites Survey 2007-8

Walkover, topographic and geophysical survey was undertaken between March 2007 and February 2008 at the chapel-sites of Teampall Pheadair, Siadar, and Teampall Eoin, Bragar, on the west side of the Isle of Lewis. At Teampall Pheadair, eroding Iron Age structures were recorded below the later chapel. An enclosure and possible grave slabs were recorded from around the chapel-site, as well as the pre-crofting enclosure walls and a corn-drying kiln on the north side of the Teampall. Geophysical survey at this site confirmed the presence of earlier structures below the chapel-site. Topographic survey was carried out of the chapel building and later enclosures at Teampall Eoin, before further collapse of the chapel’s walls. The survey also recorded over 2,000 unmarked grave stones in the old cemetery around the Teampall. It involved a detailed contour survey of the sandy mound into which the chapel is set, with different alignments of grave slabs identified, and recorded the locations of roofing slates from the ruined chapel which had been re-used as grave markers. Topographic survey had also been planned at Tigh a’Bheannaich, Aird Uig, but had to be cancelled due to storms

'Culture-organising': Joe Heenan and the Beginnings of State Patronage of the Arts

'Culture-organising': Joe Heenan and the Beginnings of State Patronage of the Art