Groam House ARCH partnership

National museum of Scotland flint arrowheads

Displaying the Past: a forgotten Ross-shire collector to be revealed at Groam House

Groam House Museum in Rosemarkie is well known for its annual exhibitions on Pictish and local history themes. For 2010/11 an innovative approach is being adopted as the museum partners with community organisation Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH) to create and display a new exhibition about a little known local GP and antiquarian, Dr William Maclean.

The exhibition has been researched, designed and put together by local people participating in ARCH’s ‘Display the Past: Behind the scenes at the museum’ courses. Facilitated by ARCH Project Officer Cait McCullagh, participants have learned about and gained hands on experience in many of the practical aspects of working in a museum. The eight session course also included a field trip to the National Museum’s collection stores in Edinburgh.

The exhibition, entitled “Dr. William MacLean – a forgotten collector; the man, his sites and finds” will open on the 1st May and run through to Easter 2011. The objects being displayed form just part of The Maclean Collection an impressive and extensive assembly of objects
that is normally held in storage by the National Museum of Scotland,
Edinburgh. Many of the exhibition items have never been on show to the public before now. The display of objects includes ancient stone weapons, tools and implements collected from chance discoveries across the Black Isle and beyond. There are also the finds recovered during Maclean’s excavation of Caird's Cave, near Rosemarkie from 1907 - 1913. The star object from that ‘cave dig’ is a delicately and deftly crafted bone pin with three precious amber insets, thought to
date to the 8th – 9th centuries AD. It is the only known example of its kind in Scotland. The ‘Display the Past’ sessions are part of ARCH’s ‘Stop, Look and Listen’ Project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Highland LEADER 2007 2013 Programme, with additional support from Highland Council. To find out more about ARCH’s other events and activities visit www.archhighland.org.uk