Excavations on Dundee Law, 1993
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Proc Antiqc So Scot, (1995)5 12 , 1091-1108 Excavation Dunden so e Law, 1993 Stephen T Driscoll* with contributions by Alan Leslie, Sheila Boardman & Hazel Moore ABSTRACT Excavations occasioned environmentalby improvements have revealed fortifications summitthe on dating from two widely separated eras. The first fortifications date from the Iron Age and were severely burnt and vitrified; the later earthwork fortifications were probably raised in the 16th century. Consideration is given to the form of the later earthworks and the historical significance Dundee.to Law ofthe INTRODUCTION The Law is the highest point in Dundee and dominates the city's skyline. Although it is now obscured from the town by buildings, it provides a distinctive landmark from the river or the Fife shore. Throughout the Middle Ages the steep-sided volcanic plug lay outside the burgh (illus 1) s neverthelesbuwa t s identified wit t (sehi e below). Moreove s lonha g t i rbee n recognized that traces of a rectilinear fortification survived on the summit of Dundee Law, which are clearly illustrate Crawford'n s dengravino hi f 177 o d p 7an ma gs View f Dundeeo from River,e th dated 1793 e fortificationTh . jusy e visiblb tsma Slezer'n ei s Prospect towne th f o o f Dundee frome th East (1693; Cavers 1993, 55). The greatest part of the fortifications are a Scheduled Ancient Monumentr MemoriaWa e e sout th th aree lf th o h,o t abein g excluded fro e protectemth d area. Despite this long awareness of the fortification and their recognized importance to the national heritage, ther s bee consensuo ha e n theio t s ra s origin r historicao s l significance. Published opinions rang 17te th eho t frocentur Iroe e mth n Ag y (Warde Christisond 1880an ) 52 , n (1900, 53), usualls i o wh yreliabla e guid mattern eo datef uncertais o wa , concluded nan de tha th for e n th to t La'as nw wa anomalou puzzlind san g work' (1900, 53). e summiTh s nearli t y flat, wit northere hth beind nen g slightly more elevated. Overals i t i l approximately oval in plan. The final ascent is extremely steep on all sides and to climb to the summit the modern road is forced to encircle completely the last 30 m of the ascent. The visible fortifications consist of noticeable, if unimposing, earthen banks which run with the long axis of hile defino th t l approximateln ea y rectangular area. Nowher banke th o sed stand more than about 1 m above the interior, and in places they have been entirely obscured by modern building on the hill. Only with the eye of faith can one discern the small D-shaped 'annex' recorded by Christison (1900, 52), on the northern end of the summit. The 'annex' has suffered from the presence of the radio mast and the transmission equipment building, which have removed most traces of the GUARD* , Departmen Archaeologyf o t , Universit f Glasgowyo , Glasgow G1Q 28Q 1092 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1995 V """ *' r::' DUDHOPECASTLE r ^^wferssSRff^s* •., tm DUNDEE LAW, Tayside Region. ILLU S1 Locatio showinp nma extensettine e medievae gth th th f d f Dundeo tgo an lw burgeLa representes ha Torriy db e (1990) (Based upon Ordnancee th CrownSurvey© p ma Copyright) DRISCOLL: EXCAVATION DUNDEN SO W ELA 1093 rampart. At the opposite end, the southern rampart has completely disappeared under the parking area around the War Memorial and the original entrance to the fortification from the south-east has summite beeroa e th t awa th o n dcu t y yb . The most detailed plan of the fortifications (illus 6) is to be found on Collie's survey of Dundee (1850-2, sheets 44 & 57), which has been used to reconstruct the missing elements of the pla t onln (illuNo y . doe2) s s Collie' presenp s ma complet e th t e plan withou modere th t n features, but it apparently reveals details of the structure which are now less distinct than they were in the 19th century Collie showp Th . ema s tha t eaca t h corner there were round bastions which projected beyon ramparte linth e f dth eo . Thes survivw eno northere onlth n yo n corners; subsequenf o e us t the hill has rendered them irregular although they are still massive. A far as can be seen from Collie's map the original approach was by a track which began midway along the east side and ran south acros slope sth e unti t reachei l flankinsouthera e df th o d gnen earthwork t thiA . s poine th t track dog-legge earthworke th n i p dga s wes a insid o t te south-eas eth t bastion. This earthwork (rudely planne Christisony db s beeha ) n largely obliterate modere th y db n road (illu , C-D)2 s . There may have been additional earthworks beyond the area covered by the plan; Warden observed that 'belo summie wth t appearance therth s ei f severaeo l outworks' (1880, 52). Toda onle yth y visible earthwork grasse th n si y meado wsummie easth f fiele to ar t d boundaries. CIRCUMSTANCEE TH EXCAVATIOF SO N The opportunity arose to investigate the earthworks on Dundee Law as part of a scheme of environmental improvements to the park containing the monument. The scheme, which was sponsore Scottisy db h Enterprise TaysidDundey b d an ee District Council, included limited landscaping work improved an s d visitor facilities which were intende enhanco dt e settineth f go Dundee's premier park. The most substantial works were the slight modification to the parking provisioe th ared parapea a an f no t with seatin soute r Memorial arounth d Wa n hen go e e dth Th . need for archaeological participation was identified at the outset, and archaeological advice was provided at every stage of the project; this allowed the excavations to be programmed into the overall construction works. The approved design for the improvements on the summit encroached upon the Scheduled s southerareit t a n corners, wher pavee eth d ares modifiewa a provido t d e coach accessn I . consequence, each of the trenches excavated included a stretch of the rampart, and the eastern one also interioincludee th f o excavatione r dm (illu Th somq . s s2) 5 e2 s took plac Februarn ei y 1993, unde rcondition y winddr t ybu s ove weeksperioo a r discoveriee resula tw th s f df o A . o t s madn ei February furthea , r watching bries mountewa f attempn Jula n di n yi locato t t e south-weseth t bastion. PREVIOUS DISCOVERIEW LA E TH N SO onle Th y properly documented excavationwerw La e e mad preliminare th th pars n ea o sf o t y investigation improvemene th r fo s t scheme (Rideout 1990 . Thi) s work involved re-excavating electrie th trencher fo c g cabledu s s withi Schedulee nth d area cuttine th ,sectioa f go n acrose sth northern rampart wheralreadd ha modere t th ei yy b bee nopenine t trackth ncu aren a d af an g,o angle th n ei formenorthere m th 5 y y db b n m ramparmodere 5 th d nan t radie tracth oo kt mast. The re-excavation of the cable trench suggested that archaeological deposits survived in places arem a5 wher revealey soib e depte th eth m l f approache5 ho d e thaTh t. belom d1 topsoie wth l there were archaeological deposits including rock-cut pits. No datable artefacts were recovered. 1094 SOCIET ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1995 -N- /MASTJ BUILDING J'\ A I I Bastion *^ BM 174mOD~ ~~-Bastio n !i-- _ _i! "^ :" ' / i' Oi COMPASS/ "PLINTH 'M\ - — rr West Trench East Trench flr<" Original ir_ Entrance i i Itl to Fort i WAR I MEMORIAL / v — "~T~^^LoiT l l(|^ lI , sl > l 'ix l ii l »l ii l/l — , _i i i l ' ii ' ' ' /' ' ' l' "^ ^^''^'^ Bastioi°nn^-T.- '^. ~~~~-J ''.'^ -^ Bastion X '/>''//",Vvmiin' MIIIIMIIIIIIIIIII in"""' /'\° N Y / M I M ' ' ' / N i / ;" DUNDEE LAW PARAPEW NE WALKWAd Tan Y ^ FORT 10m ILLU S2 Dunde Fortw eLa , plane-table surve f upstandinyo g remains e earthworkTh . s shown where they have been destroyed by the War Memorial (between the points A and B) and by the road (between c and D) have been reconstructed from Collie's map of Dundee (1850-2): illus 6) DRISCOLL: EXCAVATIONS ON DUNDEE LAW | 1095 e sectioTh n acros rampare sth t confirmed Christison's suggestion tharamparte th t s were builf o t earth with very little stone. Earlier discoveries have been made on the Law, but none is well documented. During the r MemoriaerectioWa e th steatita f l no e lam discoveres pwa 32)E dS (NMR, 3 whic3 O s Shi N discussed below. More recent construction work, during the erection of the mast in the 'annex', disturbed two lines of boulders which are the only evidence for stone-built ramparts. On the jusw shouldetLa north-ease th e summitf th o r f o t , discoveries were mad f 'Ancieneo t Arms, Human Bones etc. 33)E ' S (NMR . 3 Thes3 O SeN discoveries were reportede onlnotth a n s yea o 1st editioOrdnance th f no epresumabld Survean p yma y were unearthed during agricultural improvemen r durino t openine gwhinstonth e th f go e norte quarriesth hn fille o w sid , no f ,din eo hille th .