Woodland Trust hits the mark with Highland find
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THE Woodland Trust Scotland has made a unexpected discovery while felling a 215-year-old tree in the Highlands.
The sessile oak, which was located beside the A949 just west of Spinningdale near Bonar Bridge, had developed rot and had to be removed for safety reasons.
But as the operator of a portable mill got to work on the ancient tree, he hit a piece of metal embedded near the centre of its timber.
It turned out to be a musket ball from the early 1800s.
George Anderson of the trust explained: "There was still some good timber which we didn’t want to go to waste, so a portable mill was brought in so we could recover wood to make benches, signboard legs and step-supports.
"The operator hit the piece of metal near the middle of the tree. From the rings it appears to have gone in around the year 1830.
"It is a lead ball of the kind used in hunting rifles and pistols from that period.
"More than likely it was fired at some game animal and missed, but I like to imagine two Highland dandies settling a point of honour by duel. We will never know!"
The musket ball has been donated to the Historylinks Museum in Dornoch to add to its collection of local finds.
