Stidriggs Hoard

The Stidriggs Hoard was found on moors west of Beattock by the Royal Engineers Army Bomb Disposal Unit in 1985. Only five other similar finds have been made in Great Britain, and this is the only one from Scotland. We have few clues as to the purpose and meaning of these hoards because few have been found by planned archaeological excavation, and as a result detailed recordings of their surroundings have not been possible. Most hoards were chance finds made in the 19th century, while others were discovered by metal detecting or during gravel extraction.
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The term "hoard" implies that the tools and their container were deliberately hidden by someone who intended to reclaim them later. The hoard might represent a ritual deposit made by relatives when the owner died, although no known burials have been found in association with tool hoards and few have been directly associated with settlements.  If the tools were purposely buried or hidden in boggy heath, this may have been for safekeeping in a period of trouble or because the owner was leaving and could not carry them on the journey.  The tools are quite varied; perhaps it was a small homesteader's tool kit, or it may have belonged to a smith or metalworker.

Archaeologists know very little about settlement in Annandale during this time.  The people who lived in the area may have been the descendants of earlier British tribes, Anglo-Saxons from Northumbria, settlers of Scandinavian Viking origin, or a mixture of these cultural groups.  Archaeological field surveys in the area where the Stidriggs hoard was found identified some evidence of farming, small settlements and a possible mill but these have not been excavated.

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Iron billet from the Stidriggs Hoard
Weighing 4.2 kilograms this billet represents an advanced stage in the iron smelting process.  The m
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Iron tool fragment from the Stidriggs Hoard
Badly corroded piece of shaped iron, possibly a tool. The slender section looks like a tang, but the
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Fragment of iron from the Stidriggs Hoard
Lump of badly corroded iron, form and function unknown.
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Fragments of wood from the Stidriggs Hoard
These pieces of wood were also found within the lead vessel, but their purpose or function is unknow
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Wooden handle or pole fragments from the Stidriggs Hoard
These fragments of wild cherry wood were shaped by shaving the exterior bark from a straight branch.
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Plough coulter from the Stidriggs Hoard
This is the metal blade from the front of a plough.  It cuts through the soil so that it can be turn
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Fragments of lead from the Stidriggs Hoard
The larger piece of lead is probably a detached fragment of the vessel which contained the tool hoar
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Fragments of iron from the Stidriggs Hoard
Two fragments of iron objects. The flatter piece may be the corroded remains of a draw-knife, with a
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Plough coulter(?) from the Stidriggs Hoard
This thick piece of iron has a blade-like shape, but no edge. Grooves cut near the top may be to aid
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Ring and staple fragments from the Stidriggs Hoard
Iron ring, and three broken long staples. The staples could be used for securing planks of wood toge
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Socketed gouge from the Stidriggs Hoard
Gouges and chisels were used to make linear cuts in wood.  This large gouge may have been used with
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Tanged awl, auger and spoonbit auger from the Stidriggs Hoard
Augers and awls were used to make holes, similar to modern drills.  Wooden structures can be secured
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