Weaving-combs from the West Village 71

Since the list of Scottish combs was published in the work on the Glastonbury Lake Village, the writer has collected the following notes
Two long-handled combs, both broken off at the handle-end, apparently of bone, were found in the cave at Borness, Kirkcudbrightshire, and have been figured and described. One is of rude workmanship and unornamented. It is 'noticeable for the fine grooves, or marks of wear, on the inner edges of its teeth' ; the other is ornamented with three bands of oblique parallel lines ; the worn grooves in the teeth appear on the under or concave side of the implement. (Proc. Soc. Antiq.
Scot., X, 1875, pp.493-4, and Plate xix, nos. 2 and 127).
A bone (?) comb and fragment of another were found in kitchen-middens on Freswick Links, Caithness. (Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot., LX, 1925-26, p.10).
In the Earl of Northesk loan collection shown in Winchester Museum was a weaving-comb which originally had eight teeth ; it has a squared butt-end and concave sides ; no ornament ; it was found in a broch at Thrumster, Caithness (Capt. Bentley Innes, Mar., 1872). This is not the comb from Thrumster mentioned in G.L. V., 275.
Parts of three bone weaving-combs were found in the broch of Ayre, Orkney. (Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot., XLVIII, 1913-4, pp.40, 42 nos. 5, 16 and 17, and fig. 8).
Four weaving-combs of antler, all slightly imperfect, and a comb partially made, 'the teeth not yet cut out', were found with other antiquities in the Broch of Howe, Sanday, Orkney, and were given to the National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh by Mr. W. G. Grant (Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot., LXXII, 9).
A long-handled weaving-comb of cetacean bone, length 5 116 in., was found in a kitchen-midden at Bragar, Lewis. (Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot., LVIII, 1923-24, p.18).
Another of antler, with six teeth, was found in an earth-house at Galson, Lewis. (Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot., LVIII, p.201, fig. 9, no.26).
In the Erskine Beveridge Collection in Edinburgh Museum four weaving-combs, 3.5 to 5 in. in length, are exhibited, which were found in earth-houses at Bac Mhic Connain, Vallay Island, North
Uist. (Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot., LVI, 1921-22, pp.10, 12 ; and 'North Uist', by E. Beveridge, LL.D., 1911, p.231; also Proc., LXV, 1930-31, p.328, where the four combs are figured ; also LXVI, 51).
Another comb was found in the earth-house at Garry Iochdrach, North Uist. (Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot., LXVI, 41).


IV DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE WEAVING-COMBS FOUND IN THE W. VILLAGE,
MEARE LAKE DWELLINGS.

All composed of Antler (except HH 34, 114 and 123, the material of which has not been definitely identified).
HH 1. Greater part of a plain comb of Type 4, with smooth rounded surface, length 114 mm. (4.5") ; the eight teeth remain and are longest on the right ; the width across teeth is 28 mm. ; here the comb is ornamented by two parallel transverse lines. It has had much wear.
Found on the first floor of Mound VII, 6 ft. to the S.W. of the c.p.,18 1908.
HH 2. Double-ended comb of Type 5, unornamented and much weathered, length 184 mm. (7.5"). The dentations are coarse and long, at one end six complete teeth ; at the other one entire tooth and six others more or less broken off; max. width 29.5 mm.
Found on the first floor of Mound VII, 12.5 ft. S.S.W. of the c.p., 1908.

18 c.p = central picket, used for surveying purposes.

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