Please address all enquires concerning our collections to the Director and Curator, Sharon Webb This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

History of Collecting in Kilmartin

Antiquarians and archaeologists have been active in Kilmartin Glen and the rest of Argyll since the mid 19th century.  Before there was a Museum in the glen, much of the archaeological material from these early investigations entered collections of other museums including the National Museums of Scotland, Glasgow Museums, and the British Museum.  Some material is also held by Argyll and Bute Council.   We have been able to borrow many of these artefacts for display so that visitors can see them in their local context.  These include the important Neolithic and Bronze Age burial assemblages from the Glebe and Largie Cairns, material from the early historic crannog site at Loch Glashan and the Royal seat at Dunadd.  Many other objects spanning the whole prehistory and early history of Scotland’s richest mainland prehistoric landscape, can also be seen in our award winning display. 

Kilmartin House Museum Collections

Kilmartin House Museum houses a collection of archaeological artefacts and associated archival material. Many of these artefacts are on display in the Museum gallery along with loan material from other Museums.  There are some prehistoric human remains in our collections, which are treated with respect and sensitivity.    Our founding collection came to the Museum as the Marion Campbell Bequest.  Many of the objects had been collected by Campbell between 1950 and the 1990’s.  Most of the artefacts are prehistoric, and range from ground stone axes to prehistoric pottery, including the Glennan Urn assemblage found close to the Museum in 2001 and the important worked stone assemblage from Brainport Bay, Minard. 

We are working towards making our Collections Data Base available on-line via the web site to facilitate researchers and open up access to other interested parties.     

Replica Collection

The Museum also has a large collection of replica material made for us by skilled craftspeople as part of a variety of research projects.  Replica objects are a valuable resource since they can actually be used, but they also help us to communicate a much fuller picture of the past to our visitors.  Archaeologists uncover flint arrowheads, yet these are only a fraction of the original object since the wooden shaft, cordage bindings, feather flight and pitch glue are components that would have decayed in the ground.  The replica collection consists of a variety of arrows, a bow, many different flint tools, hafted ground stone axes, hafted copper and bronze axes, a jet necklace, a large variety of musical instruments, early Christian Bells, pottery from all periods of prehistory and early history, currachs (coracles), hunting and fishing equipment, working saddle and rotary querns, basketry, fish traps and glass beads, as well as replica early historic brooches from Dunadd.  All these objects are available for schools, other museums and similar organisations to borrow by special arrangement.  Look at the Education Menu for more details.  

New Collections

Kilmartin House Museum now aims to collect archaeological and early historic material from mid Argyll and within the wider region, such as Lorne, where no other museum is actively collecting.  You can read more about this in our Collections Policy.  Kilmartin House Museum is the repository for archaeological artefacts for Mid-Argyll and Lorne, and we welcome donations of new artefacts to the collection.  All new artefacts will be handled according to our Collections Policy, provided they have been obtained legally.  By law some new finds must be reported to the Treasure Trove Secretariat.  You can do this via Kilmartin House Museum or directly to TT.   (http://www.treasuretrovescotland.co.uk/index.html)

We also offer an Object Identification Service.