The murder victim preserved in a Scottish peatbog for 250 years

The bonnet and personal belongings of an unknown murder victim who was hastily buried in a peatbog in the 18th Century are to be displayed in a new exhibition.

His remains – including jacket and leggings – were uncovered during peat cutting on Arnish Moor, near Stornoway in Lewis, in 1964 – 250 years after he was killed.

Specialists have dated the discovery to the 1700s and concluded that damage to the back of the man’s skull was consistent with being struck by a weapon.

The man’s hat along with quills used for writing and a wooden comb have gone on display at Lewis’ Kinloch Historical Society until March next year.

His identity is unknown, but he is believed to have been in his 20s and experts said the quills suggested he was an apprentice clerk or a scholar.

He has become known as the Arnish Moor Man.

The small collection of items are part of a rare loan from the National Museums Collection Centre in Edinburgh.

The rest of the items, which include the jacket and a pair of leggings, are too fragile to display and remain in the centre’s care.

The man was found to have been laid down on his back in the grave.

Police called to the scene in 1964 quickly ruled out the remains being from recent times.

Edinburgh University experts who examined the find at the time described the skeleton as being in a poor condition and having the consistency of “rubbery seaweed”.

But the items of clothing were well preserved, though stained brown from the long time they had been in the peat.

National Museums Scotland said analysis suggested the knitted bonnet would have originally been blue, and of a type and colour favoured by Highlanders in the 18th Century.

The leggings had been repaired with patches several times. The jacket also shows signs of intricate repairs.

An academic’s paper published in the 1970s recounts a local story offering a possible clue to the man’s murder.

It is said two young men were out on the moor foraging for the eggs of ground-nesting birds.

They later quarrelled over the food and one struck the other with a stone, killing him.

The murderer buried his friend in a shallow grave and fled.

But he was later caught, convicted of murder and hanged.

Dr Anna Groundwater, principal curator of renaissance and early modern history at National Museums Scotland, said the belongings offered precious insights of owner’s life.

She said: “We don’t know who this person was, but the quality of his clothes and possessions paints a portrait of a learned young man who cared about how he looked, despite being of limited means.

“We do know that his life was cut tragically short.”

Anna MacKenzie, heritage manager at Kinloch Historical Society, added: “The story of the Arnish Moor Man is one that appears regularly in our local folklore.

“What happened to this young man is a mystery.

“By hosting this exhibition, we hope members of the public will be inspired to revisit the tales they grew up with and seek the answers of this 18th Century murder.”