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HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND DESIGNATIONS TEAM
Figure 3: White Castle, East Lothian – UAV image taken from the SE showing the fort’s location on the SW bank of the Thorter Burn, overlooking the East Lothian plain, with Traprain Law visible in the mid-distance and the conical North Berwick Law beyond that, © HES
Figure 4: Friar’s Nose, East Lothian – Oblique aerial view of the prehistoric fort taken from the ESE and looking over the Whiteadder Reservoir, © HES
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and development are being established as business as usual, including a QGIS-based recording form that automates ingest of survey data to the NRHE.
Despite Covid-19, the Survey & Recording Group’s commitment to working with communities remained resolute in 2020. Scotland’s Community Heritage Conference was obliged to go online and, in the process, ‘reimagined’ itself. The work of the various ScRAP teams around the country, summarised below, represent a huge success, and although fieldwork that was planned with the Tomintoul and Glenlivet Landscape Partnership was cancelled, contact with the local community has been maintained.
Contributions to building the NRHE also come from members of the public not necessarily associated with recognised groups; for the first time, this summary of the work of the Survey & Recording Group includes several examples of previously unrecorded ‘sites’ reported to HES in 2020.
Aerial Survey
All aerial operations have been impacted by Covid-19 related lockdown. Only a single fixed-wing aircraft flight has been undertaken, and this covered targets for Properties in Care. Work during the rest of the year has included preparing aerial photographic mapping for web dissemination.
A small number of UAV flights have been undertaken, to record the fort of Dunmore, Callander (see Figure 2), the drove roads between Tushielaw and Eldinhope (Scottish Borders), the Union Canal near Polmont, and within the Whiteadder study area (see Figures 3 and 4). All imagery and outputs, including imagebased models, have been catalogued and are available through Canmore.
Canmore Mapping
In 2020 Canmore Areas (www.canmore.org.uk/map/about) was updated by 25 internal HES editors and one HER. Internally, updates added include the HES fieldwork carried out on Arran, Kilmartin and aerial interpretation of sites in East Perthshire. In addition, the Scottish Borders Council Archaeology Service provided their final update of records from the Scottish Borders, Stirling and Clackmannanshire. A total of 5144 areas were mapped in 2020 bringing the total number in Canmore Areas to 89,318.
Carved Stone Programme
Work on carved stone recording has been limited in the last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to his retirement at the start of May 2020, John Borland was completing drawings of various early medieval stones within the Fife corpus, including the Largo Cross and examples from St Andrews Cathedral. He also spent time in Glasgow, where he completed work on a number of drawings of the Govan Stones. He continued to work in-office on a drawing of the Sueno Stone, however, the pandemic prevented his final fieldwork trips to the stone from taking place. Once access to the HES offices and collections can be re-established in 2021, the work from John Borland’s final year with HES will be digitised and made available for public access via Canmore.
Coastal Defences
Fieldwork was undertaken at Charlie’s Seat (Highland, centred NH 808 672), located on the S side of the narrow entrance to the Cromarty Firth, in order to take a detailed record of the remains of the Naval Coast Battery (Site No 3) that was constructed on the steep N-facing cliffs just before World War 1. Amongst other structures examined on the cliff face were the emplacement for the two 4-inch Quick Firing Guns and their underground magazine, the engine house, the concrete piles supporting the ancillary buildings (barracks, cookhouse, etc) and the foundation blocks of the wooden staircase and the chute leading down to them from a well-engineered terraced road. The Royal Marine submarine mining station further to the W was also examined (NH 80255 67234).
In addition, some of the structures associated with the World War 2 Army battery on the clifftop outside the security fence that encloses the principal buildings were also recorded. These included two engine houses, the fire command post (see Figure 5), the mine watcher’s station, the extended defence officer’s post,
Figure 5: South Sutor, Cromarty, Highland – General view from SE of the World War 2 Fire Command Post, © HES
an air raid shelter, the remains of the port war signal station, a mast-base and several boundary stones.
Community Archaeology in 2020
Scotland’s Community Heritage Conversations: As a response to the pandemic, Scotland’s Community Heritage Conference moved online and reimagined itself as a series of ‘Conversations’. This has always been an event run in partnership with other organisations, so it has been very encouraging to see the number of partners growing, with the Scottish Community Heritage Alliance, CIfA and Northlight Heritage (who were involved in the early years of the conference) joining ourselves, Archaeology Scotland and the Scottish Council on Archives. The most significant innovation has been the staging of monthly events, each lasting just a half day. There has also been a much greater emphasis on exchanging ideas between participants, with each talk followed by a conversation, and plenty of time being made available for a comprehensive discussion at the end.
The first two events, held in November and December 2020, each attracting around 80 participants, concentrated on the responses to the pandemic, looking at resilience (November) and Adapting through Digital (December). Already, a wide range of topics has been discussed, including promoting heritage within the South Asian and Muslim communities in Scotland, the development of a maritime heritage centre in the Western Isles, tackling ‘digital deserts and isolations’ in Wales, and issues of copyright. The regular Conversations will continue throughout 2021.
Scotland’s Community Heritage Conference was celebrated in a paper published in the Journal of Contemporary Archaeology, about the experience of visualising the event between 2013–2017, through drawing cartoons of the talks while they were being given at the annual conference.
Community partnerships: The Tomintoul and Glenlivet Landscape Partnership, with whom we had been working closely for five years, largely came to an end in 2020. A final-year programme of archaeological fieldwork had to be abandoned because of the Covid-19 situation, but online events through the year kept the newly formed heritage group together, and we hope to make up for the lost fieldwork in the future. Meanwhile, in neighbouring Badenoch, the Great Place Project has been extended to late 2021, and we have assisted in the development of various outputs that will form the legacy of this exciting project. These include giving advice on the creation of quite stunning digital reconstructions of Dun da Lamh and Torr Alvie hillforts, Ruthven Barracks and other local monuments.
Creative Archaeology: Working with Glasgow School of Art researchers and students, and contributing to the postgraduate MLitt Art Writing course, a virtual field trip to Dumbarton Rock was created. The students were enabled to participate in the visit via archive material from the NRHE and other sources. They responded to the ‘archival landscape’ through their creative writing. A research paper published in the International Journal of Art and Design Education discusses the virtual fieldtrip.
Geophysical Survey
With funding from the Historic Scotland Foundation, a five-year Geophysical Survey Project has been established at HES. With restrictions on fieldwork, only a few small surveys were able to be completed in 2020 to test equipment and to begin to address research and management questions on the Antonine Wall.
Recording Scotland’s Graffiti in 2020 included working with graffiti artists to hear their voices and incorporate their experiences in the NRHE. We also worked with writers to publish a web essay with DigIt! We will continue to develop partnerships, enable graffiti writers to participate in the aggregation of the NRHE and publish the results of our ongoing collaborative, creative engagement with the historic environment.
Kilmartin Glen and North Knapdale (Argyll and Bute)
Between January 2019 and July 2020 an archaeological survey of 111km² was undertaken using a mixed economy of deskbased mapping and field investigation, with a heavy reliance on lidar (airborne laser scanning) data. The survey area extended from Loch Crinan to Lochgilphead, taking in Kilmartin Glen and the rugged landscapes that lie to its east and west.
This survey has seen the revision of 198 pre-existing site records and has added 207 previously unknown sites to the NRHE. The majority (191) of the newly identified sites are of postmedieval or modern date (identified here as post-c1600 AD), and these include 14 farmsteads, four townships and 30 shieling huts or groups thereof. The 11 prehistoric sites identified include six groups of cup-marked stones and rocks, a hut circle with adjoining field system and four burial cairns, two of which are probably of Bronze Age date.
Landscape Characterisation
Research to establish methods to audit landscape-scaled change on an ongoing basis continues, examining potential use of satellite data and change detection algorithms.
Legacy
Archaeological survey staff have been progressing a major project to significantly enhance the results of RCAHMS archaeological surveys as they appear in Canmore. The project involves three major tranches of work: (a) site descriptions are being re-organised within a hierarchical structure and with enhanced metadata, so that Canmore users have a clearer indication of why a particular project was undertaken, who undertook it, and what the results were; (b) related collection material (drawings, linework, databases etc) is being catalogued, linked to relevant projects and digitised where possible; (c) the site records themselves are being enhanced with more precise location information, site-area polygons, and information on the ‘Period’ the site dates to. The initial focus of this work has been on the Afforestable Land Survey (1989–1999) and Special Surveys (1980–2015), but significant progress has also been made on the area survey in SE Perth (1994) and on selected Inventory and other material.
Special Surveys
East Lomond Hill (Fife): An archaeological survey of East Lomond fort (Canmore ID 29881) was undertaken between November 2018 and July 2019 in partnership with the Falkland Stewardship Trust, in order to provide an up-to-date record
of the site to complement recent excavations (DES 2016, 83; DES 2017, 95). A preparatory phase of fieldwork included the capture of oblique aerial photographs, thereafter processed to generate a georeferenced Digital Surface Model. A second phase of work involved desk-based analysis, field observation, and the collection of additional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data. A plan and sections of the site (at scales of 1:1000 and 1:2000 respectively) were developed using a novel method of displaying topography to provide a sense of the relationships between natural and archaeological features (Collection Item: SC2111392). Written descriptions of the principal features were added to the NRHE and should be read in conjunction with the plan of the site created during the survey project.
Creagan an Tuirc (Highland): A special survey of this fort was undertaken (see Figure 1) in order to determine whether there were any visible internal or external features that were likely to be contemporary with its occupation. The fort measures internally about 66m from NE to SW by 36m within a single stone wall that has been severely robbed in places and is reduced everywhere to little more than a grass-grown bank. On the E, where there is a steep, rocky slope, the wall is missing, having probably slipped down the slope over the centuries. The entrance to the fort is on the SW.
Whiteadder Archaeological Survey (East Lothian and the Scottish Borders)
A survey of some 400km² centred on the catchment of the Whiteadder Water made use of high-resolution lidar, supplemented with field investigation and UAV photography (see Figures 3 and 4). The desk-based analysis of lidar, aerial photographs and historic maps resulted in the discovery of 1240 previously undocumented sites and, despite the significant interruptions to the project timetable due to Covid-19, over 300 sites were visited in the field when it was necessary and possible to do so. A further approximately 700 existing archaeological records have been reviewed and revised, with updating of their position, class and period. The project will be completed in early 2021.
Scotland’s Rock Art Project (ScRAP)
2020 was the penultimate year of the Scotland’s Rock Art Project (ScRAP), a community co-production project to enhance understanding and awareness of prehistoric rock carvings in Scotland, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Our fieldwork programme over the previous two years has gathered a considerable volume of detailed data and, at the start of 2020, we and our trained Community Teams had recorded over 1000 of the 3000 known rock art sites in Scotland. The intention in 2020 was to focus on analysing the data we had already compiled, while continuing to support our Community Teams in the field, and to target recording in specific areas where our data was more limited, such as parts of Angus and Perthshire.
Global events had a different plan in store for us, however. Fieldwork has been constrained to brief windows before and between lockdowns. Nevertheless, we have been able to work with our Community Teams in Bute, Kirkcudbright and Loch Tay, and all our Community Teams have undertaken their own fieldwork as far as it has been possible and safe to do so. North of Scotland Archaeological Society (NOSAS) in particular has been very active in its rock art recording work in Highland region. Together we have covered a surprising amount of ground and, by the end of 2020, had visited and recorded a further 380 rock art sites across the country.
Despite restrictions on fieldwork, around 30 new rock art sites have been discovered this year. These include a phenomenal 14 on Bute – almost all found by Jessica Herriot – several of which are unusually complex for an area dominated by cup-marked Figure 6: Allt a’Choire Chireinich, Loch Tay – An example of a field drawing of a cup-and-ring marked stone by Andrew Powell, a member of the Killin Rock Art Team, © HES Scotland’s Rock Art Project
rocks and stones. Andrew Powell from our Killin Team discovered a large boulder with complex, eroded cup-and-ring carvings on the slopes above Loch Tay in Perthshire (see Figure 6), while at Broughmore Wood in Stirlingshire, Nick Parish from our Callander Team identified prehistoric cup marks, sharpening marks, and an extensive multi-period quern extraction site (see Figures 7 and 8, and pages 129–31), soon to be investigated by Stirling Council archaeologist Murray Cook. The highlight of the first lockdown was the discovery by a member of the public, Douglas Ledingham (who subsequently joined our Edinburgh, Lothians and Fife (ELF) Team), of an elaborate cup-and-ring marked boulder on Whitelaw Hill, near Garvald, in East Lothian (see Figures 9 and 10), and a smaller cup-and-ring marked stone on Soutra Hill. These finds are all the more impressive as they come from a region where negligible rock art survives in situ. Both these stones have now been claimed as Treasure Trove and will be preserved in a local museum. Finally, in Kilmartin, Hamish Fenton made a very exciting discovery of what may be the first known Early Bronze Age animal carvings in Britain (published in this volume of DES, see page 27). Detailed recording, analysis and publication of these carvings is under way by HES and ScRAP. You can find more information about ScRAP and Scotland’s rock art on our website www.rockart.scot.
Public Contributions
HES benefits each year from information provided to it by members of the public. In December 2020, Survey & Recording received notice that the clearing of vegetation had revealed a tall, dressed sandstone pillar standing on the SW verge of Turnhouse Road in Edinburgh (Figure 11). Research and a site-visit quickly revealed the stone to be an early 19th century guidepost which directed travellers to Glasgow and Stirling via Kirkliston, Linlithgow and Falkirk, and, in the opposite direction, towards Edinburgh. Research also revealed that the stone had been moved 80m SE from its former location, probably about 50 years ago. This is a very welcome addition to the NRHE because although they are frequently depicted on early Ordnance Survey maps, most guideposts of this type have been removed and the NRHE contains details of only three others of this form and date. Two members of the public have informed HES of the presence of boundary stones in NE Scotland. One has recorded six
Figure 7: Broughmore Wood, Stirling – Nick Parish (Callander Rock Art Team) working at the multi-period rock carving and extraction site, © HES Scotland’s Rock Art Project
Figure 8: Broughmore Wood, Stirling – Photogrammetric image of part of the multi-period site at Broughmore Wood, modelled by Nick Parish, © HES Scotland’s Rock Art Project
Figure 9: Whitelaw Hill, Garvald, East Lothian – A stunning cup-and-ring marked boulder discovered by Douglas Ledingham, a member of the Edinburgh, Lothians and Fife Rock Art Team, © HES Scotland’s Rock Art Project Figure 10: Whitelaw Hill, Garvald, East Lothian – A 3D image of the cup-and-ring marked boulder produced through photogrammetry, revealing some detail that could escape the notice of other forms of recording, © HES Scotland’s Rock Art Project
Figure 11: Turnhouse, Edinburgh – View from NE. The inscription on the top part of the stone reads ‘GLASGOW AND STIRLING BY KIRKLISTON, LINLITHGOW AND FALKIRK’ and the lower inscription reads ‘EDINBURGH’. Both inscriptions are accompanied by a hand with a finger pointing in the appropriate direction, a motif used on way markers from at least the late 18th century and still used today. It is not clear why the lower inscription is on a section that has been cut deeper than the rest of the face, but it may indicate that a correction or alteration to original text was required, © HES
Figure 12: Hillside, Aberdeen – This boundary stone, one of nine in NE Scotland reported to HES by members of the public, was probably set up in 1786 when Nigg parish, formerly owned by the Abbacy of Arbroath, was sold. The letter ‘M’ on the stone may represent a Mr Menzies who purchased the eastern part of the parish, © Peter Robinson
boundary stones in the hinterland immediately N and NW of Portlethen Aberdeenshire (Figure 12). The other has reported three boundary stones at two separate locations within a few miles of Stonehaven. Except for the inscription on the earthfast boulder, which may be of 18th century date, all the others appear to be dressed stone pillars of a type commonly found marking the boundaries of large estates and dating to the first half of the 19th century.
A member of the public informed HES of a possible standing stone at Polwarth Burn, Longformacus, Berwickshire, which had no entry in Canmore. The stone, which stands 1.6m high, is not depicted on the 1st edition of the Ordnance Survey 6-inch map but it is marked as a ‘Stone’ on the 2nd edition (Berwickshire 1900, Sheet XV, SE). This and the fact that there appears to be no local tradition attached to the stone strongly suggests that it is probably a cattle-rubbing stone of late-19th century date rather than a prehistoric standing stone.
HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND – ARCHIVE
This year HES has received documentary archives from a diverse range of archaeological projects. We have taken in archives, both physical and digital, from professional units, local societies and individuals, including AOC Archaeology, Addyman Archaeology, Cameron Archaeology, Headland Archaeology, Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology, the SCAPE Trust, University of Stirling, Abertay Historical Society, Edinburgh Archaeological Field Society, the North of Scotland Archaeological Society and Dr Colleen Batey.
The sites covered by this material represent Scotland’s full geographic range and activities recorded include excavations, coastal and maritime surveys, standing building recording, aerial photography and geophysical work.
If you are preparing documentation for deposit with HES, copies of guidelines for the creation of paper and digital archives are available at https://canmore.org.uk/content/ depositors-information. For further information and advice, please contact archives@hes.scot.
Information on access to the HES search room in John Sinclair House is available via the HES website. Address: John Sinclair House, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh EH8 9NX Email: archives@hes.scot Website: www.historicenvironment.scot
HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND – DESIGNATIONS
Like many other organisations we have been impacted by Covid-19 over the last year, yet we still handled around 700 designations cases – fewer than normal and a reflection of the disruption caused by the pandemic.
We continue to welcome applications asking us to assess sites and places for designation as scheduled monuments, listed buildings, entries on the inventory of gardens and designed landscapes or entries on the inventory of historic battlefields. We also make recommendations to the Scottish Government about the designation of historic marine protected areas. Anyone can apply by completing the form on our website at https://www. historicenvironment.scot/media/7025/designation-applicationform.pdf.
We are committed to increasing the amount of information we publish about the applications we receive and the decisions we make. You can find out more about what we publish in our Historic Environment Scotland portal http://portal.historicenvironment. scot/?p=PORTAL:HOME. It is important to us that we also hear what the people of Scotland think about the places and sites proposed for designation and you can also now submit your views on cases under consideration in our portal.
Designation Highlights
The Highland Perthshire Military Road Heritage Project
We recently completed a review of Highland Perthshire’s military road heritage. This investigated records and surviving field evidence for over 60 sections of intact roadway with associated bridges and culverts, all found along three key routes – The Great North Road (between Dunkeld and Dalnacardoch and close to the route of the existing A9 trunk road); between Crieff and Dalnaspidal on the A9 trunk road and; between Pitlochry and The Cairnwell/Glenshee.
Seven sections of road have now been designated as scheduled monuments. Six bridges already protected as listed buildings have had their records updated with new information. Another two have had their listing category changed from C to B and the Spittal of Glenshee bridge, was changed from category B to A.
The Wade Stone was also designated as a scheduled monument. This two and half metre-high stone block served as a marker to the spot where in 1729 two groups of road workers met when completing the Dunkeld to Inverness military road. Carved with the date of the completion of the road, it is said that General Wade, a tall man by all accounts, placed a coin on the flat top of this stone. When he returned a year later it was still there.
The Wade Stone: https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/ designation/SM13727
Figure 13: The Wade Stone: This stone is located near the spot, where in 1729, two groups of road workers met and completed the Dunkeld to Inverness military road. © HES
The Lighthouses Project
As part of the Year of Coasts and Waters in 2020, we undertook a designations review of lighthouses in partnership with the Northern Lighthouse Board. This included the designation of a number of unusual and rare types of lighthouse and navigational beacons for the first time such as Dunollie, near Oban, as well as updates to some of our existing designation records as at Esha Ness, Shetland.
Dunollie: https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/ designation/LB52570
Esha Ness: https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/ designation/LB44556
Cropmark Project
We continue work on a review of scheduled monuments that have no upstanding physical remains and that have been identified through the study of cropmarks recorded on aerial photographs. Since many of these sites were first designated, our understanding of the survival and significance of such buried remains has been enhanced by further excavation at several sites identified through cropmarking. We are now well placed to review the inherent archaeological potential and to assess the national importance of these monuments. The project will be carried out over multiple phases and we will complete phase 1 by Autumn 2021. This phase covers an area between Arbroath and Auchterarder.
Tracked Target Range, Crook of Baldoon (now a scheduled monument)
Among other noteworthy recent designations is the scheduling of the World War 2 200-yard tracked target range within the RSPB reserve at Crook of Baldoon in Dumfries and Galloway.
The range was part of RAF Wigton and consists of an oval raised earth bank, which carried a narrow-gauge track system for the moving target. Gunners would practice tracking and engaging the moving target while the mobile turret was moved in order to simulate being on a plane. The range had the vital task of training RAF gunners for air-to-air combat during World War 2.
Designation record http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/ designation/SM13739
Fishing vessel graveyard, Findhorn Bay (now a scheduled monument)
Another fascinating site we were asked to schedule is on the west bank of the River Findhorn and consists of the remains of 30 fishing vessels. The remains show that the vessels are examples of the Zulu class of sail-powered fishing drifters. They were probably abandoned at the outbreak of World War 1.
The Zulu was a hybrid design combining the best elements of the two predominant fishing boat designs in Scotland in
the later 19th century – the ‘Scaffie’ and the ‘Fifie’. The Zulu design was first commissioned at Lossiemouth in 1878 and came to dominate the east coast herring fishery during the last two decades of the 19th century. The fishing vessel graveyard at Findhorn is a tangible reminder of the development and expansion of the Scottish herring fishery as well as the decline of sail-powered fishing boats in the early 20th century.
Designation record – http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/ designation/SM13730
The Steading, Nether Blainslie, Scottish Borders (now a listed building)
The Steading is an early 18th century farmhouse and a former barn and outbuildings which were converted into the home, sawmill and workshops of the artist, Tim Stead MBE (1952–2000). Stead specialised in furniture making, and sculpture and interior design primarily using wood. The farmhouse has a largely complete bespoke interior decorative scheme, fixtures and fittings by the artist and the sawmill and outbuildings retain fixtures and fittings for crafting and engineering works in wood.
Most of the fixtures and fittings, including doors, windows cills, stairs and roof beams were designed and carved by Stead and the flooring in the main living space and circulation spaces is from off-cut slivers of wood. Most of the fitted furniture, including seating, desks, shelving and cabin and four poster beds as well as the kitchen and bathroom units have been incorporated into the fabric of the house.
Designation record – http://portal.historicenvironment. scot/designation/LB52549
Figure 15: The Steading: Interior image showing the bespoke fireplace and surround by Tim Stead MBE, © HES
Listing of post-1945 buildings
When we announced last year that we were proposing to list the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow, it raised a few eyebrows, mainly because many people considered it had an unsustainable future use. Our role in this case was to show how listing didn’t mean that the bridge should always be used for cars and that listing can inform, rather than prevent change, through the planning process.
While there is still a love-hate relationship with architecture built after World War 2, we are receiving more and more requests to list modern structures. This is reflected in our new listings, where post-war buildings have continued to feature. These have included the Hunter Building at the Edinburgh College of Art (1971–77) by Anthony Wheeler and Motherwell Civic Centre (1961–63) by Peter Williams of Wylie, Shanks and Partners, both listed at category B, and of course the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow (1966–70) by W A Fairhurst & Partners, listed at category C, which last year celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Designation Record (Hunter Building): http://portal. historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB52563
Designation Record (Motherwell Civic Centre): http://portal. historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB52545
Designation Record (Kingston Bridge): http://portal. historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB52554
The Historic Environment Scotland Cultural Resources Team provides expert archaeological and historical advice on the 336 monuments that make up the Properties in Care portfolio. This ranges from advice and management of the archaeology and historic fabric of the estate, including mitigation for planned conservation works and fieldwork, to historical research to enhance our knowledge and understanding of what we care for, as well as providing advice and researching the heritage values associated with the properties, which are then made available through our Statements of Significance (https://www. historicenvironment.scot/sos).
The team works closely with others both within HES and beyond to produce publications, guidebooks, provide PhD sponsorship and a busy outreach programme across Scotland. The team also administers small project grants to third parties undertaking research into the Properties in Care, and further information can be found by emailing crtenquiries@hes.scot.
The challenges of Covid-19 meant that much of our planned fieldwork and outreach for 2020 was curtailed until 2021, which was especially disappointing given that we were supporting a new community project with the Historic Hilton Trust to look at the context of the Hilton of Cadboll chapel site (Canmore ID 15260). Instead, our focus shifted to the management and monitoring of the HES estate during lockdown and the subsequent resumption planning to enable safe re-opening of our sites for both the public and HES staff.
Despite all this, investigations, surveys and research have been successfully completed this year; the majority were reactive in support of planned conservation works across the estate or in response to other drivers such as visitor infrastructure works or following incidents across the estate. Other investigations, such as geophysical surveys were undertaken as part of a wider project or programme aimed at developing our knowledge and understanding of the properties, which helps us achieve our aims of long-term conservation of the cultural significance of them. In all, 12 investigations, nine intrusive and three surveys were undertaken by CFA Archaeology under the Minor Archaeological Works to Properties in Care ‘Call-Off’ Contract. Additionally, standing building recording was undertaken by Kirkdale Archaeology, and dendrochronological analysis by Dendrochronicle led by Dr Coralie Mills. Other research, including the multi-disciplinary Caerlaverock Castle Research Project, has brought in a range of experts, working together to reshape our understanding of this magnificent medieval castle.
The results of all fieldwork undertaken throughout the year, such as the evaluation at Abroath Abbey, are reported within the main body of DES, the following summary puts them in context alongside other research carried out by the team.
Visitor Impact on Properties in Care
In an ongoing effort to manage the impact of visitors at our monuments, erosion surveys were carried out at the Clava Cairns (Canmore 14257) and Calanais Standing Stones (I) (Canmore ID 4156). Both sites have experienced an increase in visitor numbers and it became apparent that the increased footfall was impacting the monuments in the form of ground erosion; leaving desire line scars and threatening potential archaeological deposits below the surface. In both instances the surveys concluded that erosion from visitor footfall posed the greatest threat to the monument.
With a task force of HES staff assembled to develop a solution, lockdown was enforced, and we have so far been unable to move forwards. However, we used the unique opportunity afforded by the complete closure due to the lockdown between March and August to assess if this break had allowed the Clava Cairns to recover naturally. A re-survey was commissioned but unfortunately has revealed that there had been no recovery, and the erosion had in fact worsened in some places. New management solutions will be required to ensure the long-term preservation of the site, while maintaining visitor access.
Figure 18: Excavations in Holyrood Park, September 2020, © HES/CFA
In Holyrood Park, an archaeological evaluation was undertaken to investigate the impact of visitor erosion on potential archaeological remains in the vicinity of the hillfort (Canmore ID 52561) on the eastern side of Arthur’s Seat. The evaluation which began on the day lockdown started in March, was finally completed in September. It revealed the residual survival of an outer rampart which would likely have formed a barrier across the flank of the hill, preventing access around the outside of the fort and directing people into the hillfort entrance. With a greater understanding gained from the evaluation, we will be able to better protect the remains from the effect of visitor footfall.
Standing Building Record, Dendrochronology and the King’s Old Buildings: Unlocking a medieval Lodging
The Cultural Resources Team has supported the refurbishment of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum (Canmore ID 142493) within Stirling Castle, and in doing so has taken the opportunity to investigate the historic building it is located within. The King’s Old Building was the royal lodging of James IV and possibly also of earlier monarchs. Much altered, most of its wall fabric is of late medieval date and it survives as an important part of the royal residential complex of Stirling Castle, alongside the Great Hall and the palace of James V. Although of great historical significance, it has never been studied in detail.
During works on the first floor, a series of early joists was exposed and, given their likely age and significance, we brought in dendrochronologist Dr Coralie Mills to help us understand them, as scientific analysis would be the only way to unlock their secrets.
Sampling of the joists and the wall plate on which they rest has revealed that the timbers are a disparate bunch, a mix of oak and pine, mostly with too few rings for dendro-dating. However, one oak joist was felled in the winter of AD1500/01 in Southern Scandinavia while the pine wall plate, probably a later insert, was felled in the Eastern Baltic, in Lithuania, in the winter of 1750/51. Therefore, this floor structure post-dates AD1500 (and probably post-dates 1539 when other 1500-felled timber was recycled in the palace) and probably pre-dates 1750. Work is ongoing to refine and attempt to tighten the chronology but is already demonstrating the value of scientific analysis in understanding the development of this important medieval building.
A Tudor Rose: Queen Margaret’s Bower, Linlithgow Palace
Queen Margaret’s Bower is a small room located atop of the northwest tower of Linlithgow Palace (Canmore ID 49261). The Bower was thought to have been constructed as part of James IV’s works on the palace, and has been associated with his wife Margaret Tudor, queen of Scots, who is said to have awaited the return of James from the Battle of Flodden in the Bower, although this is likely a Victorian exaggeration. The well-worn, central corbel on the room’s ceiling was identified in 2019 as perhaps being a double rose and it was questioned as to whether this was evidence of a stronger link between the Bower and Margaret Tudor.
Figure 20: The rose corbel in Queen Margaret’s Bower, © HES
Research and analysis of the room and corbel was carried out by Dr Rachel Delman, University of York, who concluded that it was “consistent with contemporary visual examples of Lancastrian and Tudor roses, particularly during the late fifteenth and first decade of the sixteenth centuries” as well as drawing attention to other carved details including the carved corbels of the turnpike stair directly beneath the bower which form a crowned ‘I’ and ‘M’, likely to stand for James and Margaret, and which create a pattern with two other badly damaged corbels which were identified as Scottish thistles. Through analysis of the location of the Bower within the palace and the layout of the rooms around it, it was highlighted that “its proximity to the stately apartments suggests it was intended for the use of the palace’s principal occupants and offered a greater level of privacy than the rooms below.”
‘Ne’er was castle lovelier sited’: Recent Research at Caerlaverock Castle
In 2019–20, as part of a major reinterpretation project, research was carried out on Caerlaverock Castle’s landscape, archaeology, woodland, history, and collections. The ‘old castle’ (Canmore ID 66101) was built c1229 at the mouth of the River Nith and the ‘new castle’ (Canmore ID 66100) was built c1277 200m further from the coast. This was probably a response to storm surges which pushed gravel ridges across the Nith in the early and high Middle Ages. Edward I laid siege in 1300 – celebrated in the poem, The Siege of Caerlaverock – and details have been uncovered regarding his movements, prominent participants, and the recruitment of soldiers. Figure 21: High res vertical image of the Caerlaverock castles and landscape, © HES)
War stripped the region of people, crops, livestock, and supplies, which included grazing land, oatmeal, bere, fish, peat, salt, and wood. Patches of early planted woodland survive, often on old boundary features, interspersed with wet woodlands managed by drainage systems. Analysis of plant life revealed an array of lichen, fungi, moss, liverwort, flowers, and other flora, many with historic uses in medicine and food. Natural resources can be linked to craftwork in, for example, the on-site production of wooden bowls. The ceramics are dominated by medieval table and cooking wares of a potentially local redware fabric, although a sherd of 4th century form raises the possibility of a Roman presence. Some items were perhaps associated with pregnancy and childbirth, including a Virgin and Child jetton, possibly used as an amulet. Objects such as a heraldic horse harness pendant and daggers and sheaths give insights into masculine identities. The sizes of excavated shoes suggest that a significant number of women and children lived and worked at Caerlaverock. Inventories taken after the siege of 1640 illustrate the castle’s fashionable furnishings, after which time the castle fell out of occupation.
We aim to make as much of our research as possible available, either through Canmore or the HES website (https://www. historicenvironment.scot/archives-and-research/publications/) however if there is anything you would like a copy of and cannot find or for more information on specific projects please contact the Cultural Resources Team via crtenquiries@hes.scot.
