Bronze age burial cist bruachaig, kinlochewe
In the autumn of 1898 a young plough boy was ploughing the fields around the Bruachaig area. Whilst making a pass over a section of the field he uncovered what was discovered to be a Bronze Age Burial Cist. Contained within this cist was the Neolithic Stone Ball,a Bronze Age Cup and numerous other artifacts, it would appear that the Stone Ball was removed from the site prior to the arrival of the Archeologists from Edinburgh by the then estate manager. The cup known as the Bruachaig Cup was removed by the archeologists and taken to Edinburgh where it was placed on display, it is now stored in the vaults of the Scottish National Museum.
The Stone Ball in the meantime was used as a paper weight by the occupants of Rambler Cottage until the family moved into Grantleay Cottage, on the death around 1986 of the last remaining member of the family the executors of the families estate decided on a house clearance, during this clearance the ball was disposed of as being useless,thankfully it was just thrown into the garden. The new owner of Grantleay whilst clearing the garden area found the Stone Ball, thinking it was of some relevance historically he decided to give it to Gairloch Heritage Museum,the Stone Ball remains on display in the museum. It is of significance that this type (Six sided) has never been found further west than Morayshire. These balls are a source of great debate,they have been described as votive offerings,a bolas type weapon no one is entirely sure as to use.